selamat hari raya to all muslims!!!
this was my dinner yesterday. got 3 pieces of lemang from the neighbour yesterday and i called mom to buy rendang from the pasar ramadhan. the beef rendang was especially good. gosh, i think this was the first time i tried this kind of cooking. it is very very dry. it is called rendang tok?? oh, the beef rendang is the one in the transparent container, the one that is in dark brown colour. don't be fooled by its colour. it was really really good. the chicken one was so so.

i will still be having rendang and lemang for lunch today. too bad, no more chicken rendang. i am greedy.

dad is back from 2 weeks in beijing and boy did he have a good time. a relative of his friend brought their group everywhere chauffeured. and his lodging was free and he got gifts as well.

yup, as his daughter, i got gifts too....specially chosen for me ah. ;)
ok that pair of shorts is not mine. it is for brother. i got that shirt and socks. all from li ning. dad bought a pair of jogging shoes from li ning and all these are free gifts they gave. dad told the salesperson to get a woman's shirt instead of man's. he also brought back herbs which we called the aunt there to buy. then there was also a teapot set and a dvd of china. you know, he even went to check out the louis vuitton luggage exhibition at the museum there. how nice.

ok time for some rendang now. shall i go to open house???

you know galah panjang??

kids today and kids in the past.

i smsed a boy to set the time for our jogging session this afternoon, and he replied, 'i will only finish my tuition at 5.30. can we go at six?'

aah...mentioned so nonchalantly. no doubt, it is no longer strange to hear daily schedules centered around tuition classes. i can't go here, i can't do that...i have my tuition to attend and i have my tuition homework to complete.

and their physical activities nowadays ...some are limited to finger activities only in front of the computer. or some of their activities are all related to rules. rules rules and rules. go for a badminton game, first book a court, then play according to the rules in the games.

what happen to free style activities? hey, you free? let's grab some marbles and play outside the sand pit in front of your house. or, let's find enough people to play 'galah panjang'. gosh, that was my favourite game when young. what about playing with that chain of rubber bands and trying to cross the rubber-band chain without touching it. man, some guys were really agile and beat us girls. batu seremban anyone? yes, boys also joined. police and soldiers chasing game. we were on. that was our active lifestyle. we needed no bicycle just for that one hour of physical activity. everywhere we went was on our faithful bicycles and it was our mode of transport, not a tool for exercise.

why did the hot sun not come to us as a hindrance in carrying out the activities? was the sun less brighter and less hot in those days? i remember going early to school (secondary)in the afternoon session just to grab a spot on the volleyball court to play galah panjang. latecomers would be relegated to audience at the sides of the court. and there was once, during exam. the paper we sat for was moral education. i had no idea why the teacher allowed us to leave the classroom after we finished answering the paper, but we did. so the first few people to finish answering, got out to the volleyball court which happened to be just outside our classroom and waited for the right number of people to fill up all the spaces required in the game galah panjang. as soon as the slots were filled, it was time to choose the members of your team and the game started. of course i was one of the first few to come out. hey, i was one of the best in this game ok.

ahh...the good old carefree days. no wonder my generation can adapt so easily and is tougher and rounder. everyone, boys and girls had equal roles in the games, race was not mentioned at all in the selection and we communicated in one language we were familiar with-bm.

this post is my dedication to 1 malaysia theme encouraged by the nation in conjunction with the coming national day. no one should harp on our differences to create a divide. there should be no boundaries separating us all as we live on this land breathing the same air.

the good old days would remain in the past, but the experience and joy and fun gained would remain till eternity.

a porky day

i had the fastest eye check at vista this morning. i was 5 mins late for my appointment at 10a.m. announced my arrival at the front desk, took a magazine and sat down. before i even reached the first article in the magazine, i was called for my check.

then within 5 mins- your eye sight is back to normal already. you can come for a routine check after 2 or 3 years' time. bye bye. phew. am so glad the eyes are all right.

and i had so much time to spare. was supposed to meet someone for lunch only at 12 in kl. so took my own sweet time to browse at popular in the curve and found out that they did not sell newspapers there except the edge ;( so went to borders instead to get my morning papers.

and i still have a lot of time to spare. i reached pavilion at 11.15a.m. that's because i took penchala link from mutiara damansara. i have never used that way before, so i thought to myself 'what the heck'. the traffic to kl and in kl was so smooth, or a bit quiet actually. so even if i lost my way, i would have no problem turning back since the road was almost empty. boy was it fast...but of course you pay rm2 for that express way.

more browsing at pavilion.

on the right of the picture, you see ode to art. it is an art gallery exhibiting contemporary art pieces which was opened two years ago and i only noticed its existence today! man, i love that place and all the art work there. no photo-taking is allowed, but do go to the website i have linked and see what they have to offer. maybe it is not your taste, but it definitely is mine. aah.....to have 20k to buy one of the paintings there. that is one of the lowest prices. one of the paintings there have a price tag of with 6 digits!

well, one does not need money to enjoy art, just drop by their gallery. i will definitely check it out again the next time i go. it's a must. my heart was hypnotized and now it is left there.

oh, this gallery was an accidental find. i was actually on my way to the newly opened wing on level 6- tokyo street.

click to enlarge the photo if you want to see the brands they offer. there is food, drinks, supermarket, gifts, and hello kitty. hahaha.....but it was just a small range. so basically it is a small corner in pavilion where they sell things imported from japan lah and all the places are doing brisk business especially the eateries. there are queues outside each one of them.

even the toilet here is 'japanised' ;)

the browsing at these 2 places fitted my idle time just nicely and it was time to head for lunch at elcerdo at tengkat tong shin. i have heard and read about this place, and now i was there. heck, even sammi cheng had been here. you get everything pork here! oink oink. the website has a lot of pigs grunting to welcome you.
this is the entrance we use for lunch. they have another lot next to it which is opened for dinner. i think the most popular dish here should be the suckling pig, but we did not order that. you are supposed to cut the pig yourself using a plate or plates. after the cutting ceremony is over, you throw the plates into a wooden barrel after making a wish. what a waste of plates huh? will it be an insult to them if i just order the suckling pig without breaking the plate?? is it a spanish tradition? hmmh...if you google smashing plate and tradition, the answer you get is it belongs to the greek. so is this just a gimmick?

anyway, these are the oink oink dishes we had.
ribs cooked spanish style sprinkled with jalapeno pepper powder i think. it was ok.

pock chop cooked austrian style- wiener schnitzel. i am disappointed with this. the piece of chop is too thin, hence making the meat slightly too dry. did not expect it to be fried with bread crumbs. thought i was going to have a grilled one. but i understand it is austrian way of cooking. i remember seeing it in amazing race where the contestants had to finish 2 pieces of big pork chop and they had one hell of a time. well, we did not finish ours too and i brought home one of the pieces. everyone said it was not good. i guess beanie will get some extra pork in his dinner tomorrow. the pork is definitely marinated before fried. the spices used are quite strong but i can't make out what they are.
this they called german bak kut teh. it is a mixture of everything pork- from tail to tribe and sausage and some vege. i like this the most but ahahah....complain again- it is salty.

hmmh...come to think of it, the only spanish thing we ordered was the ribs. they have paella in the menu but it needs 30 to 40 mins of waiting time. is the suckling pig authentic spain cuisine??

this is the paper bag they gave for our take-away. cute huh? aunt has taken it to keep.
awwww.....how loving.

after saying gracias to the person who bought me lunch, i took a short walk back to pavilion. now i know how to get to tengkat tong shin already. so next time can explore the eateries here. there are more foreigners than local here and the food caters to their tastes too.

i decided to catch a movie- alone, before heading back and i chose captain abu raed showing at pavilion's gsc cinema's international screen at 4p.m.

this is a jordanian film and it was actually first released in 2007 already. aiyoh....the locals here really don't have a taste for these kind of movies huh.

u know what? i was the only one alone in the whole cinema!!! the lady at the counter told me just to choose any seat i liked wakakaka. i was shocked! it's my first time! luckily it was not a horror movie. imagine watching it all alone.

the movie is all right. some people will find it slow but i am okay with it. the ending was particularly moving but not the tear-jerking type. my heart sank to the bottom of the ocean and turned as heavy as a boulder seeing what happened to abu raed in the end.

wake up! i can still turn numb thinking of the ending.

my one week break is turning into a movie break huh. yesterday was 3 idiots, today this. i wonder what will be in tomorrow's list. i think i am up for all the heavy dramas after some lame comedies. not talking about 3 idiots ah.

so it was home sweet home after the movie. the roads were still clear and the word exodus did not crop up at all. phew!

wait......no shopping?????

u think i will spend time just idling in the mall without coming back with something???

ta-da, a belt from uniqlo......but........not mine. just helping someone to get it.

so yup, it is possible to be at bukit bintang area and come back empty handed. of course money was spent- movie ticket, petrol, tol and parking. no clothes shopping till the end of the year. gosh, how i was itching to go into jaspal for their end season sale. and zara and mango with their new collection. and all those nice dresses peeking out from warehouse. control!!!!

anyway, had a good sunday. time to break some sweat tomorrow.

not an idiot

i had such a good time watching the 3 idiots. it was about time. was laughing or shall i say 'cackling' out loud in the room myself while wiping away the tears that came out in some touching scenes as well. it was brilliant! there was not a moment of boredom in the almost 3-hour long movie. heck, i even loved the song sequences.

everyone must watch this! there is so much to learn as well.

chase your dreams! when you do what you love, it will be play instead. love what you do and success will chase after you. now this is a film i will definitely watch again. i wonder if the kids will have the patience to sit for 2 hours and 45 mins to finish it. i will try to get it played if i have the chance.

in the midst of wiping away the tears in one of the scenes, a phone call came announcing special delivery to the house- steamboat food.

waaa.....as if someone is paying close attention to me asking for 'freebies'. i did not expect it to be so soon. i am really really full tonight. this meal is much better than having popcorn to accompany a movie.

can't wait to share the 3 idiots with the others. definitely a must watch!

all dried up

i can declare myself broke now. i have just signed away a macbook air!! waaa!!!
all in the name of saving for the future.....for retirement sake. sob sob sob.

what to do? i cannot invest in share because i am not familiar with the share market. i cannot buy property because i don't even have enough money for any deposit. so in the end, i signed-up for a saving plan with an insurance company and at the same time i 'gifted' a little commission to the agent loh.

sigh....so till the next pay day, don't mention the word 'shopping' in front of me. there will be no such activity. hmmhh....i think i will have to tie my hands and make my credit card invisible till the end of the year. so when will i get my mac????

the thought of buying some baskin robbins tubs of icecream to snack during this one-week break is also dashed. no snacks from outside except the cakes, paus and biscuits my aunt makes at home. and oh, some raya kuih if i go house visiting.

and buy buy also to that book i wanted to buy. but i can hear my brother scolding me, 'finish what you have first lah. why still want to add to the un-read book list?" well, this time, i am definitely heeding his advice.

oh and that planned splurge on a box of starbucks premium mooncake featuring- tiramisu, caramel machiatto, hazelnut latte and greentea chocolate??? eat lah the red bean mooncake from pasar malam now.

will use this one week to wallow in this state and prepare myself mentally and spiritually from temptations which are yet to come. wakakaka.....

so in the meantime, if anyone wants to offer me treats, it will be enthusiastically welcome with open arms. ;)

and if the treats come with special love poured in just for me, it will be sincerely appreciated, just like this cup of special tiramisu sent to my house yesterday.

with the hello kitty sitting atop the layer of cake, it is hard not to deny that this is made specially for me right??? muahaha....and gosh, it was good!!!! was so so so full that night. my mouth is still watery thinking about the taste. boy was i savouring every bite and only finished it after half an hour.
see the layer of cream there? heaven.

so if you have any freebies, remember to think of me ah? saving mode in full gear- starts now.

death of depth

children nowadays as so used to instant gratification that to get them to do something, you always have to use the carrot method.

however, i am not one to use this method ;( why must i give them something when it is their responsibility to do the task?

because of the instant reward symptoms, they also do not put their hard and soul in doing their task. they are also in a rush and there is no such thing as stopping along the way to smell the roses. the kind of work i get compared to few years ago has deteriorated tremendously. i used to look forward to reading their written pieces as some really inspired me and left in awe at the kind of maturity and depth they displayed.

however, nowadays all i get are slapstick kinda humour essays and no depth. what happen to thought provoking story and life changing moments? is it because they are not reading enough that they cannot think in other pairs of shoes? or they just can't be bothered? in my case, i also have to compete with physics, chemistry and additional maths.

i encourage and lament about the past at the same time. but i do try to share with them some of the magical stories that i have kept with me through the years. sadly, i have not kept any these two years ;(

cafe world-ing all the time

the weather is so predictable nowadays- that i am sure.

every evening and night without fail, water will fall from the sky. so a good night's sleep a guaranteed but some exercise is denied.

luckily i managed to jog once last week. my next jogging session should be in the morning in the one week break. aaagghh, to wake up in the morning. what a torture it is going to be especially if it is a cold day. but to stay slim, that is some sacrifice i have to make. anyway, i may be able to get some nap in the afternoon if the weather is so gloomy like today. so no worries.

the shoulder feels so stiff these few days as well. marking? hahah...what marking? well, some. but mostly because of staying in front of the notebook cooking and collecting dishes!!! hahahah....

all the goals and missions this time around needs short cooking time, hence, with a borrowed notebook, i am able to keep myself busy and fast in completing the goals and missions ;)

am really looking forward to the one week break. i think i might be the laziest at work....i refused to give the kids homework this holiday as they have to sit for their trial exam as soon as school resumes. i only have them in mind ok. i know all the revision they have to do and i think i am quite all right in my progress with them in the lessons. waaa so confident. keeping my fingers crossed.

well, i am going to collect more dishes now. wakaka.....can't wait to get my own notebook. patience...coming soon

cooking and cooking

what a busy morning i had.
i was so busy cooking and cooking and collecting and then cooking again....in cyber world. muahahaha.

i was managing 3 cafes at the same time and busy calculating stoves and the hours needed to complete level and goal. yup, 3 cafes. you got it right. we are that addicted to the game that we can't let our cafe rest. hence, when we are away, we have friends who will help us manage the cafe for us temporarily.

as i was busy in the cafe today, my mom and aunt had started their cooking since yesterday. they were in the kitchen the whole day preparing food for prayer this morning.
we offered them to 'phor tor gong'.

this was taken from the car when i was reversing it. see, how dirty the window is. not my car. my bro's ;) this is the stage where performances are held every night during the duration.

ok, i dunno why the picture turns out this way. divine intervention?? in my phone, it is rotated correctly. these are the food we brought. all home-made. there is another big fruit basket. and 2 more trays at home. haha..mom and aunt had forgotten them.
the long stretch for actual day's prayer and offering.


the papier-mache deity in his ferocious pose.

burning of hell's notes. everyone smells of smoke in the car after that.

all the big joss sticks.

ok, the tummy is hungry now. i am still waiting for mom to cook the lor mee.
in the meantime, it is time again to log in to the cafes and collect dishes. seeing all the wonderful food in the cafes every hour makes me hungry the whole day.

lusting for all things hello kitty

i dreamt that i stole a hello kitty drawstring pouch from a department store yesterday in my sleep!!! gosh. well, not that hard to believe actually since i spent around half hour yesterday night browsing swarovski website for their special hello kitty collection. haha...i just can't resist oogling at all the sparkly crystals. so no wonder i brought that hello kitty vision with me to sleep too eh.

below are all the items i have shortlisted just in case someone has a friend working with swarovski and can get me special discounts ;) i wonder if this collection will go on sale during winter.
(all images from swarovski.com)

coin purse.
clutch
stack rings.
necklace
bangle
long 3d necklace. my favourite!!!!
bag charm.

so....which one do you like best??

cari makan in bidor

it was a thursday with no activity and the sky was overcast. so any plan to go jogging would have to be put on the shelf.
hence, the body led by the stomach went to visit the town centre again and to look for food.

first, we went to had some chinese herbal concoction next to the bus station. this stall is popular for the cooling drink and its assam laksa too. but i was not hungry enough then to eat anything.
so after a bowl of cooling 'cheng pou liong', off we went to the ramadhan food bazaar, my second time.

that lump of rice you see there at the bottom left is briyani rice and a piece of chicken. well, i guess the chicken is kinda hidden in the grains of rice. this is one of the most popular stalls in the bazaar and queue was formed as i chose my piece of chicken. however, when i talk about nasi briyani, i still can't forget the taste of briyani i had in paris. this here, is still so different from the one i had few months ago. haiz....where can i find 'real' briyani rice? a pack of rice and a piece of chicken goes for rm5 here.

also bought a piece of cheese naan and some cucur udang. i don't like thet cucur at all. hehe, i have not really taken a liking at cucur my entire life, but i just bought for the sake of buying. in the end, i ate one piece and gave 2 pieces to my housemate.

aah....what a filling dinner. oh, i also bought spiced fried chicken. and i also had some soup a kid brought me yesterday. aaahh.....................luckily i had someone to share all the food with. haha....of course i did not eat by myself. it is more appetising when you have someone to share with.
burp!

no to book fest

i like books. i like reading. in fact, i think it is a more meaningful activity than playing my cafe world or going online. and for me, the best activity to do before i sleep is reading a chapter or two of a book.

now, do i like going to book exhibition or book fest? that is another answer.

i hate going to book fair. i hate book fest that charges admission fee. i hate book fest that pledges to donate certain percentage of our purchase in the name of charity. in the end, it will be them donating our money and they will be the one getting all the credits.

i don't understand why they need to charge us admission fee. they are going to make lots of profit from the booming sale during the book fest period, so why do they need to milk our money. ok so the admission fee is only rm2.50, but i still refuse to pay for it because the organizer is already making a profit selling the book in the fair. why do they want to charge us extra?

will there be people out there who are put off by the admission charge like me? if there are, then too bad. there will be less people drawn to books.

to encourage the reading habit, they should make the event a free-for-all and gain as much publicity and visits as possible.

i guess in the end, the organiser is only interested in making profit and not instill the love of reading in all.

so if you tell me there is going to be a book fest in kl convention centre starting from 27 this month, i will answer, 'so what?'
i am not going.

why do i want to pay rm2.50? i can always take my own sweet time browsing in bookstores when i am free and not be stuck in traffic or being squashed in a big exhibition hall.

i am saying 'no' to book fest but 'aye' to books and reading!

humbling and cleansing morning

good morning. it is now 10.18a.m. and i have actually been awake since 7.30 a.m. yes, it is a public holiday here- nuzul al-quran, so why do i need to wake up so early?

if not for the brake that i put last week, i might have to wake up even earlier. the kids wanted to come at 7a.m. for their class. are they nuts?? i managed to push it to 8a.m. but haiz.....i was still woken up by their 'good morning' calls outside the gate at 7.30a.m. sharp! talking about eager-beavers. i had just finished brushing my teeth when i heard bicycles screeching in front. so the morning started.

of course, i had breakfast and newspaper delivered by them as well this morning. muahahaha.

it is time for a break now. i know kl has no holiday today, so those ppl going shopping in kl should have fun. but i bet those going back to pj and subang after office hour will have helluva time. my housemate has gone to kl with her colleague too for some shopping. clever choice.

my cafe world addiction now is kinda getting out of hand. someone called me a 'maniac'. i guess i am. i plotted ways on how to finish goals and missions faster. i borrowed computers so i can collect and cook my dishes the whole day. heck, i am even thinking of buying the macbook air as soon as possible.

but phew, something stopped me from whipping out my credit card.

i read another article by mr warren buffett in the newspaper and that halted my plan for a while. i am humbled by this man also known as the 'oracle of omaha'. he has a lot for us to learn from and i put my feet back on the ground just thinking about his way of life.

so the purchase of the notebook will just have to wait a little while longer ....till i have sufficient amount of saving which will not make me feel guilty to splurge on such an extravagant notebook. i am definitely not living within my means with that purchase, so i have to justify it by having a substanstial amount of saving in the account first. i am my worst enemy. so mr warren buffett is the sound of rational 'investment' in my head now.

well, have to sign-off now. time to collect the dishes in my cafe. ;)

hope you have a relaxing day this public holiday. i am going to do some tidying and cleaning in the room later. it cleanses the soul as well.

longing for that dream watch

some people asked me, why did i spend so much on a bag and not buy a watch? well, i guess no watch has attracted that much and i haven't been looking at watches at all.

but that might change soon. i have got my dream bag and today, this watch just called out to me from the back of this month's national geography magazine which my brother subscribed. i just can't stop looking at it.

it is longines' column wheel chronograph and it is only launched this year. i think it is a man's watch. i just love the clean line of the watch and its non-cluttering face. it is just so sleek and clean at the same time. definitely a classic. it is retailing at around $2750, i think that is quoted in USD.

hahahaha.....so if anyone strikes the lottery and wants to be generous to me, you know what you can get me ;)

to a more serious thing. well, regarding the activities for alzheimer's patients. why don't you guys browse through this website and tell me what you think? they do give 101 things the patient can do, but are they really suitable for my grandma??

http://www.theactivitydirectorsoffice.com/Gina_ActivityIdeasThatWork_Alzheimers.html

home = food

do you eat when you are hungry or do you eat because you just can't resist the food you see in front of you???

the latter is the case with me when i am back home. there is just an abundance of food on the table and in the fridge, and sometimes in the freezer that i just can't stop myself from stuffing them in my mouth. i know i am not hungry, but they are food. and food is meant to be put in the mouth and consumed. lame??

i love all kinds of jelly and what more if they are healthy for you as well. guai lin go, yummy. to cleanse the dirty blood inside your body and to make you have smooth skin, so says my aunt. but i dun really take in to this kind of reasoning. they can cleanse or reduce the heat in the body. yes. but getting rid of the pimples on the skin. no.

call me stubborn but i believe that good skin is like almost more than 90% gene. my skin condition has never been good since i was a child. since young, i have always had 'breakouts' on the legs and they were really unsightly that they left patches of scabs that my uncle made fun of them. he said, if anyone was looking for extra coins, they would be able to find them on my legs. ouch.

and now, the patches have left the legs but i do still have pimple outbreaks on the face. i blame it on oily skin where sebum builds up fast and clog the pores. and also sensitivity. my fingers go and pick on the raised bumps and in the process leave red spots which take forever to go away. haiz....so blame myself. so reminder- do not pick on your pimple!!!

today is the 14th of july in the chinese calendar and it is the day the gate of hell opens the widest. but one should not only equate hungry ghost festival to ghost sightings in the month of july in chinese calendar, you can't forget your deceased ancestors too.
so here are the dishes we have prepared for prayer at home to the deceased ancestors. now you know why i am filling my stomach with so much food right?

we have yet to go and pray at the public altar in front of the papier mache of the 'hades' (god of hell) in town. it will be done next week. gosh, another full meal next week. so i better eat moderately in the weekdays and leave all the eating for the weekend.

ok now to update on grandma.....no good news. it is more to her degeneration. she was holding the joss sticks to offer prayer to the ancestors when she asked, 'what festival are we celebrating? i have forgotten.' gulp. yup, that was what she asked. she hardly watches tv nowadays. she used to spend her afternoon catching up with hokkien series, but nowadays she just sits in the arm chair staring blankly at nothing in front of her. that only contributes to more dead brain cells right? i wonder if buying colouring book for her will activate some motorskills and also some brain activities. i also wonder if she will think it is offensive. you know how some elderly can get very sensitive.

last food photo for today- ta da, the inside of passion fruit which i got few days ago. the outside has turned slightly dehydrated, but that is how we want it. the more dehydrated the skin outside is, the riper the fruit is.
i bought myself a cup of ice-cream to go with it. i was anticipating it to be very sour hahaha....but it turned out way sweeter than i thought. i could have done without the icecream. yummy. i don't mind eating this fruit everyday. am going to ask my colleague at school to get for me when she goes to the market.

contributing to local economy with the stomach

so did you contribute to the local's economy during this ramadhan month???
;)
in other words, have you shopped at any pasar ramadhan??

well, today is the first time i went to the one here in bidor, and it might be my last time as well.
the type of food just does not seem to appeal to me. i think it is a nightmare for a health-conscious person. one is just unable to come up with healthy diet tips at the stalls here. i just cannot find myself buying dinner everyday there. no offence to anyone please.
however, i might just drop by for a glass of thirst quenching freshly squeezed sugar-cane drink on a hot hot day. aaaahhhhh.......

anyway, i still had fun eating food i have not eaten for a long time and stuffing my stomach till it was about to burst.

hmm....all of them seem to come from the same colour chart kan? haha....

from top left hand corner clockwise: roti prata with sausage and egg, spiced fried chicken, tandoori chicken with naan and chicken murtabak. so much carbs huh? and not to mention oil too. well, i just can't stop myself when i see friend chicken. the roti prata is good but i dun like the sausage they put... u know it is not the better quality ones. i wonder if they make roti prata with just egg and coleslaw. oh, roti prata is just another term for roti canai right??

here are the thirst quenchers or i think dessert for today's meal. ice-kacang, green tea with grass jelly and cendol. yup, 3 of us went shopping at pasar ramadhan. which drink do you think is mine???

life this week

beautiful eh? it looks just like a fake one. so what do you think this is??? i won't give the answer now...haha.....

everyone in the staff room was taking up this fruit and admiring it. some even thought it was a fake. well, this food is not edible yet, wait a while till it is ripe, then i will post another photo of its content for those who really have no idea what this is ;)

haizzz....how i wish this is mine. how convenient it is to be able to go to collect my dishes at cafe world at anytime i want in the house. that is how i have managed to finish a few goals this week here wakaka. unfortunately, i will have to return this to my aunt this weekend.

this netbook is rm1600. i am saving to buy a macbook air where the lowest range is at least 4k for the 13 inch one. worth it mou?? macbook air's battery life is at least 7 hours, this sony is 3 hours. macbook air is much thinner and much lighter. macbook air has new backlit keyboard. macbook air has all flash storage. the price i will pay for macbook air can buy me two sonys!!! waaaaaa!!!!

someone mentioned that i can save for a holiday with the 1/2 month's bonus we are getting this month, well, i will have to pay my car insurance with the money ah.
the stock market is all tumbling now, looks like it is a good time to buy. the problem is, i dunno anything about stock and i dun even have an account to start with ah. how to make my money earn more money for me?????

movie sunday

did you click play????
are you excited to watch glee in concert on the big screen???? well, obviously i am soo soo sooo interested to catch this concert and have a good time. it would be like watching the real concert kan??
i do hope i get to catch this in my next trip to kl....but i read that it will only be shown for 2 weeks? are they kidding me?? why only 2 weeks?

the next trip to kl should be on 27 of this month for an appointment at vista eye centre. gosh, they called me this morning at 10 plus telling me i had an appointment today at 10. what a joke! they did not inform me at all or remind me that i had this appointment! hence, i have rescheduled to the first day of the one week break.

and have you all watched the king's speech staring colin first and geoffrey rush? damn it was good!!! ok i know i am one year late in catching up....i finally have the time ok. haha...actually i have papers to mark again, but heck, they can wait. will work non-stop come monday. sunday is my day of rest, so sing the oldie by connie francis- you can kiss me on a monday ;)

dining at citrus

ipoh is nowadays a closer destination for me to cari makan. and i don't have to pay that much too to eat good stuff.

last thursday, i went down to catch the movie 'rise of the planet of the apes'. there was captain america too, but i was not drawn to comic book character. i am more interested to see what james franco has to offer on the silver screen. i was not disappointed. it was a gripping tale with enough action and emotions. freida pinto's role was very limited and she did not do much except providing the only female breath in the almost all male-cast movie. the apes were definite scary and gave me the creep. i am sure movie-goers will enjoy this movie better than captain america. but a word of caution, do not go if you have maimouphobia. maimou is the greek word for monkey ;)

ok, now to dinner. the restaurant this time is citrus wine and dine. i would not call the restaurant fine-dining but the food served definitely fits the category. it is the interior deco that puts me off and stops me from labelling it 'fine'.

it looks so much like a cafeteria diner with the tiled flooring and hard chair. the prices of food here are definitely at the higher end in ipoh and the quality is not bad too. but i still think they should add some extra touch to the deco to justify the price they are charging. i know ipohans are getting more well-to-do and everywhere you go now, you can see people carrying branded bags. it was not such a common sighting few years ago.

these are what 3 of us ordered. we shared.

prawn and pomelo salad.

deep fried brie cheese

spaghetti aglio olio with scallops

mushroom and ham spaghetti in cream sauce. the cream sauce looks watery but it does not taste bland though. if only there was some bread to dip the sauce. quite a waste of the sauce.

panna cotta. haha...learnt about this dessert from playing cafe world. finally i have ticked off another dish in cafe world's menu. more to go. oh, this is an italian dessert of cooked cream with strawberry sauce. yummy. you can find so many simple instructions on the internet to make it. hmmh.....i might try one day. or maybe somebody will try and give me some ;)

chocolate cake with ice-cream. i am quite disappointed with the 'cheap' ice-cream served. more ice than cream. as for the chocolate cake, well inside the cake is lots of liquid chocolate. unfortunately, i think there is too much of them and i wish for more cake instead of 'drinking' all the chocolate that flowed out. the cake should be thicker. and i don't see why you need strawberry sauce in this dish.

so the bill came up to rm140. what do you think? remember, we did not order any drinks. we only had warm sky juice. haha...it is my choice of drink nowadays when i go out to eat. why do i want to spend money on sugary drink? drinking plain water is the best choice.

so will i go to this place again? why not. but i am sure every time i enter the place, i would wish that it is better furnished. haiz....one cannot be too greedy for perfection.

creme, soap. pills.

say hello to my jumbo jar of creme de la mer. yup, this is the one i bought in heathrow airport at 175gbp. do not bulk at the price, it is actually so much cheaper than the retail price in malaysia. i have asked at the counter and it is selling for rm1300 ah. so i called myself lucky for getting this cheap deal in conjunction with world's ocean day. i was actually taking a 'break' from la mer to save money and tried using something else. however, that something else just did not suit me and left my skin dry and dull. so it is back to this. let's see how long this jar can last. start counting now, 1 august 2011.



sigh, more blue things but this is nothing to rejoice. my limbs are soo soo soo itchy and they have been in this condition for almost 2 weeks. never have i suffered for so long. it came the day after i had 'phoon choi' aka the big basin dish. but if it was food allergy, it could not only be limited to my limbs right? there is no swell in any part at all.

i have been scratching and writhing in agony few nights a week trying to fall asleep accompanied by this horrible itch. the skin is so so so dry now especially the arms. i wonder if it is sunburn during the sports season that is prolonged till now.

so today i cannot stand it anymore, yes i did not get my sleep yesterday, and i headed to the pharmacist after work. i asked for anti-itch pills and some medication to apply. however, i got a bar of soap instead. hopefully it is going to control the itch and let me heal slowly. mom helped me buy anti-itch pills in tm last weekend, but i have forgotten to bring them back in the rush last sunday. but those white ones mom got, will definitely knock me out. i have forgotten to tell her not to buy those that can make me drowsy. well, i guess this weekend, if i am still itching, the white pill will definitely give me my slumber. sob sob! i only want all itches to go away. no rashes have developed but tiny scabs and blisters where i scratch too much can be found instead ;(

all things touristy

charing cross railway station.

marble arch

this is going to be the last post about the trip to london. gosh, i guess it is the time to put a closure already. haha...it has been almost two months since i am back from the cold english summer.

hence, i am putting up the landmarks of all places touristy in london which i have not done yet.

a beautiful view of the the millennium bridge and behind the bridge is st paul's cathedral. this photo was taken from a window in tate modern museum.
picadilly circus. always busy no matter wet or dry, night or day. this photo is taken from the second deck of the double decker bus on my way to abbey road.

tourism malaysia office next to trafalgar square. well, i guess only malaysians will take this photo. i wonder how much they are paying to rent the office in this location. it looks pretty quiet in the office and you might even miss the office if you are not observant enough.

trafalgar square and standing majestically in the centre is nelson's column. the pigeons have all disappeared from this square. well, i was glad i had seen the pigeons in 1999/2000. it made the place more romantic with the pigeons hahaha

st paul's cathedral and lovely lavender.

aaah....something you will not missed when you are in london. i love this photo.

westminster abbey. the place where prince william wedded kate middleton. as much as i wanted to enter the abbey, the entrance fee put me off. 16gbp. would you pay??

hard rock cafe at hyde park corner. why is this touristy? well, many would go there for their souvenir item and i was made to go to get a shirt for my brother-in-law. gosh, i walked all the way from trafalgar square!! i think i walked about 1km to reach this place just to get that tee shirt. he better knows the pain in the feet and effort i took to make sure i locate the store and get him his shirt.

opposite hyde park corner is wellington arch. hmh..come to think of it, i did not even enter hyde park corner. i was too lazy to walk anymore, so i skipped the place. my travel companion also did not have a planned itinerary, haha, so i led the way.

victoria memorial in front of buckingham palace. one taken late in the evening when there was only a handful of crowd still lingering taking photos and freezing in the cold. the other taken at around 11a.m. where the crowd was barred from entering the area around the memorial if they came late. 11a.m. is the time when everyone is getting ready for the change of guards and the police are out in every corner.

the change of guard this time around was slightly different. i dunno, i could not really remember how it was a century ago. but this time around i felt it was more elaborate. i also recalled seeing banners about celebrating some guard day. maybe that was it.

westminster and london's eye at different times of the day. i think like it when the lights illuminate the structures and make the sky look so blue. and of course, there is less traffic late in the evening.

whitehall, a wide road that runs from the parliament building to trafalgar square. on the left is the cenotaph and the right, memorial of the women of world war 2. those who watched prince william's wedding procession, would have noticed them paying respect while passing these memorials.

still at whitehall, walk to the horse guard avenue, through the arch and to the horse guard parade. i think they were preparding for the monarch's birthday that they opened the arch for the public. not sure if i am right.
the picture on the bottom right is taken from trafalgar square. it should be the admiralty arch which leads to the mall and straight to buckingham palace. again, i have seen it from prince william's wedding procession. hahaha.....boy, am i glad that i got a sneek-peek to these places before i left for my trip.

trafalgar square.

tower bridge. we took a bus there as our tube limit was reaching the maximum for the day. but it was a good ride as we passed st paul's cathedral before getting to tower of london. only then we knew these places were so close together.
we saw the bridge opening to make way for a few boats to pass through. it was awesome. but pity to those people who are stuck at both ends of the bridge waiting to cross. it was quite a long stop for them.

tower of london. did not pay to enter. felt stingy to part with my money again. 17gbp ;(

st paul cathedral.

well, this is slightly out of the way but definitely on my to-go list. haha.....although i am not that a big fan of the beatles, still, i better pay them a homage at abbey road since i was in the city. the only way to go there is by bus. the picture on the bottom right is the famous crossing on their album cover. i was not the only 'fan' there all right. haha...everyone who was there must pose while crossing the zebra stripes, hence cars had to stop while the drivers looked at people freezing their poses to capture the moment. ok. it was silly but we don't care! the drivers around the area are used to this i am sure because i did not see disgruntled faces.

millennium bridge again.

harrods and dodi and diana's memorial in the basement floor. the place is bustling with shoppers and the food court was especially crowded. the pizza eatery seems to be really popular as seen from the long line formed by eager diners. the pizza maker also burst into opera song once in a while. wished i could have eaten there.

but i still ate at harrods ;) i had their afternoon tea at georgian house on the fourth floor. i think i paid 26 gbp. expensive but it was an experience worth trying. we sat on the terrace and filled ourselves with sandwiches, scones and cakes. the cakes were yummy. but i don't like the scones. hard as rock. so in the end, i did not finish the scones. the menu can be found here.

this used to be my favourite shopping place- selfridges. it reputedly has the biggest shoe collection in the whole of london. that fish and chips stall there was its window display in conjunction with the ocean theme.

last but not least, let's go back to westminster again aka the parliament building. we booked a tour of the place and went there on our last morning there. it is a good visit and i learnt a lot about the building and the running of the house of lords and house of common. this is our only chance of visiting the place. i paid 16gbp. totally worth it. no photography is allowed inside of course and the security was really tight.

the pictures on the top are all take inside the building, the waiting hall. love the beams on the roof. we got a pencil and badge as souvenir.

and so, after wandering the streets of london for a week, i had managed to make a small collection of treasures to keep ;)
from top left: tiffany sterling silver pendant, collonil spray for leather from mulberry, no7 cream from boots, and shirt from uniqlo.
from bottom left: a ring set from swarovski, hair bands from h&m, limited edition oyster travelling card (this one i did not keep, i returned it and got 5gbp instead), and limited edition replica of first coca-cola bottle.

the flight home sweet home was very comfortable because i upgraded to air asia's hot seat by paying a little extra. it is so worth it. look at the extra leg space we have. so i slept, read and ate without any complaint.

aaaahh....the end of my trip. and now my body itches to go for another trip but i also know that i have to save more if i want to have another fruitful trip like this one to england and paris. so save now and buy some currencies as most are dipping now. till the next trip.