Of old friends, road trip and Beyonce

Wa or Wawa or Salmah or Salwa

Fit or Nur

Hadi (sorry buddy, your nicknames are too fancy for print :P )

I had the chance to catch up with 3 ex-schoolmates today. We met at Pizza Hut (there are only 2 fast food outlets here in Kuala Kangsar, the other one being KFC). Yes, that's right, not even a McDonalds.

Something you should know about us (not just us 4, but for the whole school gang) is that we're loud. We've always been, and I doubt it'll change anytime soon. So, even though there were only 2 other tables occupied on the upper floor, I bet it sounded like the floor was full. Haha.

Many things came up during the chat but the one that took the cake must have been the one about some Datin who's so rich, she once bought a luxury handbag by cutting ahead of Beyonce in a queue (by doubling the amount of money the singer was paying for it). LOL! If you want details, ask Hadi, not me :)

At one point, Wa mentioned about a tasty Char Kuey Tiaw Doli in Taiping, so we changed Hadi's plan of going to Ipoh for a movie into a dinner road trip to Taiping instead. Fit couldn't go so it was just us 3 in Hadi's car, along the old road to Taiping (I still prefer the highway Hadi!).

When we finally got there, after a couple of wrong turns around Taman Tasik, we saw this written on the roller shutter - "We are open everyday except Friday". And of course today's Friday. Joy. Wa totally made up for it though, by introducing us to the infamous Yong Tau Foo Sotong Kangkong, located near the Doli place. It was awesome! Judging by the big crowd, I'd say this place is very popular. Highly recommended when you're in Taiping. It's near the Taman Tasik Bomba Station.

I'm thinking all future get-together should incorporate a food road trip!

Of nasi pedas, tipat and hating vegetables

I'm at my Third Place again. Leaving for Bali in about 2 hours. There is a Venti Espresso and Cream Frappuccino (nothing beats sipping a Frappuccino early in the morning!) on my table and beside it, is Grandma's Apple Pie. Well, not my actual grandma's of course :P

I like Bali. I like it a lot. I'm sure Jason would disapprove. Hehe....Jason is one of my colleagues and I guess he hadn't had a good experience in the Island of the Gods yet. Speaking of which, I should really get him that I Love Bali tee. :P

As always, I make it a point to try out local dishes wherever I go. It often adds a plus point to my destinations :)

My mom loves spicy food, so when we were told during our trip that there's a famous spicy rice dish in Bali called Nasi Pedas, we knew she must try it! And boy did she love it!! You see, there's been other told-to-be-spicy dishes in Bali that she has tried, but none is as spicy as she likes them to be. So, with this Nasi Pedas, my mom has finally met her match! Seduced by curiosity (as opposed to by my fondness of spicy food), I, on trips I made later, tried it myself. And yes it is AWESOME! Okay, granted that I had just a tiny bit of sambal, but side dishes offered are cooked spicy anyway, so there's really no escaping the spiciness. Behind all the hotness, there's a taste that is too delicious to describe. Especially if you get those crispy small fish. YUM!! So, let it be known that if you're ever in Bali, you should never leave without having at least one helping of the heavenly-spicy Nasi Pedas. And if you think "No thank you, I cannot take spicy stuff", guess what? So can't I. You gotta try it, still.

And if you find the urge to chicken out too hard to defy, then I have something else for you. It's called Tipat (am not entirely sure how to spell it but that's how it sound like when they say it). It's very similar to Nasi Himpit or Ketupat. This dish is a mixture of cube rice, bean sprouts and long beans - all wonderfully covered in a creamy n spicy (or lightly spicy - customized to your liking, you chickens! LOL!) peanut sauce, which is hand-made fresh, right before your eyes! It is fantastic!! It's munching-on-the-bean-sprouts-and-long beans good!!! And if you know me at all, you'd know that that's bad for me! Haha!!!

So yeah, I hate vegetables. I have been for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure why, but I just can't agree with the taste. Especially those with stems. Top hate items are carrots, tomatoes, celery. Urghh! But there are exceptions. I can generally take in those that are crushed or mushed beyond recognition such as Kangkung Belacan or any other strictly leafy vege variations. That or anything drenched with peanut sauce, vinaigrette or other tasty dressing (honey mustard sauce also comes to mind). Ooh there's another exception - Popiah. That, I like! :)

I'll be in Bali over the next 5 days and am looking forward to enjoy the 2 amazing must-haves there.

Care to join me?

Of Mee Sapi, being late and Top Spot

I'm off to Kuching today for a few days - work trip as usual. The first time I visited Kuching was February last year, when I had a seriously-screwed-up issue with my then new phone - it auto-switched itself during the night, so the alarm I set died with it! Thanks to that, I came late to the training session I was conducting for the Waterfront hotel team. My first day of work in Kuching and I was late to my own training!! Crap.

To date, I've been to Kuching several times now and apart from making friends (which is always cool!), I also get to enjoy Kuching's gift to the culinary world - The Great Mee Sapi!! It's an awesome dish instant-like noodles with spicy soy sauce, thin and soft beef slices and served with a bowl of soup. It's divine! A must-have whenever I'm in the cat city.

But that's not all I eat here (Is it ever?) Khai have introduced me to this out-of-this-world seafood venue with a name only a few can decipher. It's called Taman Kereta. Why? Because it's a Car Park (It really is!). So I felt just a little tad stupid asking Khai the question. Hahah!!! The dishes here are all exquisitely-delicious and affordably-priced!! One of the best value you'd get in a seafood place, if not THE best!

So guess what I'll be doing for the next few days in Kuching? Well besides work I mean :)

Of Kuching, work and Bing!

Having been in Kuching a while now, I've patrolled the streets and malls a bit in my effort to uncover secrets the town has to offer. Then on one night, I came across Bing! coffee, two shop lot rows behind my hotel.

This was my second visit to Bing!. Khai had brought me here during my first trip to Kuching a few weeks ago. We came to this outlet at first, but was told that their La Marzocco was under repair. A kind staff then suggested for us to go the their only other outlet located somewhere on the way to the airport. Khai wasn't entirely sure so the guy tried his best to give us the simplest of directions. And so we tried and we found the outlet. I ordered a Mochachino and it tasted nice, unsurprisingly since they use illy coffee.

Halfway through our drinks, one of the staff came over and asked whether we came from their other outlet and we said yes. Khai asked why and the staff said the staff we met earlier had called in to find out whether we were able to find our way. We said to ourselves "Now isn't that nice?" It always feel great to encounter such courteous and genuinely nice people in the service line who takes pride in making people happy! That was a big plus point for Bing! for me.

And so I was really happy to have found out that the first outlet I went to was just around the corner! I walked in and had another cup of Mochachino. The environment was great and the staffs seemed friendly.

I am now at Bing again for their coffee, WiFi and their comfy sofas. hehehehe. Naturally I would be at Starbucks but there are none within this part of Kuching town. The nearest one is in The Spring and it would cost me RM12 by cab, one way. Therefore I'm here.

Started working on site today doing room checking and all. The anticipation is building as opening day is just 6 days away!


Hmmm......hope I'll lose some kilos!

Of birthdays, coffee and ghosts(!!!!)

Monday was Tuty's mum-in-law's birthday and I got invited for dinner at Hokkaido at Pekeliling. I've never been there before (chances are, some of my close friends probably have) but was pretty sure it's a good pick, knowing Tuty and family. Tuty's like a walking food google by the way (See it as it was meant Tuty, as a compliment! hehehe....)

And it sure was good because it was an air-conditioned dining area. Kidding.... I mean the food was really good. My particular favorite was the Ikan Goreng 3 Rasa. C'est magnifique!!! I gotta go back there again sometimes. And you should join me.

We always have pretty good chats, me Tuty and family. However that night, our conversation took a wrong turn (no, not the one with Eliza Dushku, but pretty close). Somehow, the topic of supernatural being (my favorite........NOT!) came up and I could have sworn I saw dad-in-law's eyes light up! He started telling me these ghost stories and some recollections of his own experiences. He was very enthusiastic but I just wanted to finish up the fish. hehehehe... Tuty came to my rescue, telling him I'm not into these things, or hearing bout them, or seeing them, or having anything to do with them.....so after a couple of attempts, we changed topic. Phew! A little more further and I was gonna walk in backwards! Sorry I couldn't be more enthusiastic uncle Ross.

All in all, dinner was excellent, thanks to Tuty and family. Happy Birthday Eve!

Today, Tuesday, I met up with a friend at Jaya One Starbucks after work for some Iced Venti Hazelnut Latte and whadda ya know? Ghost stories came up! Wha??? It's like the topic of the week or something! But Syp was quick enough to stop (cos I made sure he did! hehehe..). Sorry Syp.

So I'm taking the opportunity now to set some expectations okay people:

Meet up for chats - Yes.

Birthday dinner - Yes.

Starbucks Coffee - absolute yes.

Ghost stories - NO thank you.

Sharing is so not caring when it comes to that. Just not a fan, that's all :)

Of chats, dvd and Aji Don.

After about a week of sleeping late and waking up early, I was looking forward to redeeming all that lost sleep last Friday. I have arranged to meet with an ex-colleague at Plaza Damas at 3pm the next day, so there's plenty of time to sleep in. And sleep in I did. All 12 hours of it. Good to know I have the will power when it counts the most. Hahaha!

We agreed to meet at Aji Don, which happens to be one of my favorite place for food. I like a lot of the foods there; Mee Rebus, Popiah Basah, Chicken Rice and Char Kuey Tiaw, but since I'm not there often enough, I always end up ordering the Mee Rebus and Popiah after which I tell myself "next time, I'll order the rest". And then the next time, I'd end up ordering the same thing. That's how good the Mee Rebus and Popiah are! The only setback is that they close on Sunday (business must be real good huh!).

We got talking about our past experiences together and it was fun looking back. Plenty of laugh. We also talked about what we want out of our jobs and times when we consider making a change, and so the conversation took a more serious turn. I guess everyone have those moments when you'd take a step back, pause and ask yourself "Am I happy?" "Do I want more?" "Can I wait?" and a host of other questions. I think it's what makes us human.

We were joined by another friend of mine later and after my ex-colleague left, we went to look for a dvd. My friend has been looking for this particular movie for a long time and I knew just where to get it! Strangely enough, I was hungry after that. Well, half an hour of dvd browsing can really drain you, so I had no choice but to go for a second helping at Aji Don. Poor me. hehehe. This time it was CKT and more Popiah. and a bit of Murtabak. Blame Syp, not me. hehehe.

Saturday is just 5 days away now....................................................Aji Don anyone? :)