The year that was

2009 was unexpected in a number of ways, mostly because a lot of things were unplanned.

• Jan : Burnt dinner for the first time in my life. Learnt to cook easy-peasy after-work dinners (when I have the mood). Got myself a part-time maid who really made my whole year's weekends a lot easier.
• Feb : Legend Water Chalets Port Dickson (Valentine's day cum his birthday getaway).
• Mar : The US of A! My highlight of the year, this was definitely awesomesauce ...
• Apr : Earth Hour 2009 and tax submission.
• May : Flew in to Yogyakarta for Irma's grandiose wedding in Semarang.
• Jun : Rock-climbed! Chopped off my hair.
• Jul : Turned 29 and got a Wii! Flew to Singapore with Jetstar and got onto the Flyer. Ipoh trip with Maris and family.
• Aug : KP's wedding with YL. Didn't go to Hanoi - next time maybe.
• Sept : Hibernated.
• Oct : Melaka work trip - stayed in Holiday Inn.
• Nov : Hyatt Kuantan.
• Dec : Bangkok shopping and food heaven amidst Sheraton luxury. Couldn't ask for more.

Yes I seem to mark my annual events with hotel stays - but see, that's because I didn't expect to travel this year, and the local hotels are what made my year relatively bearable :P But honestly, I'm glad I got the chance to visit US and have that recent shopping spree in BKK.

And for 2010 I shall remember what I reminded myself about a year ago :

Success isn't determined by your gifts, your abilities or your opportunities - it is determined by your ability to develop a great team.

The Law of the Inner Circle - those who are closest to you determine the level of your success.

~John C Maxwell

My life as a tai tai

Today I walked till I dropped. Or, literally shopped till I dropped. Had no money left even to have lunch. Haha. Thank goodness I left some money in the hotel room safe - or I wouldn't have enough to last the next few days!

Shopping in Platinum Mall is awesome. Today I bought 6 tops and 3 working skirts. Each item costs about RM20 - how cheap is that? I managed to push myself to finish the 3rd and 5th floors before I felt like collapsing from dizziness (finished the 4th floor with KF on Monday). So on Friday, I shall return and finish up the 1st and 2nd floors - and maybe the basement. As long as my wallet allows.

My feet felt like I'd worn out my soles. So after I dropped off my heavy bags in the hotel room, I went to Urban Retreat Spa for a spa session. Went to the newly-opened Asok branch. Actually today was my 2nd time, I went there yesterday with KF for a 2-hour Thai massage (THB 550). Today I did a Himalayan salt scrub and macadamia oil massage. Skin feels so silky smooth and moisturized I tell ya. I love this place - far better than Healthland. Shall do a proper review for them later.

What's nice about this trip is that I get to relax and have my own time while the husband earns his living. Like right now, he's busy fine-dining downstairs with his colleagues. And of course, it's nice that we're in Sheraton where they come and service the room twice a day. This hotel's perfect in every way. Only minor gripe I have is that security is not very good here - no special access cards required in the lifts to enter the various floors. But well, I just have to make sure I bolt the door properly. The fact that the room's so comfortable and that I've been watching more Channel V than I've ever done since college days and blogging more frequently than ever means I got nothing to complain about. I love this tai tai lifestyle - could do this all the time ;)

A meeting in McD's

Occasionally, unexpected things happen to me.

For instance, today I met Tony Kaplan.

Actually, I just met him. Let me tell you the story.

My tummy was growling, I'd skipped lunch because the buffet breakfasts in Bangkok hotels contain enough pork to feed an army. Being a lazybum, I decided to go to the nearby McD's to grab a bite. Settled myself in with yummy Thai chilly sauce (I love the chilli here) and spicy McWings. I was biting into my yummy wings and enjoying the surroundings.

When I'm alone, I think weird thoughts. Like, plenty of women love to eat McD's in Bangkok - or maybe it's just this outlet on Sukhumvit Road. And Thai women are just Thai women - no Chinese, Indian, Malay, etc. Everyone speaks Thai, and it doesn't matter if you're a bit browner or a bit yellower. No wonder the government's trying unsuccessfully to make all of us speak BM to become 1Malaysia - the concept's good, but unfortunately it's not gonna work as long as there's segregated schools.

Anyway, as I was saying, I was happily enjoying my McValue. An old man walked past with his tray and smiled at me. Okayy, I went back to watching this group of young pretty women giggling and speaking elegantly in Thai - they even sat elegantly okay, crossed ankles and all, in McD's. After I was almost finishing my French fries, that old man came over with his tray and asked "can I sit here?". Okayy.

Then he introduced himself as Tony Kaplan. Said he was a poet. Gave me his namecard. Started rambling on and on about being in Bangkok so far for a week and this being his first proper Western meal, having another 5 weeks to go because he's in town for a week, saying he's been to many countries and he comes to Bangkok every year to get inspiration and write poems. Even took out his handphone to show me his website tracker and where his readers came from - 32 countries I believe.

I'm not very good at conversations with strangers - especially old men who show their hands and say they are "200% single" and ask if I am staying nearby. Maybe he just wanted conversation and more people to visit his website. I'm a very suspicious person, see - paranoia comes naturally to me. As soon as I could, and as politely as I could, I said goodbye and left.

So now I'm sitting here - after having gone thru some of his poems on his website. He particularly recommended "Chinese meal in Peking" (this was quite humorous - Peking duck or Peking dog? haha) and "Who cares if Thai girl is fair" (this was rather sleazy I felt, or maybe I'm just too upright). And I kinda like "I lost my best in Budapest".

His server seems to have worked itself up, I can't seem to load pages on it anymore - odd. Maybe later if I have time I will read somemore. Interesting episode this.

Thoughts in BKK

Hotels

• Dusit Thani's got a very nice lobby. But I think the service levels need a serious upgrade.
• Breakfast was good though - crispy bacon, cured pork meat, yumms!
• Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit has awesome awesome service! I think the bellboys here attend professional memory power training - or how could they possibly remember so many ppl by name?
• Sheraton's breakfast was pretty good too - standard fare but good selection.
• I didn't strike the lottery - big MNCs paid for the hotels, I merely slept on bathroom floors :D

Food

• Taling Pling in Central World has awesome tom yam kung! I want somemore!
• The Cream & Fudge Factory in Central World is expensive but tastes good.
• Tony Roma's in Siam Paragon has far better pork ribs than in Singapore - oh so soft and tender. What do they feed the pigs here?

Shopping

• Lingerie and underwear shopping heaven! Spent > RM600 on branded items in Zen Central World. There's stuff here you can't find in KL and if you can find them in KL, it'll be more expensive anyway. We get a 5% discount as tourist and 7% deductible in taxes at the airport. How cool is that?
• Then I found out that Siam Paragon has an even more extensive library of lingerie. Gosh. Should I?
• Platinum Mall is another cheap shopping heaven! A working shirt for RM17? I bought 4 pieces and it's grand total costs the same as ONE shirt in G2000 at a discount, geez. Suddenly feel that I've been exploited all my life.
• Apparently Naraya in Central World is a phenomenon I have never heard of - but got sucked into inevitably. Throngs of women in there like it's a Coach warehouse outlet in US. Loads of quilted and cloth bags in all kinds of sizes and shapes imagineable. It's like a "Lovely Lace" for bags. And it's thronging cos it's cheap. How come I never heard of this place before?

Ok, have to get back to work on the laptop ... another 3 more days in food, shopping and massage heaven ... I lurrvveee BKK! :D

Coffee club

I need to rant. I've been suffering caffeine intolerance the entire day because I accidentally drank Nescafe - don't ask me how. I'm feeling hyperactive and slothy at the same time. Running on adrenaline - or more like, caffeine. Went to work today and the chicken rice lady downstairs asked why I was there. Productive day today. But I need to get rid of this caffeine. Or else I'm gonna be ranting to myself the entire night and wondering how to kill that hidden cricket in the ceiling boards. Just saw a programme called Forbes Top 20 Power Couples in the Entertainment Industry on Channel E! ... some people have all the luck. I mean, I could have that (not THAT much, but definitely more than now), but do I give up comfort and free time for money? Big hmmm. There's this show on E! now called "Giuliana & Bill", and I just realized that's Bill Rancic - the 1st Apprentice on that Trump show. How tacky. This E! sure has interesting programs - I think I could watch it all day. And here I thought that the channel I'd watch the most is MTV - haha yeah, fluffy I know. Not like E!'s any less fluffier. But at least it's taking my mind off the caffeine. I need to pack - tom yam yum for an entire week!

What I look forward to in 2010

2009 has been a fantastic year so far, and it's gonna be even better because I've got 2 trips coming up in December! :)

So, what should I look forward to in 2010?

1. Finally getting that "coveted" V alphabet (and a big payrise?)
2. Celebrating the big 3-0 in July!

Of course, there's also Harry Potter's final movie in November. But that shouldn't count. Don't want to make my list too long.

Suzie's in the hospital because she has a water retention problem. The hubby keeps harping on the fact that I should have gotten a City instead, but I love my Suzie! And love is irrational, yes!

So much work (yah, complaining again). So, hands up, who's not "overworked and underpaid"? (A friend quoted that to me on FB).

Ok, signing off now - my ride's leaving.

“To my mind,
the greatest reward and luxury of travel is
to be able to experience everyday things
as if for the first time,
to be in a position in which
almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted”
- Bill Bryson

Word of the Year 2009

Apparently, Oxford Word of the Year (yes, an actual award) for 2009 is : unfriend

unfriend – verb – To remove someone as a ‘friend’ on a social networking site such as Facebook.

This word apparently has "currency and potential longevity". And has beat out other words in the running for the prize such as : netbook, sexting, ecotown and intexticated.

More on this, here.

I love English.

Kuantan getaway

The fabulous grounds of Hyatt Kuantan

Thank you, Mr Weatherman, for the great weekend weather at the East Coast! I had an absolute blast :)

We started off from home at 8am on Saturday, stopping at Pan Heong Restaurant in Batu Caves for a fantastic breakfast of the most delicious wat tan hor in the world and pai-kuat-pei-dan porridge. Sorry no pics, been there a few times but each time I prefer to fast-fast dig in rather than snap pics :P And they sell the best chicken biscuits I have ever eaten. Breakfast came up to RM17, excluding RM20 for the biscuits.

Then at 9am we were going on our way along MRR2, hitting the Karak highway and then the East Coast Expressway. I noticed that MTD Prime owns the entire stretch. And I wouldn't have noticed that if not because 2 days ago I'd read a KLSE announcement that MTD had sold Bangunan Shell in Damansara Heights for RM101 mil. So the name stuck. But I digress.

Karak Highway was winding, as always. The ECE was straight and easy to drive. It was a different landscape to the one we were used to on the PLUS highway. Plenty of oil palm estates and mangroves and of course, the majestic Banjaran Titiwangsa. We exited at Kuantan exit, got slightly lost in town, before finding our way to Teluk Cempedak.

Hyatt Kuantan is awesome. When I stepped into the lobby, there was this awesome view of one of the hotel pools set against the mighty South China Sea. I was in love with the place already. And, having been upgraded to the "Club Sea View King" room, I was anticipating a really nice weekend. I mean, complimentary hotel stays are always nice, but being bumped up is super awesome :)

View from our room

The tub that we did not use because the taps spewed yellow water

Good power shower

I liked the timber flooring. Pillows were too thin. Air-cond too cold (stuck at 18 degrees whole night). But nice room set-up.

We dumped our stuff in the room, and went looking for the Regency Club lounge - for Club room guests only, hehe. They had free flow of juices, coffee, tea and some cookies. We didn't stick around long. KF decided we'd go to Mexica Garden Restaurant in town for lunch. We had a huge plate of squid fried in salted egg, yau mak, and a plate of imperial noodles. The captain gave us a complimentary coconut custard (jelly in a whole coconut), which was very nice of him and ended the meal very nicely for us. Lunch came up to about RM50.

Then we went back to hang out in the comfy room. And while I was vaining in front of the mirror, oh horror of horrors, I discovered not one, but zillions of white hairs! KF helped me pluck them out and I lined them properly for a memorial.

Count the white hairs!

KF had to go out to meet some hotel executive (yah, he was there for work, and yes it is the reason why we were staying there). There was Star Movies on the TV, so I settled down to watch When Harry Met Sally - "I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." - awww!

My movie marathon aid - Panasonic Viera LCD

KF came back from the meeting, and then left again to have tea with an ex-colleague. I didn't really want to go, preferring instead to luxuriate in the room with the TV all to myself. I settled down to watch "Butterfly in the Wheel" starring Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler and Maria Bello (it took me some time to figure out she was the bar owner from Coyote Ugly).

The card is really handwritten - and not by the secretary!

You know, staying in a Club room makes you feel a bit like royalty. You get stuff like handwritten cards from some hotel director and a yummy box of chocolates. Plus use of the exclusive lounge - which was filled with ang moh people during the free 2-hour evening cocktails. They served some finger food i.e. scallops and fruits and cakes, which all made a very good dinner for us, haha. And also beer and wine. Nice.

Pralines in a box

It was about 6pm when we decided to head to the beach. We walked until we reached the Boardwalk, which was filled with monkeys. Then we went back to swim in one of the hotel pools till it was dark. And then went to bed early - my eyes couldn't stay open for National Treasure : Book of Secrets which was supposed to show at 10pm. Yah, this is a real holiday.

The next morning I got up at 6am. Haha. So I decided to wait for sunrise, since our balcony gave us such a good view. But, whadaya know, Mr Big Fat Grey Cloud decided to plonk his ass right in my line of sight over the horizon. Ah well. I read until KF decided to wake up at 8am.

He wishes he had a Ferrari to sell too

We went to the Club lounge for a continental breakfast - comes with the room. Apparently we could pay RM15 per person to upgrade to a buffet breakfast at the Kampung restaurant, but we didn't. And I'm glad too. They served cereals, smoked salmon, salad, scrambled eggs, ham, fruits, breads, pastries, and even had a coffee machine serving excellent cappucino. And with the sea breeze and pounding waves, I didn't need anything else.

View of the Teluk Cempedak beach from the Club lounge

One conversation at the cappucino machine did stand out. This English lady was there with her little boy, making him a "baby-cino". I asked how old he was, she said 2. Then she asked if I had any of my own. I said no. Then she said : "You know, when I was younger, I did all kinds of things and travelled everywhere, searching for that something before wanting to settle down. Then when I had him, I realized I'd found what I was searching for - and it's him!" Wah, so profound, I tell you. Only an ang moh can strike up such a conversation with a stranger.

After breakfast, we went back to the room, and I settled in for another movie (haha) : Because I Said So, starring Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore and Piper Perabo. This was fun to watch. And it was the last of my movie marathon weekend. We checked out at 12 noon. Contemplated eating at the McD's / KFC drive-thru outside Hyatt, but we drove all the way to Genting Sempah's instead.

On the way home we stopped by at Selayang, to buy fresh live prawns (1/2 kg for RM25). KF had a craving for angelhair pasta with prawns. Yummy yummy ending to a good good weekend :)

Singapore July 2009

[another long overdue post]

Why my birthday was fabulous this year:-

1. We ate so much food in Singapore and the bills cost KF quite a bit, but he did not complain - at all! We even met up with a Korean friend at Tony Roma's and had yummy pork ribs, after which she bought me a Bakerzin cake - yummylicious! And then my uncle spent us to a Japanese buffet as well. It was a supremely filling weekend.

The cousin recommended carrot walnut cake at Cedele in Orchard, and wow, it was pretty good!

2. The Singapore Flyer adventure was pretty cool - free tickets courtesy of Jetstar. We had great views of the F1 track and the ongoing Integrated Resorts World and Marina Bay Sands developments, plus pretty awesome views of the Singapore skyline.

3. Flying into the new Singapore terminal was fun and easy - much better than chugging along in an Aeroline.

4. And my real birthday present from him - Wii :)

And this is the reason why there's nothing happening in here :D

The American TV addict

And the season of couch potato-ing has begun once again! :) These are the trashy soaps (and some other excellent non-trashy ones) that makes my week a good one ...


Gossip Girl (Season 3) is when they start life in uni! It's turning out to be an amazing season - and guest stars people like Hilary Duff and Tyra Banks! And the evil Georgina is back. And where else do you get to see a whole group of oh-so-beautiful people except on the Upper East Side?

Reason to watch : Because you know you'll love it.



Criminal Minds (Season 5) is a great series. I wonder if the Behavioural Analysis Unit actually exists within the FBI. The season started off with a great episode. I can't wait to watch the rest.

Reason to watch : To understand the many reasons why people kill each other.



Heroes (Season 5) - I watch this just because. It's not particularly engaging to watch. And the characters develop pretty slowly. I'm also starting to think it's a waste of my time. Maybe I'll cut this off the list.

Reason to watch : Just, you know, because you've been a fan from the beginning.



CSI New York (Season 6) had a cliffhanger episode the past season. And this season has started off with a bang. This is a great forensic series. I don't watch the other franchises, because I think the people in CSI:NY are prettier :D

Reason to watch : To see the many ways a person can be murdered. And the many ways to which the killing methods can be uncovered. And to appreciate that your job is not that tedious (picking up hair fibres and powdered flecks from a carpet?)



So You Think You Can Dance - SYTYCD is in its 6th season. And this is by far my most favourite reality tv show. I've said it before, and I'll say it again, this show features more talented people than any other show on earth - and Cat Deeley is awesome.

Reason to watch : You need to see for yourself how fascinating the human body can be.



One Tree Hill (Season 7) - After 6 whole seasons, this is actually my 1st episode / season. Never had the inclination to watch a single episode (because I don't really watch TV as much as I watch my computer). But this is also pretty good stuff. And the little boy Jamie is too adorable! The girls (and guys) also look very pretty in here. There's a pro basketball star and his agent, a fashion designer, a recording artist (by the way the soundtrack to this season is pretty good, dunno where I can get my hands on it), a self-help guru, a movie producer. All inter-related.

Reason to watch : You've caught the previous seasons - so why not continue? And if you haven't started, you can start now. Makes for great weekend time-fillers.



Melrose Place 2009 is one of those American soaps where everyone looks superbly beautiful. And Ashley Simpson actually acts in this. But I think the show-stealer here's Katie Cassidy. It's about a group of people who stay in the same building (some villa-like apartment with a pool). The first episode starts off with the landlady found floating face-down in the pool. The next few episodes show the various relationships between the tenants of the building and the police investigating the death / murder. Actually pretty good stuff. The tenants include a gourmet chef, a student doctor (who sells her body to pay for fees), a teacher in a relationship with a film-maker, a celebrity publicist and some people who seem to have no jobs.

Reason to watch : You are addicted, like me, to pretty Americans.



Glee is awesome, fantastic stuff! My school choir was never this happening, but it brings back good memories, choral days being one of the best things about school way back then. The soundtrack to this show is so gonna blow the charts. This is nothing, nothing like High School Musical.

Reason to watch : You love acappella versions of the latest chart-topping songs.



Desperate Housewives (Season 6) - something I've watch over the seasons. Good ol' tv soap opera. My favourite character's Lynette who used to have adorable twins (and seems to be having another set of twins on the way). Lynette epitomizes the typical working mother who juggles a demanding job, a big brood of kids, a husband who still acts like a kid, and miraculously she still has time for poker sessions with the neighbourhood ladies.

Reason to watch : You love seeing how desperate suburbia can be and know (or wish) you'll never stoop that low.


The Beautiful Life was about a group of supermodels. It even had Elle Macpherson in it, and starred Mischa Barton. It's really too bad that they cut the show after airing only 2 episodes. Only in America this happens. I actually thought the 1st episode was pretty good. Anyway, another series cut off the long list.

But I still have a long list! :D Nothing like tv therapy, I tell you - it's cheap and stress-relieving. I likey.

Ipoh July 2009

[long overdue post]

Played tourist in Ipoh somewhere end of July. Was pretty cool! And here are the reasons why it was an awesome weekend :-


#1 : Grand temple in Chemor

There's a huge lake filled with koi, a long spanning bridge, 12 zodiac animals, and many oriental features. It's called Seen Hock Yeen temple. Nah, see the pictures.

Looks prettier than Thean Hou Temple, huh?

Trying to throw a coin into the dragon's mouth

#2 : Because Maris was with us!

It was her 1st weekend in KL and she spent it with us - so honored :) And it was her 1st time in Ipoh too!

Time zooms past too quickly - we've known her for 8 years already!

#3 : Food, food, food!

We let Maris try Funny Mountain tau foo fa - she's hates soya, but she loved this. Brought her for dim sum (tried to find a seat in Fu San but that place is gila crazy full of people) so we went into another obscure dim sum shop. Could see that Maris loved the "little parcels" of food.
And then of course, there's the Sun Seng Fatt dry curry noodles which Maris absolutely loved! I actually pretty like it as well - no one in PJ does kon loh kah lei like they do in Ipoh.


#4 : The best cave in Ipoh

Kek Lok Tong is serenely beautiful. Located in Gunung Rapat housing area, I don't think it's very popular as it's not visible from the main road. But this place just became my favourite cave in Ipoh. They even have areas where you climb stairs to look at some poorly-lit rocks amidst dripping water - definitely adds to the atmosphere. And when you walk through the cave, it opens out to a really huge garden compound (which we were unfortunately not able to see as it was undergoing refurbishment works).

Entrance to Kek Lok Tong where you hear swallows chirping frantically

I wonder if these cave rocks are real (yah lah I know they're called stalactites & stalagmites)

It was pretty cool bringing Maris around (albeit a little stressful because it was also the 1st time we were bringing my parents up to hang out with KF's parents). We even attended this mini "Hari Keluarga" in some obscure Chinese school in I-forgot-which-town-halfway-between-Ipoh-and-Chemor as my dad wanted to view the "stones exhibition" which was sponsored by SinChew (or was it Nanyang?). We think the WHOLE town turned up at that school for the event. Quite impressive.

I don't care, I must try Fu San one day - see what's the hype all about.

Was fun playing tourists!

Here's one place I want to go before I get too old :
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my/index.php/showbiz/37780-harry-potter-park-to-open-in-florida-2010

I didn't disappear off the face of the earth, was just spending lots of quality time with my Wii, and am presently very hooked to Animal Crossing City Folk.

4 day weekend coming up, yippee!

Sitting in office staring glumly at the amount of work.
And got some insane group of people downstairs or goodness-knows-where chanting songs in some unknown language with a commander yelling at them to go louder. The shopkeeper next door is unabashedly still blasting old Chinese opera songs from his mega ancient hi-fi.
I've got Lenka blasting on my speakers, but it can't drown out the sounds drifting in through the non-soundproof windows.
Saw an ad for Tokyo / Osaka return flights at RM1,350/- all-in via JAL. Too bad I'm broke.
Then saw an announcement that AirAsia's flying to Chengdu soon. Yay - pandas, I'm coming!
I bought a book in MPH the other day - How To Start Your Own Travel Business. Still wrapped in plastic. It's my pre-bought present for when I complete my TPC (which is unfortunately still a long way to go). But, persevere I must. Or else the TPC will never get done :P
Back to work back to work *sniff sniff*

The half blood curse

'Twas freaking awesome! :)

It has been a long long LONG time since I've had this urge of wanting to return to watch a movie in the cinema. I almost wanted to do that after Titanic like more than 10 years ago, but I didn't. And then, the DVD days came, and there was never any need to return to the cinema. Heck, I've never even purchased the DVD of a movie I'd watched before. These days though, I've got copies of my favourite movies, like 10 Things I Hate About You, Serendipity, the whole 5 prior movies of Harry Potter (YES!). And I can watch all these again and again and again.

How I wish I could watch The Half Blood Prince like right now! I can still remember reading this book for the very first time 4 years ago. And right now, I think that this episode is the 2nd best (maybe even the best) of the entire Potter movie franchise. The best will probably still be reserved for the 1st episode when all the minute details were so fascinating (leaping chocolate frogs, ghosts tipping their hats, the Fat Lady, the Dining Hall).

Oh gosh, I want to watch the HBP again! [Coincidentally, that's the boss' initials >_<]

Btw, we watched it at the new GSC at Tropicana City Mall. That GSC is very nice. Tickets cost RM10 only (compared to the exorbitant prices in 1U or Cineleisure) and the leg space is fantastic! Let's just say it was grand to watch an awesome movie at a brand new comfy theatre :)

I'm 29! Past, actually. We flew down to Singapore for the birthday weekend. Had a blast :)

Post more later. I'm up to my eyeballs in work. And addicted to RestaurantCity.

Siu chu chu

Last weekend, a little piggy was let lose in the streets of Ipoh.

On Saturday morning, the little piggy and her partner-in-crime arrived in Ipoh and started devouring "liew fun" (noodles with fishballs, fried stuff and all kinds of things that you pick and choose) at "pat kok lau" (8-angled flats, or something like that). It's actually a corner coffee shop in dunno-where-in-Ipoh.

"Liew fun" is the kind of noodles you can only find in Ipoh. No where else in KL or PJ can you find it. The nearest thing that comes close to it is "yong tau foo", which they serve with "chee cheong fun" here, and not noodles. Anyway, the piggy loves "liew fun", thanks to her partner-in-crime who introduced her to it. Yummy yumm yumm. With yummy soya bean which tastes very nice in Ipoh, of which the partner-in-crime says it's due to the Ipoh water.

Over the afternoon, they snacked on "siu yok" (only in Ipoh, definitely not in KL, can you buy freshly-chopped "siu yok" in the afternoon for tea) and yummy "fu-chuk-yee mai-bak-gor" i.e. barley with gingko in soybean (thanks to piggy's mother-in-law, who boils the best "tong sui"s ever).

And dinner was at "Tong Hoi" restaurant in Menglembu (East Ocean Restaurant). Which was jam-packed full of people. And it was the first time that the piggy saw people standing around waiting at tables for people to finish their 8-course dinners in a restaurant. Only in Ipoh man, only in Ipoh.

On Sunday, breakfast was dry curry noodles (which are the best in Ipoh, very hard to find in KL) at some corner-house-turned-coffee-shop in Menglembu that serves excellent undiluted iced Milo. The piggy then drove to buy salted herbal chicken for her parents, 2 each from Menglembu and from Aun Kheng Lim. The former is cheaper at RM15 per chicken, but AKL's is RM16 per chicken. And the next stop was at some shop to buy the best "kaya-kok" ever! Placed the order at 11am for 15 pcs of "kaya-kok", and was told to come back to collect them at 2.30pm. Fresh I tell you, fresh!

So piggy and the entourage dropped by at Sun Seng Fatt to try their famous dry curry noodles (yes, plate no. 2). The waiter (or boss, maybe) carries some PDA thing to take orders okay, don't play play! Piggy and partner-in-crime shared a plate of the dry curry noodles (which were not very dry, quite wet actually) which tasted okay, and a glass of cold blended red bean, yumms!

Went home to pick the in-laws up for lunch (yes, belum lunch lagi tahu). Brought them to this new coffeeshop in Menglembu town called "Diamond". And the partner-in-crime aka hungry-ghost-of-liew-fun saw a whole stack of liew in front of the shop. How could he resist but put down an order for dry curry noodles plate no. 3 (3rd in 4 hours!) and a whole stack of liew. Piggy ordered a "chap gor ping" (fruit ice kacang). Stuffed, I tell you, stuffed!

Collected the "kaya-kok" and headed back to KL. Piggy and partner-in-crime were in almost-shut-down-mode-so-the-tummies-can-digest stage. And they didn't even have dim sum, or kai si hor fun, or honey-roasted chicken, or wan tan mee. Piggy can't wait to return to Pig-land for more Pigging. But only after piggy has lost all the curry noodles weight.

Transformers was awesome! Granted, you have to ignore some cheesy corny parts. And remember that the movie's targeted at hot-blooded young men. I thoroughly enjoyed the transformations, the regal trucks and smooth cars changing into robots - epitome of cool! :)

Last night when we left GSC at almost 11pm, there was still a pretty long queue for tickets. And throngs of people were waiting to be let in to the theatres for the next change. Obviously many people don't need to really work on Fridays :P

And early this morning when we just got into the car to drive to work, we hear that the great MJ has passed on. What a sad day. He was a fabulous entertainer. And I shall go out to buy his albums that I actually have in cassettes, but I want the longer-lasting CD versions. So my kids in the future will be able to know what a legend MJ is.

Euphoria or sadness, still have to work for my pay on a Friday. Looking forward to a weekend of food ;)

For the record

1. It's Transformers tomorrow!
2. I'm addicted to that 7pm show on tv.
3. I crave the "best wat tan hor" in Batu Caves / Selayang.
4. Work is boring.
   

On a Sunday morning

Got a part-time maid to make my life easier (http://yds.com.my/) RM160/- for 4 visits at 3 hours per visit. She cleans the porch, sweeps and mops, washes the toilets and irons the clothes. While she does all that, I wipe down the countertops, do the laundry and change the bedsheets. Every once in a while, I get her to wipe the fans, windows, grills, door frames, knobs and switches, dust the ceilings and cupboard tops, do some garden-weeding. It's amazing how much keeping a house requires. But I'm grateful I can pay for help.

I am reading "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari". It is an awesome book. So easy to read. But every sentence hits you in the eye, makes you think, reflect, re-read, re-think. It's like "Eat, Love, Pray" by Elizabeth Gilbert of which I still need to go get my own copy of since I returned my rented copy. These 2 books are in my must-own and must-reread-all-the-time list. Some people attend motivational seminars to push themselves forward, and some get a jolt in that direction after something happens. For me, it's books like these that push me towards trying to be a better person.

Couch potato

The Tudors Season 1 is more awesome than Season 3. It was, however, in Season 3 that I noticed His Hotness Henry Cavill. And next to His Royal Hotness Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, the series is quite eye candy, I must say.

My other guilty pleasure right now is So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) Season 5. This is the first time I'm watching it and by golly, these dancers don't have any bones in their body - they bend every which way! Can't say yet who's my favourite couple, but I like Philip and Jeanine (their Neyo-Mad routine was awesome mad! go watch it!). But most of all I love Cat Deeley - the bestest reality tv show host ever! She's spontaneous and genuine and I just love her accent, charming I tell ya.

San Francisco

Typed on 11th April 2009 at 8.53pm :-

At Golden Gate Bridge, the landmark of San Francisco. Bloody cold wind blowing I tell you! My fingers were completely frozen!

We took Southwest Airlines from LA to San Fran - a budget airline - the ticket costs us $70+$60 each for return flights. I was pleasantly surprised because they gave us free drinks (pretty decent selection) and honey roasted peanuts. Better than AirAsia.

And they had a very organized way of boarding the plane. When you check-in, it is written on your boarding pass you are the passenger number-what to be checking in. So boarding is according to those numbers printed on your boarding passes. They have properly marked out locations for you to be queuing up. How cool is that? Much better than AirAsia - again.

Anyway, we landed in San Francisco International Airport - very nice and modern and far better than LAX. And we took the BART (one of their train systems) straight into the heart of the city - cost us about $5. We were heading to Chinatown, where our hotel Astoria is.

After dumping our luggage at the hotel, we walked out to catch our first cable car ride. Luckily we had our 3-day travel pass ($18) which enabled us to hop on and off any bus, tram or cable car as much as we like. The cable car was packed - but the ride was awesome. It gave a fantastic feel of San Francisco - and whenever I think of San Fran (which coincidentally has the same initials as my name), I will remember the feeling of riding on the cable car.

The cable car is a typical San Francisco landmark.

We rode the cable car to Fisherman's Wharf.

This is called the "turn table". This is the end of the route for the cable car. It goes on it, then the drivers manually turn the cable car around so it can go back the other way.

Typed on 13th June 2009 at 10.37am :-

I'm too lazy to type so much. So I shall just caption the photos. I don't have many of San Francisco, because KF took most of the photos, and most are in RAW format, he hasn't had the time to process them yet. So these are what we have ...

Clam chowder - apparently a must-have when in Fisherman's Wharf. I think it's overrated, my Campbell's soup tastes similar. But when in SF, you have to do what every tourist is doing ...

The seals at Pier 39. They're wild seals that suddenly decided to make Pier 39 their home.

We accidentally arrived in the gay area of Castro, after getting on the wrong bus.

But we found what we were looking for - yummy hotdogs! I ABSOLUTELY recommend Rosamunde's Sausage Grill ... the hotdogs are authentically fabulous!

The menu is yummy-licious! Nope, I don't think that's Rosamunde.

Jellyfish at the California Academy of Science - the most fascinating museum I've ever been to. The most captivating thing I saw was a huge octopus, its tentacles hypnotizingly suctioning and unsuctioning along the glass enclosure. And the planetarium was awesome!

We spent our last full day in San Francisco roaming at "Land's End". The beautiful name of the place is what attracted me to put it on our itinerary. We spent half a day walking along the trail, which runs along the cliffside of San Francisco.

There was a small cave we went into along the trail.

The view from outside the cave at Land's End.

One of the lookout points at Land's End. At one corner you can see the Golden Gate Bridge (the little red tip of it). This is also where we saw a real life whale. It was pretty cool to be able to do some whale-watching - a first for me.

The wind-swept cypress trees along the Land's End trail.

Now, our "moments of timeless pleasure" - Ghirardelli Chocolate! This is really an absolute MUST-DO when in San Francisco ... expensive, and so decadently sinful chocolate ... I'd eat this everyday if I could. At one end of this ice-cream restaurant was a chocolate mill, with rich milky chocolate churning slowly, mesmerizing me into swoon-land.

One of the famous Ghirardelli sundaes. The best and most unforgettable is its chocolate peanut butter sundae - MUST EAT!!!

Ghirardelli's magnetic pull dragged us back there twice in the span of 3 days.

Now this is what I'm talking about - churning chocolate - slurp!

Taken at Alamo Square - don't the houses look familiar? It's from Full House! :) These houses are called the Painted Ladies.

So that's about it. San Francisco. A wonderful tourist-y town. I liked the Golden Gate Bridge (not golden at all), and Land's End, and the Science Academy, and Ghirardelli! And although I'm broke from the trip, but ... I'd rather be broke from travelling than from shopping ;)