Colours of Life...

Hua & Harry

2007-02-20T17:41:00.000+08:00

I suppose to have updated this one earlier...in Jan 2007.

My friend Hua came back from Singapore for a short break.
It's normal for her to recharge her battery once a while back home in Malaysia.
But it's a bit different this time around!

I brought her to my favourite Yong Taufu Stall @ Peel Road, Cheras.
It was packed with people & the food was almost finished...

We took photo while we' re waiting for our yong taufu...
This is Hua bidding cheers...

Did i mention something "different" just now?
Yes, she came back with her boyfriend...Harry!
Nice to meet you, Harry.

Note: The food took ages to come, so Hua was mad & hit Harry, no I mean Hua was boring & playing around :)

The photo shooting continued after our meal. There's no food photo cause we're too hungry...
I was happy to be their photographer & they were excited to be my model...

Wedding photo shooting rehearsal session :)
I volunteer myself to be the wedding photographer...f.o.c.

Hua & Harry -- a lovely couple!

Breakfast @ BB Pasar KL

2007-01-13T11:10:00.000+08:00

Time has never waited for anyone! It's already YEAR 2007...
Let's forget the past, plan for the future (although it's not easy to achieve sometimes...) and live life the fullest.
一日之计在于晨，一年之计在于春
To start a new day, a nice breakfast is important!

We went to the BB Pasar near Times Square. It's around 8am...

This is the entrance...hawkers selling tidbits and fresh veges...

There are stalls selling popiah, nasi lemak, noodles, porridge etc...

Toys...which brought back some good old memories...

Stickers...with different colours and cartoon designs...

We sat under the colourful umbrella...and ordered the 'legendary' hailam tea and toast...

Jeng jeng jeng... this is it! 海南茶＋烧面包

The bread is square and cut into 2 triangles.

里内有乾坤－ kaya & butter!

Now you see it...

Now you don't...

Hakka Mee 客家大埔面

2006-10-21T12:46:00.001+08:00

I was too busy and too lazy to do blogging.
I miss taking photograph and blogging...what more my favourite food blogging!

Hakka mee is similar to wantan mee. But I find myself more favour to hakka mee.
With the recommendation of a colleague last month, I tasted the best hakka mee in my life...
The stall is located at one of the lorong in Pudu 半山芭‘为食街’.
春记大埔面/ 'Chun ji da pu mian' / The Spring Hakka Mee @ Pudu
It has 20 years or more of long history...

It was around 8.30am when we had our breakfast. The business was good and the service was fast.

这就是镇店之宝--大埔面。
奶黄色的面条没有碱水味，绿油油的菜心没有苦味，再加上美味可口的叉烧和炒肉碎，简直连舌头也差点吞了！

怎么可少的配角 -- 皮薄馅靓的云吞！

难以抗拒的炒肉碎！

看清楚了吧？！

美人照镜，舌头还在啦！

p/s: how come I use English & Chinese in the above write-up?

A 'medley of happenings'...

2006-09-03T16:28:00.000+08:00

I have been missing from my blog for a long long time...
I have things to tell but time doesn't allow.
A couple of major things happened in my life in the months of June, July & August.
So long yet so fast for me to digest what's happening and have a thought of my decisions making.

Everything was like happening in a blink of eye...
An operation of removal of lumps, resignation from my previous employer whom I have served for 6 years, accepting a new job...

During my recuperation period, I could barely move myself like a normal person.
A simple movement like lying down or waking up from bed was killing me...
Eating, sleeping, bathing, walking have never been the same...
Now I could understand the feelings of the handicapped...really, no joke!
Do NOT take for granted for what your body is giving you!

Well...I regard this incident as a blessing in disguise (must have positive thinking mah...)
I am learning NOT to be self-centered, narrow-minded, pessimistic...
It's not that I've got enlightenment but I try to see the world from various angles...
The choice is in our own hand.
Life goes on!!!

Lil hiccup in life...

2006-07-08T22:09:00.000+08:00

I have not taken any MC since the beginning of year 2006...
and i m thinking to keep my record clean and get a No-MC reward...
But Forest Gump (did i spell correctly?) said life's like a box of chocolate, you never know what you'll get...
He's right!!!
I couldn't agree more and you may get a mouldy one if your luck is bad!

Last month, the specialist, Dr D, suggested me to undergo a minor surgery to remove some (yes, not one!) unwanted lumps from my body.
Although they are benign, they may grow in times...
I gathered information from 2 of my female colleagues. Yes, it's not uncommon among women!
After much consideration, I made an appoinment with the doc. (Hahaaa...it's like any other appointments with dentist, beauty salon, cinema, hotel...)

I checked-in (admitted) at Bangsar Pantai Medical Centre 9am...opted for a double room.
I was thinking that it's better to have a companion in the room instead of staying alone...

A bit regret later...

The surgery was scheduled at 1pm.
So I had plenty of time to 'play' around :P
I purposely brought an orange because I love it's colour--it's lively and full of energy!
I didn't feel scared & worried...yet...

No, these were not for me!
They're for my neighbour- an old chinese lady.
The nurses were not around...and I was curious!

The old lady was out to do physiotheraphy.
The room was quiet with her absence!

I had a TV all by myself...with some channels from ASTRO!
The Discovery was showing the making of abalone while I was fasting before the operation :(

Luckily I brought along my buddies :)

The blanket was clean and comfy...

The nurses came in...checked my weight, blood pressure, temperature, medicine allergy etc...

A nurse inserted this gadget ( it's called IV if not mistaken) on my wrist. I closed my eyes and heard her saying while she was searching for my vein: keciknya...comelnya...pakai baby punyelah...
It hurted because it's at the joint!

Ok no more pictures...

I was discharged 2 days later.
I am now back to work after 2 weeks rest and recuperation at home.
Life goes on...

p/s: thank you for your support and advice, my friends! you know who you are!

I am 1 year old!

2006-07-02T14:13:00.000+08:00

Doesn't time fly?
I've been blogging for a year!
Althought I blog less often nowadays, my passion towards blogging has never reduced...

荷花？莲花？

2006-06-03T22:27:00.000+08:00

好几个月前, 经过一个卖花的花圃, 无意中发现这些可爱的瑰宝...

忘了它是荷花还是莲花?!
分辨的方法是在于: 花朵紧贴水面...或远离水面.
but i forgot which is which!?

Oops, wrong focus?!
我们有时只看到别人的缺点, 尽是指责和挑剔...
我们多数只看到事情的负面, 尽是埋怨和不满...

何不换个焦点?
人人总有他的优点和长处...
事情总有它的正面和意义...

出于泥而不染...
好清高的花..
可远看, 不可近碰...有点高不可攀的感觉!

天地之大, 花草万千, 我只要一叶屈身...

Jack's Place vs 旧醉猫

2006-05-12T15:40:00.000+08:00

I haven't gone for shopping or window shopping for quite a long time...
Well I don't really keen on it these days. (Is this a sign of getting older???)
I'd rather stay at home reading or watching TV or pampering myself with massage/facial in a beauty saloon...

My brother and sister-in-law came back all the way from Penang 2 weeks ago.
They wanted me to bring them to 1Utama.
I didn't perform well my duty as a tour guide...and we took the wrong exit along the Federal Highway :P
After some unnecesarry tolls, we stucked in TTDI!
1Utama was so close but yet so far...
So i made use of talian hayat (remember the show...Who wants to be a millionaire?)
My PJ friend had rescued us and directed us to our destination...at last! (Thanks Aaron! Though he's not reading this...)
Or else my brother was going to nag(scold?) on me...

Luck was on us anyway, we found a parking space very soon...and it's strategic-near the entrance!

There was a fashion show going on...time to cuci mata :)

A late lunch at the Jack's Place...we missed the set lunch time which the price was quite reasonable!

L: The mushrooms stuffed with crab meat and cheese...
The taste was ok...I still prefer those thick mushrooms with strong flavor.
R: The mango & prawn cocktail (couldn't remember the exact name)
I love this appetizer! But it's a bit pricey for this small portion...nvm I'll try making it myself later!

L: Shirley's Temple - sour plum flavoured cocktail.
Nothing to brag about! The name's just a gimmick!
R: Garlic bread...it's ok with me cause the garlic smell wasn't too strong.

L: Grilled ikan kerabu
R: Grilled salmon
Three of us ordered only 2 main courses as I am a small eater.
I prefered the Grilled ikan kerabu due to the just-nice texture. The outer layer was crispy and tasty whereas the inner part was soft.
The grilled salmon was a lot more meaty and tasteless...maybe it's not fresh i thought!?

The lunch costed us (my brother to be exact) RM100+!
With this money, I think I can get better deal with better choice and better taste!

So i brought them to 旧醉猫 at Jalan Peel, Cheras, for dinner.
It's near the Jaya Jusco and Carrefour.
I took charged to make order...hahaa...all are my favourites!

清炒油麦 + 银鱼子/招牌豆腐/姜蓉蒸脘鱼
3 白饭 + 1 壶热茶
All in was just RM30+ without service tax & gov tax!
We're so satisfied mentally & physically after the meal...

Western food vs Chinese Food...what say you?

Dog vs Cat

2006-04-16T19:30:00.000+08:00

There are some 'stray' dogs & cats at the backlane of our terrace house.
They 'help' to finish the unfinished food or leftover.
They 'safeguard' the neighbourhood.
They just live their lives freely & happily(i suppose!?).

Cats & dogs don't get along, do they?

They grey kittie was all perked up when the white doggie tried to approach me...

I sensed something was not right... a fight might begin!!!
I tried to 'calm down' the kittie with a lot of 'miao'...
And it worked! She sat still...with 100% alertness, meanwhile the doggie was all smiles behind the grilldoor!
One was arrogant & fierce while the other one was silly & innocent...

The kittie just stayed at her ground & didn't move an inch!
It's like: this is my area, stay the hell out of my place!

But the doggie totally ignored the message...
It's like: Nah...you're not going to bite me...

She somemore 'menjeling' at the kittie...
我喜欢在这里玩，吹咩！

Does a dog smile?

2006-04-01T23:10:00.000+08:00

Does a dog smile?

Yes, a dog does smile!
She smiled at me when i gave her a piece of bread...

I 'spotted' this lil cutie at the backyard when i went back hometown.
It's a 'homeless' dog without license.
According to my mum, the dog depends on the leftover around the neighbourhood.
And, if it's a 'he', for sure someone must have already 'brought' it home
Well now, she is everyone's dog!

She smiled innocently...

She's so playful!
Whenever I squatted to capture a closer her, she would just hop around me...

Say cheese...

A cool pose...

She found/sniffed something until she ignore me...

Mmm...yummy...

She's eating grass or what?!
A mouthful of mud & grass...weird doggie!

Wanna taste some?

三月之五味杂陈

2006-03-26T11:16:00.001+08:00

好久没写部落格了！
三月份，我在忙些什么呢？我忙了些什么？
三月份，农历新年已过了好久，过节食品似乎有些碍眼...
三月份，没有公共假期、没有节日假期，日子似乎有些沉闷...
三月份，上司猛提 sales target，虽然我不是salesperson，但大家共乘一条船，工作似乎有些压力...
三月份，上午太阳很猛，傍晚却乌云密布＋倾盆大雨，天气似乎有些异常...
三月份，这边厢表演吃鸡大会，那边厢屠杀鸡鸭防禽流，政府/政客似乎没有默契...
三月份，油价上涨，引起了 domino effect，各行各业也嚷着起价，荷包似乎缩水了...

绿绿寸草丛生沙地－虽然小草毫不起眼，但其超强的生命力及韧性，是不是该我们学习？！

红红小蚂蚁匍行天地间－个子虽小，但被咬过的人，恐怕不会忘记他们火辣的咬劲吧？！

黄澄澄小菊花争放灿烂笑容－虽然天气变化不断，但花儿总有开的一天...

A shisha try-out...

2006-02-26T13:39:00.000+08:00

After the Russian-style dinner, KH suggested to go for a shisha try-out!
I have heard about it for so long, but never have a chance to hands-on...
Although I don't smoke, but I was excited to say yes!
It sounds exotic & mysterious!
What's shisha? 抽水烟吧!?

This corner-lot building was our destination-Samar...
It's like going back to the 60s or 70s...minus the car & the signpost!

We're going to the upstairs...
Even the 扶手 was decorated. Wasn't it nice?

This waiter (middle) asked whether we're above 18 when we ordered the shisha.
Well, we took it as a compliment :)
We nearly got complimentary drinks after we took photo with him!

We had the room all by ourselves.
The cozy ambience had let our hair down...
I took off...the lid from my camera(what's on your mind) and snapped around...

We're playing around, fooling around and posing around...
TL, is the above photo good enough to use as your 相亲照片?
The below photo was definitely not a good one to show to your potential dates!!!

Note: we all are non-smoker, the above photos are just for posing & display purposes!!! :)

The shisha was of apple flavour which costed SGD14.
This thing almost choked me.
You had to suck very hard to generate bubbles, then the smoke would get into your mouth...ahem...ahemmm...then you just blow out slowly...
What an experience!
I really don't understand why people smoke?!

Let's call it a day...
Hopefully we don't get lung cancer after this :)

Russian Cuisines in Singapore

2006-02-25T22:33:00.000+08:00

Before I forget, I'd like to pen down my experience during my short stay over Singapore early December last year.
It was a Saturday, my old friends, KH & TL, who're working in Singapore, brought me & my sis to dine in Nadezhda Russian Restaurant near Bugis.

Their menu...

the ambience was cozy yet classic...

KH & her Singaporean friend, Mavis...and she was starving!!!

nice to meet u, Mavis!

The appetizer- beetroot salad.
The taste was a bit weird...

The Russian version of dumplings with pork filling.
Quite nice but I still prefer the Chinese style dumplings.

My sis's choice-otbivnaya boyarskaya.
Pork chop with mushrooms & cheese.
The pickles was nice-sour & refreshing!

TL's choice-otbivnaya.
Pok chop with mashed potato.

Mavis's choice- minskaya kotleta.
Chicken leg stuffed with mushrooms.

Mavis promoting her stuffed-chicken-leg...

Kuanyin temple in Singapore

2006-02-17T22:53:00.000+08:00

During my Singapore trip early December last year, I walked around the city using the map.
Reading the map is one thing, to actually get to the destination is another thing...
Sometimes I just got confused...turn right or turn left...go east or go west...
Well, theory is theory, it's totally different when it's reality and practical!

But hey I managed to get to the Kuan Yin Temple.
It's quite crowded...praying, burning joss sticks, 求签，解签...
I joined the crowd, burnt 3 joss sticks, donated SGD2 and took some candies :)
吃了保平安！

The flowers're beautiful...& the business's good...

There's a Hindu temple nearby...but was not crowded as the Kuanyin Temple.
To my surprise, there was joss sticks burning at the entrance. What a mixture of culture & religion!

I walked further down & I saw this statue of 弥勒佛.
People believes that He brings good luck & fortune if we touch him...

Even the foreign tourists were attracted...

But i was attracted by the ice-cream hawker...
The SGD1 yam flavour ice-cream with bread...yummy!!!

i visited S.A.M

2006-02-10T23:01:00.000+08:00

SAM was hidden at a corner due to some construction works in progress.
I was lucky enough to 'bump into' SAM!

The old building looked nice...a colonial-style building!
The corridor of time...I like it!
I paid SGD3 for admission.
When I turned to the entrance, the uncle at the counter called: Girl, wait! Put this sticker on your shirt...
Hahaa...he called me girl...made me feeling young :)
There're a few art galleries with different themes & titles.
The galleries were quiet & you could count the visitors with your fingers 小猫两三只！
But if compare with the Malaysia's Balai Seni Lukis, the artworks in Singapore are more daring & no 'censorship'! Got what I mean?

There's a special art exhibition of Gao Xingjian's masterpieces (from 17/11/05 to 7/2/06).
He's a Nobel Prize winner of dunno which year.

One of his masterpieces-裸体
His artpieces are amazing!
Now only I realized that the Chinese ink can do so much of 'magic'...
Black & white are no longer black & white...as they have stories & messages to tell...

We're not supposed to take photograph inside the gallery...but oops I wasn't aware!
Sorry man! Luckily I was not fined ~~"

I went to ... in Singapore

2006-02-10T22:29:00.000+08:00

I went to Singapore Post @ Killiney Rd.
The exterior looks so 'cute'!
And I bought some stamps...they're so colourful!
(Yes, I am a stamps-collector)

This is the Fountain of Wealth located in Suntec City.
For me, it's just a gimmick to attract visitors to shop around here...

I went to Chijmes (do u know the correct pronunciation?)
It's beautiful, isn't it?
And I bought the orchid replica of hand-made candles.

I saw ... in Singapore

2006-02-08T22:28:00.000+08:00

I have a backlog of entries about my short trip to Singapore early December last year.
Just to bring back the sweet moments & memories...
Just to share...

Loke Yew Street in Singapore...less traffic hustle compared to Jalan Loke Yew in KL!

I like the trees with different tones of green!

Doesn't it look like the Sultan Abdul Samad building in KL?!

The big durian!

The glorious dead...during World War I? II?
I have always failed my History :(

A beautiful city...

The landmark- Merlion!

Maybe I can enrol myself here...

I bought some persimmons here...yummy!

Where: inside MRT
What: rubbish
Who: unknown

No...not me!!!
Singapore is a fine country. I would not risk myself doing so!

老友捞生记!

2006-02-04T14:59:00.000+08:00

How many of you still remember your friend from primary school?
How many of us still keep in touch?
Well, although we don't contact each other that often, our friendship are still there...
还记得小学时，我们都包完第一到第四名！超人的第一宝座还真难抢！
事隔多年，大家各有前程...回想从前，名次只不过是过眼云烟! 无需执著 :)

老友聚会地点：舢舨头天天海鲜餐馆


捞生捞生...越捞越生!

老板娘亲自出马！

我的最爱：宫保虾姑-yummy!
鱼丸汤-爽口弹牙！
竹滩- a bit gross & disappointed with the taste...
西刀鱼+茄子-hot & spicy!
清炒番薯苗-delicious!

Superman-the only guy in our group!
PHong's making the table...good gal!

酒醉饭饱，拍张照吧！咱们后会有期！

CNY visit to 猪猪

2006-02-03T23:41:00.000+08:00

PHong also came back from overseas.
I was the honoured driver (again) to visit our another good old friend-YChoo a.k.a 猪猪
找不到你的名字: 马+ 朱 :)

Her lil daughter's so cute!
母女连心！

妈咪，很"显"呵...呵呵...

没人跟我玩...

妈咪，有人跟我玩了!
now you see it...
now you don't!

*she's playing hide&seek with KWah

等我头发长了，我就很靓女!

PHong: 靓女，看那边!

还真听话!

CNY visit to YMoi & her lil angels

2006-02-03T23:38:00.000+08:00

KWah came back all the way from US.
It's my honour to be her driver to visit our good old friend this CNY.
Time flies & waits for no one...especially when we saw YMoi's do re mi fa :)

lil handsome boy...

人家害羞啦...

我最喜欢柿子...

They love to take photo!

They just love me...because I have camera :)

KWah, 我们得加油了！已经输了几个马鼻了！

A visit to our teacher!

2006-02-01T15:09:00.000+08:00

Doesn't time fly?
We left school so many years ago...got our degree...joined in the rat race...
But we have never forgotten our beloved teachers!
We paid a visit to our Maths teacher...empty handed...oops sorry teacher, it's a last minute decision :p

Our beloved teacher Mrs Hiew (middle with red blouse) looks young & talks loud as usual & before...kebarangkalian...min...median...

It seems that time has never moved...not until we saw Mrs Hiew's lil daughter!
She gave birth to this lil cute lady when she was teaching us...and now she's in Form 1!
不认老都不行啦，唉！
Luckily she called us 姐姐 but MJ was 'lucky' enough & called UNCLE!!!

Mrs Hiew: No more chocolate! You have had too much chocolate...
Lil lady: Chocolate 很好吃！如果我不吃，它的老板会关门倒闭...
This smart & witty 开心果 really made us laugh :)

CNY visit cum gathering

2006-02-01T14:19:00.000+08:00

As we're growing older, old friends gathering has become a difficult task to complete due to some factors...
Some of them came back from overseas: US, Singapore,Indonesia...
During this CNY, we squeezed our time & scheduled our gathering.
Although not everyone showed up, we managed to meet & chit chat...

However, the main focus/hot stuff 主角 of the day was...(drumroll...)
tadaaa...the hot & spicy RENDANG CHICKEN & NASI PULUT!!!

A big thank you to Lily's mother, who has make our gathering a special one with this great delicacy!
~thanks to Carmine's courtesy appearance of her hand :)

L: The happy couple-Lily & Michael
R: say cheese!

L: MJ practising his wedding photo shooting with Carmine's help
R: 三美图


靓女！

又是靓女！

the making of crispy ARROW HEADS

2006-01-30T23:58:00.000+08:00

There is a large variety of cookies & goodies during CNY.
Pineapple tarts, peanut cookies, prawn crackers, kuih kapit, kuih bangkit...you name it!
But there is one type of chips which is quite popular recent years...the arrowhead chips!
My colleague call it arrow root...whatever...it's 芽菇/塘菇 in Chinese.
It's easy yet tedious to make.
Lemme show you the process...

Buy the arrowheads from wet market or supermarket.
This box of 10kgs costs us RM41.

Have a closer look!

Peel off the skin...

It's yellowish white inside...

Slice them!

Get little helper to arrange the slices of arrowheads piece by piece...

my lil cousin was more than happy to do this task :)

...or else you have to put the arrowhead slices into the wok piece by piece...which is slow & inefficient...

...tadaaa...this is the golden brown end product!!!

Sprinkle a lil bit of salt on them if you want.

Leave them on tissue paper to drain away the oil before you keep them in a tupperware!

Hmmm, it's crispy & yummy!!!

p/s: may be i can venture into business to compete with Pringles!? Anyone join me?

RED alert!!!

2006-01-29T23:16:00.000+08:00

Red is the auspicious colour for Chinese.
Yes...we all wear red to kick start the New Year of Dog!

新春愉快！

2006-01-28T23:55:00.000+08:00

狗年來臨，祝大家：
財運旺旺！身體壯壯！萬事爽爽！

what happened to the GEESE?

2005-12-25T23:50:00.000+08:00

Me and my uncle's family have visited to Bukit Jalil Park again at one sunny weekend.

Everything seemed the same, but...
...very sad to discover that the geese couple was no longer living happily anymore...
You can see this happy couple at my previous post.

but now he was resting lonely by the pond...
Where is his otherhalf- the elegant white goose?

You won't notice that one of his legs is crooked until you see this!
I wonder if he can stand and walk properly...
But luckily he still can swim :(

He was swimming away from us :(

Can the management of the Park or anyone do something?

Singapore at night...

2005-12-17T14:36:00.000+08:00

After NG and I had 'settled' the Korean Food, she passed the 'baton' to KH & TL.
While waiting for them, I snapped around...
Clarke Quay- A lot of 鬼佬 eat & drink here...

The famous Fullerton Hotel views from different angles...

The bridge over the Singapore River...does it have a name? I forgot...
I like the bridge...it's so solid and romantic...
You can take a boat ride from here.
The rooftop of Esplanade is in purple colour.

Another view of the bridge...people mooching around..couples kissing..you'll get summons if you do this in public at Malaysia!!! Remember the case in KLCC few years ago?!
TheSwissotel, The Stamford was at the back of the view. I'd try walking back to my hotel afterwards...

KH, TL & I walked over the solid bridge and...
...walked through the tunnel or underpass to our destination- the Esplanade.
KH likes the sci-fi feel of it...

KH went ~~crazy~~ excited when she saw this giant slipper!!!
These giant replicas-chopsticks, lantern, umbrella were shown in the art exhibition.
There're art shows happening here too...

After the walking, it's time for supper!
There're a few food stalls 大排挡 nearby.
I tried only the oyster omelette 蚝煎 due to my small appetite.
Oyster was oyster, egg was egg...the oyster was a bit gross to my taste...

The chickenwings looked nice...
No, Singapore chicken are not skinny.
Before I could take the picture, my friends had already put them in the mouth...

It's late. KH & TL accompanied me walking back to the hotel.
We crossed streets...went into transitlinks...
Guess who we met on the way???
Andy Lau...in the advertisement boards :)
Not just one...and they're big and just eye-catching!
Let's call it a day...

Korean Food in Singapore

2005-12-11T15:47:00.000+08:00

I didn't really expect my friends to come out since I reached Singapore at weekday.
When we get older, it's harder to have gathering as everyone has his/her own life.
But it's always nice to meet old friends...

NG called me & we're going to have dinner together!
Silly me mixed up the time & waited at the wrong place somemore...
Sorry to make you waiting, NG ...不好意思!

Nope! We didn't eat at McDonald.
This McD outlet has an unique exterior design.
We passed by on our way to Gangnaroo, a Korean Restaurant at Clarke Quay.

Yes, we had Korean food!
Kimchi, the-must-have item...crunchy, sour & a bit spicy...

Fried peanuts & anchovies were sweet...which was different from those in nasi lemak One of the sidedishes-radish
We had also bean sprouts and spinach...

This was the main course-hot pot or should i say hot wok... So many ingredients...boiling on the stove right infront of us...

I was busy taking photograhes while NG served me with this delicious bowl of everything...

The vege was a bit overcooked as we kept talking :)

NG, thanks for your treat! I'll come again! Just kidding...

My 1st day in Singapore...

2005-12-11T11:10:00.000+08:00

When I reached Singapore, I had no idea where I wanted to go & what I wanted to do.
I didn't really plan anything...
All I wanted was just an escape from my routine work...to get some fresh air...to relax...

I took breakfast @ their Kopitiam, Level 2.

It was buffet style. The food arrangement was nice & considerate.
The patrons need not to jammed up one place to get their food.
The dimsum was at the east, cereals & fresh milk at the west, fruits at the south, salad at one corner, bread & muffin at the other corner, fruit juices at another corner, tea & coffee near the window, main dishes at the center...

I just love the fresh orange juice...

...& the pink guava juice...

After the hearty breakfast, I grabbed the map & tourist guidebook.
Yeah, I was all set to start my adventure in Singapore!

The shopping malls - Raffles City & Robinsons are linked to the Swissotel.
But I didn't feel like shopping...so i stepped out of the hotel...
Wow! the MRT station, City Hall, was just a few steps away...
I followed the crowd & went down the tunnel...

Guess what!? I bought myself a ticket to Jurong East.
I was heading to Singapore Science Center...don't laugh!
According to the guidebook, it's just 10 minutes walk from the JE station.
I followed the signpost & walked into a commercial building which has hawker centres, shops & restaurants...
I was lost! 路在嘴边 I asked a Chinese lady for direction.
She told me the direction & kind enough to tell me to take bus from a nearby bus station because it's too far & too hot to walk under the sun.

Well, I didn't take the easy way...& I preferred walking :)
It's more adventurous & I have time to spend...

At last I saw this signboard! Phew!
Suddenly an 'uncle' came from nowhere riding on his bicycle...
I'd have thought it's a motorcyclist snatching handbags if I were back in KL...no offence!
The street was clean...the walkway was well paved...
The sun's shining...the trees welcoming me...everything seemed perfect...

I reached the SSC in less than 5 minutes.
I heard children jabbering away in a pool...it's school holidays...
I get myself a ticket for $6...ready to explore...
There're almost children & young students inside... I could hardly see adults...
I felt like joining an education tour during my schooltimes ;)
The children running up & down, touching here & there, shouting out & loud...
Although I felt odd inside, I joined the bandwagon...
There're many science objects & scenarios which require the visitors to touch, to experience & to think...
I tried one by one...and sometimes I had to scramble with the younger ones. How wicked!

Now you see this...
When it's turned 360 degree, what do you see?

Is this brain real?
Hey cheese lover, this is exactly how your brain ~~tastes~~ feels like!

What are you looking at?

here I come! Singapore...

2005-12-09T13:42:00.000+08:00

I went to Singapore for a short break.
It was a last-minute-decision made.
My sister S was sent by her company to work for a week in Singapore.
She said I could stay with her in Swissotel, The Stamford.
The room rates of this luxurious hotel are quite steep.
Well, since it's free & the bed was big enough for two, 不住白不住 without any hesitation, I packed my bag...

The Swissotel has 70 levels, indicated by their lift buttons.
We stayed at Level 5x.
The view from our room was breathtaking...as I was afraid of height --''
While I was taking photographes at the balcony, my legs were shivering & hands were shaking...

I could see Clarke Quay with background of some prominent buildings like SingTel, OCBC Bank, Maybank(yes our Maybank), HSBC, Fullerton Hotel, the Padang, clock tower, the high court...

Another view of Clarke Quay...

I could also see the famous landmark of Singapore-Merlion (too small in this pic), the bridge (i forgot the name) near Fullerton, the durian-shaped Esplanade (2 durians actually)...

The church opposite Swissotel, St Catheral (if not mistaken)
The fog-effect was accidentally done or something wrong with my digicam?

Nano? iPod Nano?

2005-12-09T11:37:00.000+08:00

End of Nov 2005

Me: I am taking leaves on 1 Dec & 2 Dec.

Colleague: Where are you going?

Me: Singapore. Will be back to work on 5 Dec.

Colleague: Great! But their currency is ours' double, quite expensive...

Me: Ya, but the iPod Nano there is cheaper even after the conversion. RM900+ in Malaysia, SGD348 in Singapore. I can save RM100+

Colleague: Nano? iPod?

Me: Yes, iPod Nano by Apple.

Colleague: iPod Nano? Apa itu? Sejenis gula-gula? (English version: iPod Nano? What's that? A type of candies?)

Me: ~pengsan... (fainted~~)

*Note1: thanks to the ad of a sweet & sour candy named Nano few years back...
*Note2: my colleague is a cute Malay lady. No offence thou...she is not reading,anyway...

YT's wedding...

2005-11-20T11:10:00.000+08:00

YT's wedding ceremony was held last Saturday, 12/11/2005.
I was her 姐妹 cum photographer, or should i say a novice wedding photographer :)
With her consent, I put up some pics here...

It was raining heavily that morning...luckily only for a short while!
According to FS, the Hokkien believes that the bridegroom 'picks up' his bride on a raining day, then the bridegroom is stingy. No offense!

The 双喜 in the right pic was created by YT's sister-in-law.

The bride was searching for the ring!
The bridegroom was ordered & forced:
1. to sing Negaraku in Mandarin version --fail
2. to say out loud: I love u darling -- passed
3. to give angpow -- passed
We're actually very lenient to him...

Their wedding car brought luck to their family members, friends & relatives.
Don't get me?! The plate number xxx9077 came out in the Da Ma Cai (formerly known as kuda)...
Don't believe? Go check the results on 13/11/2005 newspaper!
BB & I missed out the opportunity :(
But hey, the lucky ladies said they want to give us a treat.
YT & FS, don't forget me!

The bride & the groom...

The bride with her niece.
This pic was taken by FS.
Nice one!

The wedding reception was held at the hall near a Chinese temple 云龙庙.

There's a statue of Kuanyin or 观音菩萨 the Goddess of Mercy.

Some colourful koi swimming in a little manmade pond.

Like usual, dinner started 1 hour later than it should be, according to the Malaysian time.

Sorry no food pics!
I didn't have food for my buddy, digicam, as it's out of battery...

3 types of NASI...

2005-11-13T18:42:00.000+08:00

Nasi or rice is the staple diet in Malaysia.
We eat rice almost everyday.
I love rice. I feel uncomfortable if I don't have rice in my everyday's meals...

Nasi lemak with rice-cooked-in-coconut-milk, cucumber slices, peanuts, fried anchovies, hard-boiled egg, bird's egg (telur puyuh) and last but not least the sambal!
My all-time favourite!
It could be my breakfast, lunch and even dinner...

Here's a closer look at the cute lil telur puyuh...

Nasi dagang with a piece of ikan tonggol...
It's a traditional Malay delicacy in Kelantan.
My colleague bought it for me as breakfast. It tasted good but it's quite heavy for me in the morning!

Nasi kerabu with blue rice, bean sprouts a.k.a taugeh, and yummy salted-egg!
My colleague loves it!

你认为呢？

2005-11-13T17:29:00.000+08:00

绝处逢生？苟且偷生？

喧宾夺主？
荣亡共存？

得天独厚？
适者生存？

dining by the SEA...

2005-11-05T23:10:00.000+08:00

It's a long weekend and long holiday due to the Deepavali and Hari Raya.
My brother, sister-in-law and sisters came back from Penang for a break!

We went to the SeaView Village to have our dinner.
It has a nice sea view...

清炒番薯苗 Pucuk ubi kekedek or sweet potato's leaves (am i right? hahaa...)

招牌豆腐-微辣 Bean curd...with low spicy level...

芋钵 Yam-ring: crispy outside, soft inside

Yam-ring stuffed with cashew nuts, squids, onion, leek, dried chilies...yummy!

清蒸鳕鱼 Steamed codfish- meaty with little fishbones...

Their signature dish-龙虎会，Seafood Hot Pot.
It's curry dish with prawns, squids, crabs, bean curds, tofu slices.
The curry is riched with coconut milk...smells good but quite spicy!

Quite disappointed though!
A not-so-fresh crab was served with its black-colour flesh!
The captain claimed that the kitchen staff didn't wash it properly! How lame the excuse!
Forgot to take a photo of it as a proof :(
Anyway, when the bill came, there's a discount of RM3.80!
Does it mean a crab costs only RM3.80 in their restaurant??? How cheap! How weird?!

I have nothing to say, but there WON'T BE ANY 2ND VISIT!!!

This is another unpleasant sight!

While we were waiting for the dish, something just dropped onto my plate...
When I look up the ceiling, yukks!!! LIZARDS...two of them!!
祸从天降？屎从天降？Shit from heaven!
How "lucky" i am!?

YThiam is getting married...

2005-11-05T21:20:00.000+08:00

My fren, YT, is getting married!
Today is her 过大礼!

She gave me a box of wedding cakes...

...with different flavours...

...different colours...

...and different icing decoration!

YT, I wish you and your hubby a WONDERFUL & HAPPY marriage life!

Hari Raya goodies from neighbour

2005-11-05T11:09:00.000+08:00

Hari raya is a big celebration for the Muslims.
Malaysia is a multi-racial country: the Malay, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan, Dayak etc...
Any celebration would be shared by the whole Malaysian!
At least everybody gets to enjoy the public holidays :)

My hometown's Malay neighbour gave my mom some Malay delicacies.
Food sharing is the most simple way to connecting human. Dun u agree?

Nasi ketupat in triangle shape?
I dun know the proper name of it.
But it tastes great!

Background: nasi ketupat

This is the 'inner beauty' when it's unwrapped!
Glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, if not mistaken, hahaa...

The hot & spicy ayam rendang (despite of the scary bird flu) best eaten with nasi ketupat!

Chili sauce with ground peanut.
It's a bit oily but it smells & tastes good!
We can dip nasi ketupat in it!

This is from my sister-in-law's neighbour!
沙梨 Buah ambra
It is sour and crispy!

These are the seeds with a lot of fibre!
Good to avoid constipation!

dining @ Esquire Kitchen

2005-11-03T22:31:00.000+08:00

2nd of Nov 2005 was a working day for me.
It's a day in between Deepavali and Hari Raya.
Most of the KL folks have gone back to their hometown, or on vacation...
Less traffic hassles...
But there was still people doing last minute banking, changing new notes, deposits, withdrawals, fund tranfers, etc...

After I took off my stafftag, I was thinking what to be filled up my stomach.
Eating is a pleasure...

We decided to dine at Esquire Kitchen 大人餐厅, Leisure Mall.
The newly renovated dining hall provides a wide and warm ambience.

My cousin, my model...

Tau-fu-fa with choc ice-cream, RM2.80

三丝炒面 RM6.60
Cantonese-style noodle with mushrooms, pork, carrot matchsticks, leek and egg cooked in starch-like soup.
It's colourful!

This one is my favourite, 招牌炒面 RM6.60
Fried noodle with prawns (2 to be accurate, middle size), carrot matchsticks, pork and leek.
It's the 'dry' version of 三丝炒面 i guess...

Left: Ginger matchsticks （my favourite, but this one is too hot!)
Right: Chili paste with 'tau-chu' or 'tau-shi' 豆瓣酱 (nice, not many restaurant has it)
Top: Red and green chili in soya sauce (common item)

'xiao long bao' 小笼包 RM7.80 (10 pcs)
But it looks and tastes like 'xiu mai' 烧卖 with pork paste inside.
Quite disapointed! The name is misleading!

But we managed to finish them all...
Mmm, it's time to go home to watch the War and Beauty 金枝欲孽!

They luv Mini Cornetto...

2005-10-16T13:09:00.000+08:00

*drumroll....*
Ladies & gentlemen, may we present to you......

Ah Mei, don't suck yet, i have not finished my line...

Ah Mei: when can i eat?
Ah Bee: Slurpp...slurppp...

Oklah, eat lah eat lah...

A little bigger than a 5o cents syiling!

Fish Leong in Concert

2005-10-15T16:38:00.000+08:00

1/10/2005 我和繁施去看梁静茹爱的大游行演唱会。
地点：Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil, KL
当我们接近目的地找地方泊车时，有好多人，好长的车龙...交警指挥交通。
仔细一看，多数人穿着红黄色的衣服，拿着红黄色的旗，而且都是马来同胞！
梁静茹有这么多马来歌迷吗？

好不容易泊好车子，战战竞竞往体育馆走去。
好像只有我们两个黄皮肤的女子，我怀疑我们来错地点？还是搞错日子？
為了確定，問了交警 Stadium Putra 何在，原來當晚也是足球決賽，Selangor vs Perlis, no wonderla!

經過人聲鼎沸的足球體育館，我們終于來到正確的室內體育館！
相比之下，演唱會反而顯得'冷清'，小巫見大巫！

The ticket & a complimentary chewing gum from Wrigley!

由于不能帶相機入內，我和妹妹交換手機。他們不能沒收手機吧？！
接近開場時間了，80％的位子空空如也！
不會吧？！沒人要看梁静茹？！
8.05pm 歌迷開始鼓噪了，好刺激！
終于司儀講話了，因為足球賽導致塞車，演唱會延遲至9點開始！

終于95％位子滿人了，8.50pm 開始了！
Wow, my favourite: 不想睡，聽不到，Fly Away...寧夏...我喜歡...
侯佩岑來了，還有張智成，品冠，啊！可愛的黃嘉千也出現了...
12點，曲終人散...

除非坐在前排，我想還是在家聽 CD 好了！

KYoon's wedding...

2005-10-03T14:53:00.000+08:00

My friend, KYoon, has decided to end his bachelorhood last month. Congrats!
It was a garden wedding @ Bangi Equatorial Hotel...

My 1st time attending a garden wedding...
It's totally different from those traditional Chinese wedding receptions!
It's self-service! We take what we want to eat...cool!
Well, one thing i want to complain is that i got a 'bite' by an ant on my feet, ouch!

This shot was taken by MJ.
He grabbed my 'buddy' when I took it out, whereas he has his own digicam which he kept in his car. Bring it out and use itlah! Digicam won't shy away from people, ok?!
Anyway, nice shot!

At last I took charge of my buddy!

A blurry shot showing a live orchestra playing music...

Like usual, the dinner did not start on time.
But we know how to kill time, ~~gossiping~~chit-chating, taking photographes...
When we are getting older, someone' s wedding would be a gathering for old time's friends...
We were busy 'exchanging information' until we forgot about the bridegroom & his bride!

YMoi's lil angels

2005-10-03T13:08:00.000+08:00

My friend (since school time), YMoi, gave birth a lil boy 2 months ago...the fourth one to her ~~collection~~ family.
Congratulation!
A boy, at last! Can 'close shop' according to her... :)
A boy is a must-have in a Chinese family due to the surname-bearing responsibility.
So i can see 'what a relief!' sign on her face...
I am truly happy for her as she has successfully fulfilled a woman's obligation for the time being...
On the other hand, Chinese population in Malaysia is reducing...so i would say, well done!

tiny lil feet...

sleeping soundly...

having a dream?!

she's shy...reluctant to look at me...
but after a while, she's happy to be my model :)

see this...hahaa!

anyway, it's a bit difficult to control...

she has good appetite!

her sister has just back from kindergarten...
the eldest sister's still in school...

i found this in YMoi's frontyard...

Another lovely...

What do you think?!

Mid Autumn Festival...

2005-10-03T11:19:00.000+08:00

I know it's abit 'outdated' to put up this post :)
but i still wanna show, as i have promised my cousins...

i didn't go back to hometown due to work :(
i have to go back to office at 3am (i repeat, 3AM) on this mid autumn day...
an unforgettable one!

Kids are the most happiest one cause they get to 'play fire' legally!
I have proofs here...

I love Cameron Highlands...

2005-09-25T09:56:00.000+08:00

It was my 1st trip to Cameron Highlands in June 2005.
Three of us, FS, my sis J and myself, have spent 3d2n up there.
We took the earliest bus which departed at 8.30am from Puduraya, KL.
It took around 4 hrs to reach Tanah Rata.
We decided to stay at Brinchang Hotel the first night and Equatorial Hotel the next.
A taxi ride from Tanah Rata to Brinchang cost us RM4.

Equatorial Hotel...the check-in process took us around 1 hour, what a sucks!

Luckily we got a room with nice view!

The air was cool during day time and chilly at night.
The hotels don't even have air-conds! But water heater is a must!
Since it was a weekday, we didn't get to walk the night bazaar :(
No worry, Cameron Highlands has so much to offer- the beautiful scenery, cool fresh air, flora & fauna...
We took a tour package with a local travel agency.

We saw round cactus...

We saw long cactus...

This succulent plant has flower!

I was so excited to see an apple hanging on the tree...

...and more apples! But we're not allowed to pluck any :(

Tomatoes...my favourite!

A foreign worker cutting leaves of the egg-plants...

Begonia 秋海棠

The lady's shoes...look like high heels.

绣球花 I can't recall it's English name!

I know this one! Our national flower- the hibiscus or bunga raya 大红花

These are baby chrysanthemum...
We're warned by the tour guide not to fall on them cause they worth $$$ contract.
The owner will be in big trouble if he can't supply the flowers on time, especially during 初一十五 in Chinese Calendar.

The yellow chrysanthemum...

Different colours...

Don't be shy!

The fresh and green sawi...for export purpose according to the tour guide.

The school holildays was just over at that time, so there wasn't many strawberries left for plucking :(

Aha, I spotted one!

Watercress farm in a valley 西洋菜园有点像梯田!

We went up Sg Palas Tea Plantation with a 4wheel-drive.
I m planning to walk up there next time!

Cherry-tomatoes...

Colourful capsicums in red, yellow and purple...
A compliment from a very nice lady at the travel agency :)
The strawberries we bought ourselves la...

Balik Kampung Manchis! (Pt 4)

2005-09-06T15:52:00.000+08:00

My auntie has a 'secret garden'...

Water-apples/ Jambu air/ 水蓊

...sharing the fruit with these creepy insects...

墨菜苗? 麦菜苗? Cantonese: 'mak choy'.

可以收割了!

没有用农药哦!

这不是杂草, 而是韭菜!

番薯苗...

指天椒!

还养一缸鱼呢!

鱼说: 浮萍好遮荫...

虫说：浮萍可乘船！

Balik Kampung Manchis! (Pt 3)

2005-09-06T13:09:00.000+08:00

我的小表弟!
他抱怨: 表姐快点, 很晒啊!

我有型吗？

他们家的宠物-八哥，在晒太阳！

瘦瘦的猪八戒扛着耙
与
四眼的孙悟空取西经

我的表妹和他家的水蓊 :P

Balik Kampung Manchis! (Pt 2)

2005-09-04T21:50:00.000+08:00

My auntie asked me to go 'shopping' with her at pasar pagi.
The pasar pagi (morning market) is located at a Malay village nearby, Kampung Pelangai.
I hopped onto her motorbike and vrooomm...
We did not wear helmets :p
Well, it's a norm in a small village. You can even see little boy & girl below 12 on a motorbike all by themselves!

Cool breeze blowing along the roads...

Looking around at the Bazaar...

Choosing sandals...

Ayam percik in progress...

Apam balik - a delicious crepe with ground peanut & corn pudding.

What are these??

Lil fish packed in plastic bag for sale...as pets

These fishes are sold...to be a dish on the dining table.

A variety of vegetables...

These are patin 八丁鱼

The fishmonger with blood stain on his face, hands & apron
Looks scary...

My auntie bought these two patin for RM12.

It's time to go home...

I noticed that there were a few orang asli when we were walking to our motorbike...

My hands were shaking when I took a shot on them.
I was scared that they would come after me with parang.
But they're quite friendly, easy going and 与世无争！

Balik Kampung Manchis! (Pt 1)

2005-09-04T12:18:00.000+08:00

My mom wanted to balik kampung during last school holidays.
Although her parents (my grandparents) have gone to the other world, her siblings (my uncles & auntie) are still there.
So being a good daughter, I was my parents' chauffeur.
It was a long journey, 2-3 hrs drive from Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan to Kg Manchis, Pahang.
We had to cross mountains and rivers. The roads are narrow and winding!

Sounds adventurous huh?!
We started our journey at 6.30am before we could see the sun.

The misty kampung road...
Don't worry, it's not haze!

The sun is out...

We drove past one of the small kampungs...

Still a long way to go...

The sun behind thick morning fog. It's not haze :)

Crossing mountain...

Is there a tarzan living here?

No traffic jams...

But cows,
wandering by the roadside
staring at you strangers
passing by...

At last we reached Kampung Manchis!
A very small village, it's name says it all.
manchis = matches

A cup of hot Milo served just in time!
RM0.90 only!

Not to be missed, the delicious wanton mee 干捞云吞面
Price unknown. My father's old friend gave us a treat. 一早有食神！

A closer look of the wantons...yummy!

The dark-soya-sauced mee with red roasted pork - the best combination most people cannot resist!

Lunch @ Tian Yuan Restaurant

2005-09-03T17:25:00.000+08:00

I like this Vegetarian Restaurant, Tian Yuan 天苑.
It's located at Taman Miharja, Cheras, KL.
It's near Jaya Jusco, Taman Maluri.
It's also near UE3 Plaza, Jalan Loke Yew.

They offer a big wide range of rice, noodles, ala-carte dishes, side dishes, breads, cakes, desserts and drinks.
Their menu is very big and has quite a number of pages!
And they are all vegetarian food!

They did not pay me anything nor give discount. But I must mention that their food & beverage are very nice! The prices are reasonable & affordable. Their staffs are freindly. The environment is clean and comfortable!

I went there with my cousin, PMun, last week.

The best Vege Nasi Lemak I've ever had! RM3.80

The rice cooked with coconut milk is sooo fragrant! The black sesame added more temptation!
Pappadams are crispy, sweet potatoes are soft & soggy, cucumber is fresh, the 'mutton' is so real!
I must mention the long bean a.k.a kacang panjang is cooked just nice- fresh & crispy, and has no raw smell at all. I wonder how they did it!

Here's the closer look of the long bean! Yummy!

I forgot the name of this yee mee. It has sea-weed, vege ham, vege fish balls, carrot slices.
My cousin's choice. RM5.50

The best mango smoothie on earth! It's the favourite of mine & my cousin's.
We shared because we can't finish one whole glass by ourselves! RM5.50

Lanterns @ Cheras Leisure Mall

2005-09-03T11:52:00.000+08:00

Lantern festival or mooncake festival is coming.
You don't need a calendar, but the shopping malls will tell you...

It is a yearly activity held by Cheras Leisure Mall, KL - the lantern contest.

Colourful lanterns...

So impressed by the contestants - originality & creativity...

The red lantern at the right side is made by fans 扇子
The yellow lantern at the left side is one of my favourites.

Here's a closer look of 'the shadow of butterfly' 蝶影...

I like the smiling dragon!

I like this one as well!

This one is unique...

Fish & Lotus 鲤鱼跃莲花

The cocks eating corns 公鸡吃玉米

Another hardwork by a contestant.

Simple yet attractive...

A weird one! Combination of modern & tradition...

Have u seen Aloe Vera's flower?

2005-09-02T23:50:00.000+08:00

You may have used aloe vera shampoo or drink aloe vera juice.
But have you seen an aloe vera plant? What's more it's flower?

Here's one. It is in my uncle's garden.

Aloe vera with its thorny leaves.

Where's the flower?

Here it is!

Yellowish aloe vera flowers...

It's almost my height. About 5 feet or 150cm tall!

Malaysian Idol CRAZE!!!

2005-09-02T16:08:00.000+08:00

Both of my younger sisters came all the way from Penang to ~~do shooping~~ meet me in KL last Saturday.
I was working while they went KLCC.
S went collecting info in an education fair held @ KL Convention Centre.
J 'terserempak' Malaysian Idols' autograph session near KLCC park.
She quickly called up S to help her taking photographes for her!

A blurry shot taken using Sony Ericcson K700i.
You can see Adam, smiling Daniel, standing Ash, laughing Farah...

Ash, the only man-looking (not looking for man, but looks like man, what i m saying?!) male finalist!

Jeng jeng jeng... my sis with her favourite, Daniel!
(Aiya, you can see him more in person at USM la!)

Lil boy Daniel...

Daniel waving...learning to be a star!
Way to go, guy... (oops, no offence ah!) I like your voice...but pls sing clearly...

Wow, the q is so long! NVM, I'll sign & smile...

Let me take a break!

This is what J has got after a long q!

This is the autograph from my idol, lil cousin sister 小表妹!
You can see her more in my previous posts :)

A day @ Bukit Jalil Park (Pt 3)

2005-08-21T23:18:00.000+08:00

表姐，这是什么花？

Let me see...

Oh! It's hi biscuit!
Me: No, it's hibiscus! 大红花！马来西亚的国花。

表姐，我有很多花！
(Note: She picked withered flowers)

美丽吗？

送给你啦！

A day @ Bukit Jalil Park (Pt 2)

2005-08-21T21:19:00.000+08:00

I sat under a tree, I put up my head, I saw sunlight, I saw beautiful leaves...

A bunch of bougainvillaea smiling gaily...

Lil yellow flowers welcoming you...
Look like Egg Flower 鸡蛋花

Do u know my name?
Gotcha! Lil butterfly...

Mmm, look at them...

What are u looking at?? This piece of bread is mine!
White Goose: The rice is nice...
Grey Goose: Save some for me...

Grey Goose: I m thirsty. Gulp~~

White Goose: My turn! Gulp gulp~~

Grey Goose: I wanna take a bath. Check whether anybody around?
White Goose: Clear. No one is around!

White Goose: Be quick! Some one is coming!
Grey Goose: Ok, i m almost done...

Both geese: Ok, we r ready for the photo shooting...

~The Elegant White Goose~

~The Arrogant Grey Goose~

A day @ Bukit Jalil Park (Pt 1)

2005-08-21T20:30:00.000+08:00

The haze has gone.
At last, came back the clear blue sky, bright sunlight and fresh air...
We have never appreciated these natural gifts until last week's incidence!

My uncle decided to take his kids to Bukit Jalil Park in the morning.
I followed, together with my buddy DigiCam.

Here we go!

A photo before the badminton 'war' begins...

Let's do some spinning and twisting!

What are these 2 little babies doing?? Paktoring?!

Ohh...eating ice-cream :P

You taste my lime, I taste your chocolate... 你一口，我一口！yummy!

Saturday Night chill out...

2005-08-20T23:50:00.000+08:00

It's weekend!
Time to get ourselves out of the chaos in the workplace and hectic traffic...
Forget about the office politic, deadlines, reports, targets etc
Just relax...in these merely two days...

BB came back from Singapore yesterday.
We took this opportunity to hang out at our favourite place, or should I say to savour our favourite food & drinks.
BB, FS and myself...

ABC or Air Batu Campur ordered by BB

FS and I picked '6-flavour-soup' or 六味汤 which contained 薏米,莲子,龙眼,冬瓜,还有两样忘了!
(BB, help me! What are the other two?)
RM0.90 per bowl

Malaysian's favourite-satay or sate!
RM0.50 each

Not to forget the chili sauce with ground peanut.

Let's eat!

Before we called it a day, BB 'dapau' ABC.

Numbers tell...

2005-08-20T19:17:00.000+08:00

Most of us like fortune telling.
We are keen to know our futures.
We are curious what lies beyond us, who will we meet, when will we get rich...
There are many ways and methods: palm reading, face reading, 八字，星座...

Interesting links from my frens BB & FS.

western way

eastern way

Have a try and have fun! It doesn't cost u any ringgit :)

KL in haze...

2005-08-20T13:51:00.000+08:00

Our beloved Malaysia was blanketed by haze last week.
It became so serious that the government had closed the schools in Selangor and KL for 2 days (11 & 12 Aug, 2005).
The air was polluted badly.
Masks were sold like hot cakes.

When I was outdoor,
my eyes were smarting...
my nose was sneezing...
my throat was itching...
my head was aching...

I had to travel in KL city due to work on 11 Aug, 2005.
Well, 苦中作乐 I snapped a few pictures...

The misty Jalan Maharajalela... (11/8/2005 around 3pm)

Is it London? 雾都伦敦？

Life goes on...despite of the haze...

The Sultan Abdul Samad Building in the foggy KL... (11/8/2005 around 4.30pm)

Motorists with mask...

Wau in KL-Seremban highway (10/8/2005 around 8.30am)

Is this HAZE an environmental issue? or a political issue? or no issue at all???

Have some fruits here...

2005-08-07T15:27:00.000+08:00

My aunt came back from her hometown in Pahang and brought back all these...free!

Duku langsat

'六姑吝啬' － quoted from 刘墉

One is not enough...

A whole brunch is nice :P

Anak murid - one of the many types of rambutan

Sweet and juicy...
Tak lekang juga!

Pulasan
野红毛丹

It's 'meaty' but not so sweet compared to rambutan

A comparison...

刘墉 vs 金镛

2005-08-07T11:15:00.000+08:00

我：刘墉要来马来西亚办讲座会，要不要去？RM20 一张票，捐给董总作慈善。
G：喔！是不是那个有一个很 handsome 儿子的作家？
我：是 lor，他儿子叫刘轩。
G：不要啦，我都不看武侠小说。
我：刘墉几时写武侠小说？！那是金镛啦！~~~

最后我约了惠莹一起去8月5号在 Cheras PGRM, KL的刘墉讲座会。
但是她竟然前一天通知我不能赴约了，因为要赶工。
凡事要因缘和合才能成事，我自个儿赴会吧！

讲座会 7.30pm 开始，我先医饱肚皮大哥吧！
最后决定在 Cheras Business Centre 的 PLU Cafe。
咸菜豆腐汤，很够味！又降火－降被飞机之火 just kidding :)

甘香鱼片饭＝炒饭＋炸鱼片＋虾米＋加哩叶＋小辣椒。
卖相不错，可是炒饭淡了点，鱼片炸得不够脆，唯一可取的是虾米！

饭后水果－冰镇西瓜
要赶快吃完，要不然冰块溶了，西瓜就不好吃了！

祭完五脏庙，早点出发到场选个好位！
现场好多人，大约有四千人。也有不少单独赴会者。
我隔壁的就从蒲种放工赶来。我不是孤独的！哈！

刘墉老师生动又风趣的演讲，时不时逗得满堂哄笑及掌声！
He is very knowledgeable and his talk is informative. He sees things positively. He is very observant and has very good memory!
He can even relates a bird, a pig and a champanzee to us, the way we should live our lives.
Well, don't get me wrong! I don't mean chirp like a bird, eat like a pig and yell like a chimpanzee.
I am not going into details...
To summarize, we shouldn't be complacent with the comfort zone we have now. We have to learn along life.
We are not useless but we have not found our strong point.

刘墉和女儿刘倚帆签书会－只签正版，不签盗版！

Say cheese...

Part of the very long queue...
I overheard an old man said: 很好！有这么多年轻人会华语！

I didn't q for the autograph. But I've got this 'chop' from the crew there.

You may find him here http://www.syzbooks.com/

a busy week...

2005-08-06T17:56:00.000+08:00

It was a busy week!
Piles of 'papers' to check and sign...
Tight timeline to meet...
Lots of phone calls to answer...

To make sure work is done within the timeline, we couldn't go out for lunch...
We called PizzaHut!

Spaghetti with bolognoised (not sure with the spelling, u know, Italian) chicken meatball.

The meatball was extremely salty. No wonder they serve 2 pcs only?!

Garlic bread.

Why the taste has gone so different from the one I ate years ago?

Or is it the workload has changed my tastebud?

A Wild Zebra's night out...

2005-08-06T13:21:00.000+08:00

The wild zebras were in town last week!
Wild Zebra is a dance drama performed by 80 dancers and crew from Shanghai Oriental City Dance Troupe.
It's a tragic love story like Romeo & Juliet, but in an animal version.

My friend, Yvonne, offered me a free ticket to watch the show. Without any thoughts, I said yes!
To show my appreciation, I gave her a treat.
We had dinner at Pudu's 风味亭 .

Both of us ordered dried mee 干捞面. It was nice!

5 big shrimp wantons served generously & separately. Yummy!

Not to forget the chili paste. Thumbs up!

We are health-conscious people, the very fresh 玻璃生菜

After filling up our stomaches, we headed to Istana Budaya, Jln Tun Razak, KL.

Before the show started, I looked around and snapped around...

KLCC view from Istana Budaya.

Another KLCC view using different mode.

The sky was so romantic...

OK, show time!

The show was great!
The dancers danced gracefully and lively. The costumes were colourful and lovely. The backdrops were attractive and unforgettable. The music was nice.

For more details, please go to http://thestar.com.my/wildzebra/

My Lil plants...

2005-07-24T18:00:00.000+08:00

I went to Cameron Highland last month.
I brought back 3 lil plants...

Complete family album: Lil Roses, Lil Beanie, Lil Big Roses (L to R)

A small little brunch of green roses...
My sister's favourite.

This is my favourite.
Can u notice that it has grown a bit senget. It actually hungers for sunlight...

She is cute! Isn't she?

Lil Big Roses in wet look. Sexy huh?!

Do u know the name of...?

2005-07-23T20:15:00.000+08:00

Do u know this fruit? Izzit buah nona?
Whatever?! I love it so much :p...
My mom just plucked it from the tree. Luckily it hasn't been attacked by the birds yet!

So juicy & yummy...

U know what, this piece of 'skin' is a perfect facial mask.
I feel so refreshed after scrubbing it gently on my face.
It makes me younger and fresher.
Don't believe?! Have a try :)

Ringgit Unpegged

2005-07-23T19:19:00.000+08:00

22 July, 2005 (Friday)
Our Bank Negara has unpegged MYR against USD.
This action was taken after the dragon land--China announced theirs.

It simply means that 1 USD no longer = RM3.80 all the time.
The rate fluctuates accordingly.
Maybe laymen like most of us don't understand how it works.
No need to force yourself...

Is it good or bad to us Malaysian? It depends.
If you are an IMPORTER, congaratulation! Your cost may reduce.
If you are an EXPORTER, don't be sad, you may just earn a bit lesser.
If you are studying in US, you may save a penny.
If you are working in US, you may loose a bit when you remit your dollars back to Malaysia.

Would it affect our economy and share market positively or negatively?
Well, time will tell...

a KITTEN's life...

2005-07-17T16:00:00.000+08:00

weather: just nice
best thing to do: taking nap...zzz...zzz

miao...who's disturbing me??

Hmm! U interrupted my dream!

i dun wan to fren u...

i wanna take a bath now, u go away
malulah, miao...

not yet, i m not done yet...
don't peep!

u didn't watch me just now, right?!

hey, who's that?

it's comel, my girl fren's coming...
miao~
c u!
miao miao~~

I love NOODLEs

2005-07-17T10:49:00.000+08:00

I love noodles or mee (a popular name by Malaysian).
Everybody loves me, i mean mee; Chinese, Malay, Indian...the whole Malaysian love it!
There are a lot of choices and varieties: wanton mee, prawn mee, lam mee, pan mee, maggi mee, fried mee, you name it...
They are everywhere; hawker stalls, mamak stalls, restaurants, hotels...
They are anytime; breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, supper...

My favourite is prawn mee. But I always request meehoon (or rice vermicelli) instead of the yellow mee.
I have found some delicious prawn mee at Cheras and Pudu, KL.

Prawn mee=small prawns+ 1/4 of hard-boiled egg+ slices of fish cakes + kangkung + taugeh = RM3.30
Location: a hawker centre (can't recall the name) at Tmn Connaught, Cheras (opposite BP petrol station)

Prawn meehoon with bigger prawns. I personally think that the chicken chunk is an extra. It doesn't blend well in the soup.
Location: 榮記 at Pudu, KL (my local friend told me it has more than 20 years of histosry)
Price: RM3.50 (above) / RM6.00 for much more bigger prawns

Vegetarian fish head meehoon=vegetarian fish fillets with seaweed (as the fish skin) + tomatoes + beancurds + soup = RM3.30
Location: the same hawker centre at TamanConnaught, Cheras

干撈面 with dumplings (instead of wantons) + mushrooms + sawi = RM4.00
Location: a shoplot(forgot the name) at Taman Taynton, Cheras

Blackout!

2005-07-16T16:32:00.000+08:00

One day,I was eating mangosteen after dinner...mmm, a real nice one, yummy!

Out of sudden, everything went black!
It's power failure...

The other side of the housing area was not affected though...

The night is still young, let's play with my buddy.....Mr D....igitalcamera...

Sekejap tak ada...

Sekejap ada! Yeah, the current's back!

Shopping...

2005-07-16T14:54:00.000+08:00

The Father's Day was in June, but i didn't have time to go shopping.
Well, it's better late than never, right?
Buying a man's wear is much more easier than choosing a woman's.
A shirt or a T'shirt?
Short or long sleeves; vertical or horizontal stripes; big or small check; plain or fancy designs...
Then, just pick the colour and size!
And most of all, it has to fit your budget $$$...

After going round, i have chosen this one...

smart casual

I was actually heading to go home after I paid for the shirt. But...
I just couldn't stopped myself from seeing this, touching that...
After all, I haven't 'rewarded' myselslf for quite a long time...
So I decided to get something for myself ;)

老鼠爱大米，我爱米老鼠！

Suddenly, I remembered there's a HushPuppies voucher which I had redeemed from my credit card points. It's going to expire soon. It's a waste if I don't utilize it!

Mmm, everything seemed coming in my way...

It's pricey but my feet deserve this pair as they bring me wherever I want to go...

PDsunset...

2005-07-04T08:27:00.000+08:00

I took a stroll at the beach.
I like walking barefoot in the sand. It would release bad energy from the body.
I didn't swim but I soaked my legs in the sea water. It is a natural spa and it is free!

My sandals and the unknown plants at the beach

I walked at the seashore and found seashells.
The seashells were having their meeting...better don't disturb...

President: Our 1st agenda is sea polution...

I walked and walked and I found these...
Fishermen are taking off today...

Help, I am lost!

Not affected by tsunami (touch wood x2)

夕阳无限好

只是近黄昏

The moment of truth...

I can COOK :P

2005-07-03T08:23:00.000+08:00

My mum is not at home today. She went to Penang sending my youngest sister to USM. Yeah, she has gotten herself a place in USM doing Computer Science! Lucky her!

Normally my mum will do the cooking for the family. We won't get any chance to enter her 'fortress'--kitchen. Well, in her absence, I may COOK!
Frankly speaking I seldom cook, but I like cooking. Now I got a chance to main masak-masak...
OK, let's see what I have...

Colourful vegetables

Fresh prawns

I have been learning theories through TV cooking programmes. Now it's my practical time!
It took me some time to struggle with the knife. Heehee, I still have my 10 nice fingers.
Oil, salt, water...how much to put in? when to put in? I main belasah je...

Ladies & gentlemen, I present to you...

Fried capsicum & prawns

Sawi soup

Rice

The rice cooked just nice. They didn't get burnt and crusty at the bottom.
Maybe you may say: aiyah, what so big deal, an electrical rice cooker can do the job!
Nope, it's not rice cooker. I cooked it using gas stove (follow my mum's footstep).
Volume of water, control of fire flame, cooking time; it's simple yet difficult!

Heehee...I am proud of myself. Mission is succeeded!

My new blog is born!

2005-07-02T14:58:00.000+08:00

I have been longing to create my own blog.
A space where i can put my thoughts, opinions, complaints, happiness, experiences into writing and pictures!
Life is a long journey with no turning back. We may see beautiful things, meet nice people, go to wonderful places, eat good food etc...We may also encounter ugly scenes, bad guys, disgusting places etc....
Ups and downs are normal in our life. Take it easy. Have fun! Let's see the colours of life...