Happy Merdeka Day!

Had dinner with Euro in Desa Sri Hartamas. After walking around for awhile we decided to head back towards Petaling Jaya. Bitten by the patriotic bug suddenly, we thought of joining in the countdown of our National Day around Ikano Centre area. We knew it would be jam packed heading towards there but Euro said that we could probably catch the fireworks from Kota Damansara.

I thought, "Great idea!", however, so did hundreds of other drivers! Ha ha ha....Well, after getting stuck in a slow moving jam, we finally ended up in Palm Springs@Damansara. We ordered some drinks, then the fireworks started and I managed to get some shots of it. It came up behind the condos opposite Nasi Kayu Spring where we were seated. It felt good...I felt good watching the sky light up for about 10 minutes or so. Happy 49th Malaysia! Merdeka! We've come a long way and there is still a long way more.....

P.S. Oh! Happy Birthday to Lyn and Christine T. too!

Lily Cenario Cafe, Jalan 19/29

Before I continue with Malacca, I just realised that I had forgotten about some photos I took of Lily Cenario Cafe while Mrs Pitt and Zahara were still here. The photos that I took a few months back with my old camera did not do the food justice. So, I decided to take some pics again to blog about.

Located at Section 19, corner shoplot ( facing the open carpark area, behind New Paris Restaurant), the restaurant gives Section 19 folks something different from the usual fare in the area. It's got a simple yet nice, clean look and exudes a calm ambiance. This is the kind of cafe to sit around and do catching up with friends over a pot of tea and scones (cakes and pies also available) or have a leisurely pace lunch or dinner. Oh, by the way, no MSG is used in the preparation of food. It's open throughout the day from 11am till 10pm, and is closed on Mondays.
Mrs Pitt, Zahara and I did lunch here before we left for our PD trip as we wanted to have lunch nearby home. We ordered our mains and Crispy Salad Maki (one of my fave food here) as a starter. The maki has crispy tempura bits with a bit of tuna and mayonnaise (I could be wrong about the ingredients but all I know is that it's yummy!).
What makes the food even lovelier are the various sizes of blue glass plates and bowls that have been designed by the owner themselves. I always leave this place feeling calm, dropping by to unwind during a tiring or hectic day.

Vegetarian vermicelli (bee hoon)

Chicken pasta in mushroom cream sauce

Hunger is the best sauce in the world. ~ Cervantes

Malacca - Part 1

My mom and I arrived in Ayer Keroh, Malacca at around 5.15pm last Sunday. After resting for awhile we decided to go into town for dinner. I had earlier surfed the internet and printed a few pages of recommended food to eat in Malacca. Armed with a printed road map, we bravely started our journey around 6 plus, not really knowing where to go! I had wanted to look for "satay celup" but seemed "lost" as I headed into town, not knowing which road I was on. Then a restaurant with a noticeable red signage and red lanterns caught my eye.
I had wanted to try the Chicken Rice Ball in Malacca but I could not find the recommended shop, so at this time of being lost and hungry, we settled for Restoran Famosa Chicken Rice Ball though it was not on my "list".
Pleasant and simple decor, the place looked clean and inviting enough. Of course, we ordered the usual meat with the rice balls. Not knowing the size, we were told, that we should order two portions (1 portion consists of 5 rice balls).
Apart from the novelty of it, mom and I found the rice ball rather bland and too soft and ended up ordering a plate of the normal chicken rice (which turned out to be tastier!). After dinner, we decided to head on back to Ayer Keroh as we wanted to get back while there is still daylight so that I can see the road signs better. Unfortunately, we "detoured" somewhere else and I ended up taking a longer way back to Ayer Keroh. Mom was just thankful that we got back! Ha ha....After cleaning up, we looked for things to do and decided to take out my playing cards and played a few games of fishing. I hooked up my iPod to my traveling speaker and the card session was enjoyable (though mom didn't think so as she kept losing to me!).
With only the few national channels available on TV, we settled on "Nujum Pak Belalang" starring the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee. The black and white movie brought back a lot of memories when life was so much simpler then. It made me chuckle, still!
After the show ended, I then decided to study the roap map further as I told mom that we should head into town earlier the next morning and eat the famous chili wantan noodles in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Hereen St.). Having found out that the Restoran Famosa's located at Jalan Bendahara from the receipt, I now used that as a focal point to move about Malacca town. Or at least that was my intention...we slept early that night.

To be continued...

HK Express, SS2 & My 2 New Blogs

Another food post today. Had dinner with Euro and KA the other night and since Euro had to drop by SS2 to pick up some stuff, we decided to eat around that area. Having eaten in HK Express before and found the food not bad, we decided to go there again.
For starters, we ordered the spicy salted squid (KCC looked for me the next day and wanted to eat lunch there again, this time we ordered the golden cup prawn. So, I will post the pic together with the dinner pictures). Both were tasty but I enjoyed the golden cup prawn better. The cup had some nata de coco together with an assortment of diced fruits and prawn. Topped with mayonnaise (one of my fave dressing! LOL!), it was delicious.
After pondering for awhile, I ordered the Mango Green Tea and Euro had the Peach Green Tea (forgot what KA ordered). I liked the drink, it was just refreshing.
When our food arrived, we tucked in and it was quite tasty. I had my HK style beef fried noodles, KA had HK style fish fillet fried noodles and Euro ordered the same meal she had before, Baked Cheese Spaghetti with Chicken Chop.
One of the staff there saw me taking photos and came up to me to ask if I wanted to take a picture of his dinner, Chicken Chop Burger in Yuen Long style. I was pleasantly surprised and took him up on his offer.
If one is looking for somewhere different from the usual busy Char Chan Teng, this is one place to consider. It's located at the same row, near to Chef Loong's.

Oh, by the way, I have started two new blogs today. One is to just showcase slides of my photos from Flickr (it's only a one entry blog, the updates will be loaded accordingly when I add my pictures to Flickr). It's called In Pictures (the link is also located at the side bar). As for the second blog, it's a photo blog where I will post my fave pics now and then. The pictures there might have been posted in here before. I decided on creating the other blog as to have an avenue to discuss about the picture itself. This one is called Visual Words (the link is also located at the side bar). So, feel free to drop by and leave some comments. I tell people that I'm only an amateur who just loves nice pictures.

One photo out of focus is a mistake, ten photo out of focus are an experimentation, one hundred photo out of focus are a style.
~ Author Unknown

Need A Break From A Break!

Just got back from Malacca today, had free lodging, courtesy of Czar. It's under Leisure Holidays, Paradise Malacca Village Resort in Ayer Keroh. The place is old and needs more maintenance. I'm appreciative nevertheless that Czar passed it on to me and mom when she and her family couldn't make it. It was also pretty quiet. It was a time for me to think about life, you know, those kinda moments we have now and then. Will blog about the trip soon. Jo has also told me to blog about the INXS concert that I attended last Friday as she wanted details and details of the concert. She had won two RM382 tickets but couldn't go as she had to go for training. She offered it for sale at a much cheaper price and I was the "customer".

Anyway, went to see Monster House tonight, courtesy of Jo and Sin Chew Jit Poh. I must say, it was rather enjoyable and engaging from the very beginning. I don't think kids below the age of 12 should go and see it though. Certain scenes can be quite scary. Well, if I was 8, I will definitely have problem sleeping tonight! LOL! Mmm....Seems to be getting things courtesy of others lately. I have not been working for almost 3 months since my eye operation. So God has been kind to me! :o) Mrs Pitt called and told me to get some rest as she knows that I've been pretty tired of late. Going to bed soon, meanwhile, here's a pic of something that I came across. Does this mean durian season is definitely here???

Mutated durian-DDD38, but obviously not good for consumption since it's been discarded!

Kafe Delectables, Tesco Mutiara Damansara

I had been deprived of sleep for awhile and when Euro called and woke me up from my nap, it was already 8.30pm! We were thinking of where to eat since it was quite late by the time she picked me up. I remembered this small shoplot in Tesco Mutiara Damansara called Delectables which faces The Curve (the walkway connection between Tesco and The Curve).
I've had recalled seeing it still opened pass 10pm during my trips to that area. This cafe serves food like nasi lemak, prawn mee, curry and clear soup noodles etc. etc. (along with other snacks like tong sui). Managed by a friendly mother and daughter team along with some hired help, this small place has eye catching colours though the interior deco was kept minimal. Sitting outside, we found it pleasant as it was a breezy night. We ordered a plate of har ko (prawn paste) chee cheong fun as a center plate (that is what we call food that are to be shared). The prawn paste sauce tasted adequate enough for me, whereas some folks might prefer a more overpowering taste of it.
When my dry curry kuay teow(flat noodles) arrived, it didn't look like dry curry as they were quite generous with the gravy. Euro had a taste of the thick curry gravy and agreed with me that it tasted good.
Euro's prawn meehoon came next and she enjoyed it too. By this time, we were already talking about how we were enjoying the food and saying that we would definitely come back to eat here again.
It was at this time, another group of people sat down and we overheard them ordering Rice Cakes (woon chye ko). Euro and I looked at each other as we both love rice cakes and we decided to order a set (2 Rice Cakes) after I asked and found out from the daughter that it was home made.
The rice cake was nice and soft (yet not too soft) and the toppings were tasty unlike some of the salty ones that I have eaten before. I actually felt quite at "home" eating here as the food tasted nice and home cooked. Furthermore, the prices are reasonable. We'll definitely be back!

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. ~ Mark Twain

Avillion, Port Dickson

After our Singapore trip, Mrs Pitt, Zahara and I went to Port Dickson and stayed in Avillion. Mrs Pitt had stayed in Avillion's water chalet when they first opened in 1999 (I could be wrong about the year). At that time, we managed to get a cheap intro rate for the water chalet at RM150/night. Fast forward 7 years later, the water chalet is going for 3 times the rate. Talk about inflation!

Anyway, Mrs Pitt wanted to have a quiet retreat in Avillion, knowing that there really wasn't much to do in Port Dickson itself. On arriving there, we checked into the room and stayed in till it was time for dinner. We ate at Crow's Nest, one of the few F&B outlets in Avillion. It's a two tiered restaurant and they had a 3 piece band performing light and easy tunes on the spiral staircase. By that time, we were so relaxed and if we were to relax any further, we'll be dead! LOL....
We then retired early as we really enjoyed staying in. The water chalet had a king size four post bed and another queen size bed by the window. It rained that night and I woke up to the sound of the loose wooden panel windows banging against the frame. The problem was rectified with stuffing some folded paper to ensure that I would not be awaken the next night.
We woke up around 8 am (though it was really hard to leave the comfortable bed!) and had breakfast in Village Court. The buffet spread consisted of nasi lemak, roti canai, sausages, hash brown, omelettes, porridge, fried noodles and the usual spread of salad and bread with different spreads. What did we do after that? We went back to the room and stayed in again. It was really hot outside and we had fun playing charades till about 6pm where Zahara went to the pool for a swim.
We then had our dinner and retired early again, checking out the next morning after our breakfast. Gosh, time sure flies! However, I did spend some time taking some photos of the place earlier, pretty much the only other thing I did do!
I took some night pics without a tripod, trying my best to keep still for up to 15 or 30 seconds. It's slightly blurry but it turned out quite okay considering that I had no tripod (by the way, went to PC Fair and got myself a tripod for RM19.90 - WoW2 said to be careful about the light tripod as the tripod might fall over easily!) The moon was out that night and it was just picture perfect. Sadly my pictures weren't. Ha ha ha ...
So, we really spent most of our time in the water chalet, not doing anything at all (except going out to eat). It was nice to just sort of really have some R&R, we need some vacations like that once in awhile.

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterward.
~ Spanish Proverb

Crippled...

First thing first, my handphone is crippled! The LCD has cracked due to my own carelessness. I can't see a thing as the display is gone. So to those of you who are expecting me to call you, please call me (I can't access the phonebook if I can't see anything, can I???) I'll try to see whether it can be fixed or worthwhile fixing, if not, I'll have to get a new handphone, but then the numbers will go missing (the ones stored in the phone itself, not on the SIM card). Mrs Pitt and Zahara have gone back to the States, it's quiet in the house. Things can't be any sadder at the moment.....hahaha...Seems that insanity is creeping in....Ha Ha Ha...

I'm gonna crawl into bed and get some sleep now so that time will pass by faster, the sadness will too...Don't worry, I'm never one to dwell in negative emotions for long. I'll be up and running around as usual in no time.

Goodnight!

I know they say "When life give you lemons, you make lemonade" but I prefer a dish of lemon chicken! - wmw

Before I forget or get tired ...

You can't make everyone happy but you can definitely make yourself happy. I had an encounter and a call today (both separate matters) that reminded me of this. Not that I don't try to make people happy. Believe me, I do try but then after a while, I either forget or just get tired. But no matter what happens, just be happy. Be thankful for what you have and grateful for what you have been given and love the life that you have.

Some no longer have a life to love, some are no longer around for us to be thankful or grateful for. There is only so much I can do but I guess I also need to remember at times, that I also need to try harder before I forget or get tired. Cos then, I can truly say "I have tried my best". Then it stops becoming "my" problem and starts becoming "others". This, you won't have to worry about as it's beyond your control. I'm off to bed now, another new day awaits (as a matter of fact, at this point of writing, another new day has already begun!).

Oh, this is JC's dog that's so cute, friendly and smart. He is truly a happy dog, well looked after and does whatever he pleases. If I did believe there is ever such a thing as reincarnation, I would like to come back as him. Ha ha ha....Good night!

One reason a dog can be such a comfort when you're feeling blue is that he doesn't try to find out why. ~ Author Unknown

One Noodle Restaurant, SS2 Petaling Jaya

Reaching Petaling Jaya from Singapore, we went to look for food to fill our tummies. Wanting to go somewhere nearby, we ended up in One Noodle Restaurant in SS2. I have been there several times since it opened about 2 months back (can't remember exactly when) and found that I prefer the Lai Mien (stretched noodles, translated literally!) here, which is better and cheaper than Dragon-I! However, I did notice that at both places, the soup is usually not hot enough (as in temperature). I wonder if the Lai Mien had been dipped into cold water and then only soup is added, thereby decreasing the temperature. On weekends, be prepared to wait as there is usually lots of people waiting for tables. At the waiting area, they have a LCD TV displaying pictures of their dim sum and noodles, and I figured that is a good marketing ploy. Usually by the time we get the table, we probably order more than we should after looking at all those delicious pictures! They have seats upstairs too but each time I'm there, that section is closed (maybe it's because they do not have enough staff to man upstairs too). Arriving there at around 9pm on a Thursday, the place was still full but we were fortunate that we got a table shortly after we stepped in.

I had been having the Teochew Beef Brisket Lai Mien on the last two occasions and wanted to try a different type and opted for Shredded Duck instead. It came with strips of char choy (pickled chinese radish) which made the soup yummy though I felt the Shredded Duck wasn't enough.
The Shrimp Wantan Lai Mien (RM8.80) came with 5 cute but big round shrimp wantans. Mrs Pitt loved this and said that the wantan was really nice. I'm not really a fan of shrimp but the shrimp wantans did look inviting.
Bro wanted to eat rice and something different and ended up with Hokkien Fried Rice. This version comes covered with gravy. It tasted good though I prefer my fried rice to be dry.
I had tasted some dim sum (didn't taste enough to form a solid opinion) which is okay but I will definitely come here for the Lai Mien again.

I only eat on two occasions, that's night and day! - wmw

Singapore - Part 2.5

On our last day in Singapore before we made our way back home to Petaling Jaya, we told ourselves that we should wake up a little bit earlier. While Zahara and I were the last two to clean up, Amy and Mrs Pitt went down to the mall and got us the famous Ya Kun kaya (jam made from coconuts and eggs) toasted bread with coffee too. I found the bread too thin and didn't have enough "oomph" to it while the coffee was nice. Mrs Pitt got two little bottles of Ya Kun's famous kaya for mom too. Got to remember to ask mom whether it's good.
Shortly after, we met up with the relatives for lunch at the Charlton Hotel. They had mentioned that the dim sum at Wah Lok Restaurant is quite good. When we reached there, the place was still empty as it was just before lunch hour but as lunch time approached, the place was filled. The restaurant had a nice ambiance and the high ceiling added to its grandeur.
The relatives ordered all sorts of dim sum and made sure we had a good meal. The dim sum here is okay but I still prefer the ones from Chynna. After lunch, Mrs Pitt whisked Zahara off the a Chinese chiropractor to treat Zahara's elbow. 8 weeks ago, Zahara had knocked her left elbow against a door knob and has been experiencing pain and discomfort since then. The chiropractor said the pain is more so as a result of her spine that was bent. He then "set" the spine back in place and miraculously, the pain in the elbow was reduced to a slight (to almost nothing) discomfort. Zahara now has to take it easy for it to fully heal.

Rushing back from the chiro, we checked out of The Stamford and made our way to the bus pick up point at The Waterfront Plaza at Havelock Road. We reached Menara Axis, Petaling Jaya at about 8.45pm where bro picked us all up. We were hungry again by that time and decided to head to One Noodle Restaurant in SS2 for some Lai Mien (stretched noodles!). Will write about that in a separate post. The Singapore trip was great though it was just for 3D/2N. Mrs Pitt, Zahara and I had another short getaway in store....

Recaps :-
Part 2
Part 1

No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one. ~ Elbert Hubbard

Singapore - Part 2

Having stayed up till 3.30am, it wasn't surprising that we woke up at about 10am. By the time we got ready, it was almost lunch time. Amy had already grabbed a bite while the rest of us cleaned up. So when the rest of us were ready, we headed towards....where else....MOS Burger for lunch! Ha ha ha......After that, we walked towards Bugis Junction and we were greeted with this at the entrance! But sadly, during our 2 hours at that place, we didn't see any guys that were "calendar" material. He he he...

It was a nice mall, looks "outdoor" but it's actually an indoor mall concept where it's aircon (our Petaling Street should be built this way!)







We then went in Seiyu and found another food haven. They were doing a promotion at this cute stall that sells Japanese Ice Cream. Apart from the usual Green Tea flavour, Uzumaki also had Black Sesame, Red Bean, Chocolate & Chips, Blueberry and Wasabi! I was tempted to taste how Wasabi ice cream tasted like but instead I chickened out and settled for my usual Green Tea. At SGD4 each (about the same price in Japan after conversion to Ringgit Malaysia), Uzumaki's Green Tea ice cream was as good as the ones in Japan! Yummy!
We then stumbled upon a busy stall selling all sorts of Chinese kuihs and snacks. To name a few that I know - carrot cake, yam cake and my all time favourite lo mai fan (glutinous rice). We bought the carrot cake after we tasted samples of it. It was really good and we also packed one tub of the lo mai fan too. It came with lap cheong (dried chinese sausage) and mushrooms! (which became my dinner as there was just too much food!). The stall had such a lot of food on display, it was a sight to behold!






In the evening we laze around the suite and I had picked up the usual hotel materials to look through. I was amused to come across their provision list. This hotel does think of "everything"! Click on the image on the left to see a larger image. Anyway, after a late night on Tuesday, we slept earlier on Wednesday. Furthermore, we had a dim sum lunch in store with the relatives the next day. Before I turned in for the night, I took the next shot and decided to take another close up shot of the orchid. I loved the way the shot turned out.


To Be Continued...