GINGZZ-DOODLE

Patchi?

2012-02-17T21:45:00.000+08:00

I have never heard of a chocolate brand called Patchi until today. The name sounded... unfamiliar and unconvincing, right? I started to wonder if they are really that good...

until I popped one into my mouth!

I have never tasted anything as delicious and wonderful as Patchi chocolate. One word to describe my feeling as it slowly melted in my mouth would be HEAVENLY...

I get to eat two types of Patchi - Royal (milk chocolate filled with gianduja and one whole hazelnut) and Coffret (milk chocolate filled with gianduja). I prefer Royal because of you-know-what... hihihi!

But the chocolate is way too expensive for us to order online and get delivered to Kuching all the way from the States. *Take mental note to survey the price in KL when I go there in May :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T00:00:00.000+08:00

To my readers: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

May you have a lovey-dovey, romantic Valentine's day this year.

I am very delighted that hubby bought me an expensive headband with a cute bow in black!

The cute headband is from Evita Peroni! I think it is called "Louisa Hair Band", that's the closest that I could find from their website :)

Oooo... today is our 1st Anniversary too. Hubby got me a stalk of pink rose. I told him that I want 5 stalks of roses, tied with 2 inches ribbon for the next V-day. Haha~

I also received a bar of Kit Kat from a colleague who was threatened by our lady boss to give us each chocolate :D

Ayam Penyet @ Pontianak Style

2012-02-01T22:22:00.000+08:00

You might be wondering what exactly is Pontianak style ayam penyet... Pontianak here referred to a part of Indonesia, which is located in the island of Borneo. So, I am not talking about ayam penyet with fangs.
Note: Ayam Penyet = Crispy Fried Chicken, Pontianak = Vampire

Ayam penyet is an Indonesian cuisine that is getting more and more popular in Malaysia and Brunei. Normally you get to choose between Ayam Penyet or Pecel Lele (crispy fried cat fish). I especially love the hot and spicy sambal (condiment), though seriously, hot and spicy stuff is not good for health.

There you go... Ayam Penyet Special at Wing On coffee shop in MJC @ RM5.50 (reasonably cheap considering the huge chicken breast meat).

But I almost fell down from the chair when they delivered two tiny fried prawn to my table. To be exact, two tiny fried prawn in a big basket lol!

Their Ayam Penget Special consists of a piece of huge fried chicken, a piece of fried prawn, fried tempeh (soybean cake) with slices of raw cucumber and cabbage. Too bad, the sambal was not up to my expectation.

Year of Happy Dragon

2012-01-30T20:27:00.000+08:00

H A P P Y - L U N A R - N E W - Y E A R 2012!!!

Coincidentally my birthday this year falls on the first day of CNY. Double celebrations, double happiness... But there was no romantic dinner with hubby. We went to my uncle's house for dinner instead.

The below are some of the cute and pretty red packets that I managed to collect this year :)

Astro's 乐龙龙

H&L's - each red packet was released on different date. To collect all, one will need to spend RM900, that is RM50 per red packet :S

DAP's Ubah!

Well... today is my first working day after a long break. I almost dragged myself to work this morning... haha! Can't wait for the next long holidays...

Early Celebration

2012-01-21T21:13:00.000+08:00

My family celebrated my birthday a couple of days earlier. Huhuhu... I'm turning 30 in two days time T_T

Trez bought me a cute "BEE" novelty cake from her friend. Do you notice the candle holder? Any idea what does it depicting? At first, I thought it was a tree trunk!

When I inserted 3 candles into the holes, it seemed like we were worshipping the BEE. Hahaha... (Note: The Chinese normally worships the Gods and their ancestors with 3 pieces of joysticks.)

Dad told us to take out the 2 candles immediately, and I also relocated the "tree trunk". Actually the "tree trunk" is a caterpillar :D LOL!

Trez cooked spaghetti bolognaise (thumbs up though a little salty). They also bought my favourite KFC hot and spicy chicken. Yum yummmmm!

My First M.A.C. Brushes

2012-01-08T17:00:00.000+08:00

I have been using the same ol' brush for almost half a decade now. The large brush (for face) started to leave some hair on my face everytime I applied the powder foundation. The small brush (for eyes) started to prick my eyelids when I tried to blend my concealer.

Thinking of replacing the brushes for quite long already. Since my birthday is approaching, requested hubby to buy me M.A.C. brushes for my 30th birthday present.

182 Buffer Brush RM165.00

228 Mini Shader Brush RM80.00

M.A.C. Brush Cleanser RM45.00

Hubby got them in November last year after I told him my birthday wish.

THANK YOU HUBBY!

2012 - An Inauspicious Year?

2012-01-05T16:42:00.000+08:00

Woke up at 5 something this morning to the sound of heavy downpour. Did not know such a heavy rain would caused many places in Kuching to be flooded. Received calls from colleagues at around 8 and we were told there were traffic jams everywhere. Lotsa updates in FB too.

I believe a lot of people who left home for work at around 6.30am only reached their workplace/destination at around 9.30am. Hubby and I remained at home until 9am. The traffic was slightly cleared then, but it still took me almost 1 hour to reach my office. Usually the journey is around 10-15 minutes.

Sadly, this morning's flash flood claimed two lives. The incident happened at the monsoon drain next to the Shell station in Rock Road. May their souls R.I.P. *sigh*

Whoa... this is a total loss...

According to DID's website, the rainfall has reached warning level. I am quite worry about next week from 8th to 16th and also during Chinese New Year, from 21st to 28th. King tide will be at the peak on the 12th and 24th. Hope it will not rain during that time...

Yesterday we were shocked by the news of a heartless murder case in Sibu. A family consists of an old woman, an adult and two children were murdered, while another child was badly injured. Only one escaped.

Suddenly the scratch on my car's bumper seems so minor. Yes, my car got scratched in the front bumper by a colleague on the first day of working - 03.01.2012. I know, I should not be complaining and be thankful for such a tiny issue as compared to all of the above...

*all of the above pictures were taken off the Internet and Facebook*

What a way to start 2012!

Famous Pork Leg Rice

2012-01-04T13:50:00.000+08:00

Pork leg rice for breakfast? Weird, eh? Normally I do not eat rice for breakfast but for the sake of the famous pork leg rice, I have to. All the while I have only heard about this pork leg rice but never had a chance to enjoy it. Hubby took me there during last holiday.

The business hour starts at 7.30am. During normal day, the rice sold out at around 11 - 11.30am. During holiday, nothing is left by 9.30am. Can you imagine how good is their business?!!

The coffee shop is in Padungan, directly opposite Spring Florist.

Nice food presentation :)

However... I did not think there is anything special about the pork leg rice nor the "sambal"... maybe it was still early, I was not fully awake to manage to taste the difference...

♥ Ribbonsss ♥

2012-01-03T11:24:00.000+08:00

My first post in the year 2012... wet year so far in Kuching :S

While waiting ~~to be assigned project~~ for the rain to stop... let me present some of my creations.

Chinese New Year themed headband for sis.

Sereni & Shentel inspired headbands... for me & a good friend.

Some flowers for my Bib Necklace Project.

There are more to come... and I'm also itching to learn crocheting and sewing this year. Glad there is YouTube to enable me to learn more :) I am also thinking to sign up for a sewing class. Will be a busy year for me! ;)

Bye 2011, Hello 2012

2011-12-31T18:10:00.000+08:00

2011 passed by in the blink of an eye. It has been a "crazy" year for me but I am glad with all those stuff I did...

♥ Welcoming 2011 (sick in bed) in Singapore.

♥ Got married.

♥ Cut my hair short (up to shoulder length).

♥ Visited Sichuan, China (Chengdu, Huang Long, Jiu Zhai).

♥ Visited Italy (Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice).

♥ Visited Austria (Innsbruck, Salzburg, Vienna).

♥ Visited the Neuschwanstein Castle.

♥ Bought a house which put me into debt for 40 years.

♥ Left technical team.

♥ Joined project services team.

♥ Started creative project (making hair accessories).

Well, I am off to FULLHOUSE for new year's eve gathering with hubby and friends...

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012!!! May the new year brings the world, you and me lotsa lucks, happiness, wealth and most importantly, GOOD HEALTH!

XOXO

Rock Road Seafood

2011-12-28T13:30:00.000+08:00

Had lunch at Rock Road Seafood recently. It was my first visit and I was surprise the place has a nice interior. All this while, I thought it was a normal seafood restaurant with no air-conditioner but it turned out to be a cozy restaurant :P

According to my colleagues that eat there frequently, the Prawn with Hainanese Style with Buns is the best. So, we ordered that and it was indeed a good one - the sauce and buns were real good! The dish is famously known as Satay Prawn. There is also crab version :D

Beancurd Dumpling Style *yummmm!*

Lohan Vegetarian *not bad*

Deep Fried Fish with Mango Sauce. We ordered Tilapia instead of Black Pompret or Grouper cause the later two were more expensive. Well, hope our boss knows that we did not slaughter him :P The Tilapia was very fresh. Better not order this if you cannot stand spicy food.

Baked Mussel with Sambal *not a fan of mussel*

A plate of watermelon and pomelo to end our year end lunch gathering.

The restaurant has a nice website and also an online menu with price. Do check it out!

Lastly, TQ Boss!

DAISY for Christmas

2011-12-25T00:12:00.000+08:00

M E R R Y . C H R I S T M A S !

Have you open your presents? I received only one this year but I am all excited about it. Hubby gave me a daisy.

It is Daisy Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs. Woot woot!

Now I have two Daisies :) *Heart* them so so much!

Have a nice holiday and remember to spend the last few days of 2011 to the fullest! HO HO HO...

1812

2011-12-18T23:30:00.000+08:00

I normally received lots of invitation cards towards year end. This year I am showered with gifts from hubby. I feel as if I am the luckiest person on earth!

First, our ROM anniversary gift - it was an angpao, used the money to get nice clothes for myself and him.

On this special day, hubby got me a LAMY pen.

Today I am presented with two LAMY CP 1 Steel series pens. Hubby allowed me to choose one.

I chose the Twin pen and the Tri pen is for him. The pen is elegant looking and provides very smooth writing.

Hmmm... I am sooooo looking forward to 2012 year end. Hehehe~

Going Nuts!

2011-12-07T13:30:00.000+08:00

Fell in love with this chocolate when I bought a couple of them in a 7-Eleven outlet in Singapore in 2009. Not sure if it is good, I grabbed them because of the word "Almond" on its golden wrapper :D Ya, ya... for the millionth times, I LOVE nutssss! I think one day I am going to go nuts~

Again I bumped into the same chocolate during my recent trip to KL... though expensive, I could not resist it and grabbed a pack of 3 for RM17++. I studied the wrapper and figured the chocolate is a product of New Zealand. Great!

Took picture of the wrapper and "whatsapp" my sister-in-law who is residing in NZ. She found the chocolate, bought a few packets of them and sent them back via a cousin. Woot Woot!

Although it is product of NZ, it is as expensive as everywhere: NZ, Singapore or Malaysia but can be very cheap during sales but this is applicable only in overseas.

She bought 5 packets of these...

and 2 packets of these (3 pcs/pkt)...

Yummy... I am soooooo gonna gain weight!

Note: A cousin said the choc can be found in the confectionery store in KIA.

Fullhouse Lifestyle Store & Café

2011-11-27T22:30:00.000+08:00

A beautiful and lovely eatery with Victorian-esque decoration has finally arrived in Kuching.

Yup, Fullhouse is here, finally!

I must say it is a nice place for young couples, families and friends gathering. Love the lovely ambiance and it is extremely nice for photography :)

Love this corner the most - window with flowers, in this case, white roses...

They do have a special room if you prefer to have your gatherings in private. However, there is only one room, and you gotta get your reservation done earlier to avoid disappointment. Note: The room can accommodate about 10 person.

Fullhouse is serving yummy-looking fusion delights. I tried the Fullhouse Club Sandwich RM13.90 and hubby had the Tony's Teriyaki Chicken Burger RM17.90. They were yummy! Gotta try their Wok-Sear Chicken Chop RM16.90 on my next visit.

They also have tiny cakes for little friends and those who are not on diet :) According to the description on Fullhouse's FB, almost everything in their shop is for sale, I guess I will ask for one of the clock on that wall :D

By the way, Fullhouse has also their own clothing and fashion accessories. They are all for sale. Haven't really browse through their items, but they are mostly grey and black and white.

Fullhouse Business Hour at The Hills Shopping Mall.

Knowing Me More

2011-11-24T21:00:00.000+08:00

He knows me more and more each day.
He bought me purple hairband.

I like it much! Thank you Hubby!

Note: The hairband is from Heart Attack, Mid Valley.

FOX's Crinkles

2011-11-07T11:38:00.000+08:00

Tada... introducing the ever so delicious chocolate cookies by Fox's. It is the Crinkles.

I was introduced to this cookie while working on a project in Brunei. In Brunei, Crinkles are only available in SupaSave but not all outlets have it. Could only find it in Mabohai outlet, very limited stock and always gone out of stock. Totally no hope to get this in Kuching T_T

It has been years since I last had Crinkles. I was so delighted when I finally found them in Cold Storage, Mid Valley. Yummy yummy~ It is RM12.99 in Malaysia - very expensive right? I could not help it, bought a pack and limit myself to only 1 piece per day. It is FATTENING, okay!!! I do not want to gain anymore weight because of Crinkles :P

The super yummy Crinkles are made of real rich milk chocolate *drools*

I feel sorry to those nut allergy sufferers out there. This product is not suitable for you :(

A piece of Crinkles for my audience! The chocolate and cookie will melt as you pop them into your mouth - you gotta have a big mouth in order to do that at once! :P

CAUTION: I'd put on so much weight when I took a lot of these during my time in Brunei :P

Xiao Long Bao

2011-11-06T23:45:00.000+08:00

Well, to me a KL trip will be incomplete without makan-makan at Din Tai Fung...

It is all right if you do not order many dishes, but Xiao Long Bao is a MUST!

Also a MUST is the Shrimp Fried Rice.

I suddenly feel hungry just thinking about them...

Sakae Sushi

2011-11-06T23:30:00.000+08:00

People have been raving about their salmon especially over the advertisement on OneFM. Feel happy that I finally get to makan at Sakae Sushi Restaurant.

Went to the one in Fahrenheit 88. The place was full but we need not queue that long to get a place for 2 pax.

Salmon Mayo Gunkan RM3.99

Royal Salmon Crown RM11.80 *thumbs up*

Salmon Yaki Ball RM9.80 *made from rice and chunks of salmon*

Hubby's favourite: Chuka Idako RM7.99

Ordered lots of salmon sushi because salmon is featured in ~~Sakai~~ Sakae's Monthly Special. Their salmon is very fresh indeed!

Don't forget to visit their website/FB to get more information.

Beef Balls !

2011-11-06T23:20:00.000+08:00

Hihihi... must not miss the Soong Kee beef balls soup! I am being smart this time, ordered beef balls soup without the noodle. Pricewise, 10 pieces of beef balls are very expensive. The price is about the same as 6 pieces of beef balls + noodle. I like the beef balls very much so the price did not bother me.

Guess what, I also managed to grab a piece of Portugese egg tart from the pastry stall. Wanted to buy the yummy "cheese mushroom chicken siew pao", but they were not ready yet. The Portugese egg tart was SUPERB!

Tony Roma's Mid Valley

2011-11-05T23:30:00.000+08:00

First of all, Happy Anniversary to us, though the actual date was yesterday! We celebrated our anniversary in KL this year. Had dinner at Tony Roma's for the first time.

Not sure what is good there, we ordered Filet Medallions & Ribs Combo - Two perfectly prepared filet medallions topped with Cabernet demi-glace *thumb up*, paired with our choice of one entree. Served with loaded mashed potatoes and a fresh vegetable. (from Tony Roma's website)

Filet Medallions + Freshly Grilled Salmon for hubby.

Filet Medallions + Bountiful Beef Ribs for me.

We wanted to utilize hubby's Standard Chartered credit card to get 15% off our total bill, unfortunately the promotion is applicable for weekdays only :(

Anyway, we were happy and we have enjoyed the food but be aware, their food portion are huge!!!

Kolo Mee Behind Hock Lee

2011-11-05T11:30:00.000+08:00

Some friend introduced us to this coffee shop not long ago. I forgot the coffee shop's name! But the shop could be easily located... it is a corner shop behind Hock Lee Centre, right next to Popular Vegetarian Restaurant.

This is the taukenio that make the nice kolo mee.

I ate kolo meehoon on our second visit. Kolo mee is better~

Hubby ordered kolo mee again.

You might notice, they actually added a generous amount of char siew in each bowl. Yes they do and their char siew is good, that is why I *heart* them!

The place has lots of parking space, it is very convenient for everyone. Also, the coffee shop is spacious but beware of birds droppings if you sit outside.

Well, I strongly recommend the place for your kolo mee intake :)

Yamisu Tea House

2011-10-29T16:43:00.002+08:00

Never know they have very nice portugese egg tart, especially the crust. It costs RM2.50 per piece.

Unfortunately the other dim-sums are not good (not to my likings).

Had my lunch there once, the watermelon juice was superb! They also served huge portion fried rice and fried noodle. Hope they still maintain it... :)

Location: Premier 101, Kuching

Biggest Flower On Earth

2011-10-22T17:12:00.000+08:00

Today is the first time I saw a Rafflesia and its buds. I was expecting to see large rafflesia, at least over 3 feet in diameter but the one that I saw in Gunung Gading National Park, Lundu is only around 1.5 feet or so in diameter, very much to my disappointment.

I KNOW... I should feel grateful that I have finally seen one! In fact, I really do feel grateful :)

Also, there is no strong rotten-meat smell as have been decribed over the books, TV and Internet. The stinky odour was very faint but there were lotsa flies and insects flying around and trapped inside the rafflesia. I was wondering, could it be my insensitive nostril? No, hubby confirmed that my nostril was normal.

These are rafflesia's buds. Don't you think they resemble old coconuts? The bud will take about a year to bloom.

The image above showed the lifecycle of the rafflesia.

Everyone has been saying that the rafflesias are near extinction, I hope the future generations are still able to see them, not in pictures, but in real...

Kolo Mee at Old Cathay Cinema

2011-10-16T17:15:00.004+08:00

Hubby has been a HUGE fan of kolo mee. Could not imagine his life without me kolo mee! He will surely have kolo mee on the following morning everytime returning from any outstation trip.

Been hearing people talking about this coffee shop for a while now. When we asked around, majority of them recommended the "char siew" while some recommended the "kueh tiaw tng".

Hit the place on one Saturday morning. At first we wanted to order "kueh tiaw tng", but later changed our mind and ordered kolo mee instead. Reason being, the shop was full and everyone ordered kolo mee, so I guess we should follow the crowd. Furthermore... kolo mee is hubby's favourite.

The kolo mee was good, but the "char siew" were finger-lickin'-good!

Oriental Park Coffee Shop is located next to the old Cathay Cinema in Kuching. The cinema had already been closed down and the building was abandoned for decades now.

Post Box Themed Stamps

2011-10-15T16:30:00.000+08:00

The Post Box themed stamps was issued on 10-Oct-2011 by POS Malaysia. Bought plenty of stamp sheets and stamp booklets. I also subscribed to the First Day Cover which I will receive soon via POS Malaysia HQ.

Stamp Booklet RM6.00 - this is the second self-adhesive stamp by POS Malaysia.

The first one were the Upin & Ipin series in 2010. Bought a lot of them but I have used up all, except for these last few. Self-adhesive stamps are very convenient, I do not need ~~saliva/~~water/glue before sticking them onto postcard/envelope.

Stamp Sheet RM20.00 - kinda classy with the post box on the stamps being embossed.

I *heart* the RED colour on the stamps! RED is bold and elegant, don't you think so? :)

Appétit Cupcake

2011-10-10T14:42:00.000+08:00

"A bite for every occasion" is a quote that they live up to. They really do, Appétit did the novelty cake and cupcakes for my wedding banquet early this year. All my guests liked the cupcakes very much! I also ordered a novelty cake from Appétit for my friend's birthday in 2009. The cakes were all very well done. Orders and discussions were done through FB, phone calls, emails and meet ups.

Appétit now has an outlet in The Hills, Kuching. Yippee, there will be delicious ready-made cupcakes whenever I crave for them - like today for instance! Hubby brought me to The Hills during lunchtime so that I could grab the new Snickers Cupcake. Hihihi ^^

Bought these two:

Snickers Cupcake RM3.50

Vanilla Cheese Cupcake RM3.50

The cupcakes are very good *yum yum*. Hoping to grab a piece or two of the pavlovas someday!

Escapade Sushi Again!

2011-10-08T21:30:00.000+08:00

I know, I know, I had written about Escapade Sushi in 2008... What should I do? I am still loving it! Haha~

Had been craving for the oh-so-fresh salmon for a long time already. The last time I had them was May last year (if I remembered correctly).

We left Miri at 12 noon, we were scared we could not reach Kuala Belait (KB) on time. It was weekend, the Customs might be jam-packed and Escapade Sushi would be closed for break between lunch and dinner at around 2.30 pm.

We managed to reach the famous Japanese restaurant at 1.30 pm and found out that they had changed their operating hours to 11 am till 10 pm daily. Yippee, more time for sushi indulgence! Note: The operating hours apply to the KB branch only. The operating hours at every branches are different.

We ordered quite a lot of food... you know how people tend to order a lot when they are famished :P

Here you go, my all time favourite: Mini Salmon Mayo BND 3.80! (although the name has "mini" in it, the size is many times bigger than the ones served by Sushi King)

Here is hubby's favourite: Grilled Salmon Fish Head (Large) BND 5.50.

We ordered 2 sets. Told ya, we were famished! :P

The yummy Ebiko BND 3.00!

Escapade Sushi's new dish: Gamo MizoSukeyaki BND 10.50. Kinda expensive, I did not really like it, but hubby enjoyed it. This is duck meat anyway.

Again, hubby's favourite baby octopus (Idako BND 3.00). Presentation wise, I think Sushi King's one looks better :P

I like this one too - the Una Hama Maki BND 3.80.

Despise all the dishes, a teenage nephew was still feeling hungry, he ordered this (Tori Katsu Don BND 8.00)... and he could not finish it. The portion was huge!

And... we paid only BND 91.80 for all the food that we had ordered. Do not convert them to RM and imagine that you are earning BND/SGD... this is way too cheapo!

Coconut Pudding

2011-10-07T23:06:00.000+08:00

Ever since a colleague introduced the Eden coconut pudding to hubby during his trip to Miri last year, he had been raving about how good it is, making me wanted so much to try it out... We went to Miri for a cousin's wedding, and I finally had a chance to taste the coconut pudding.

Here is a picture of Eden coconut pudding. According to hubby's "Uncle Big Mushroom", he had the same thing in Thailand many years back. Only we do not have it in Kuching :P

To me, the coconut pudding seems a little expensive, I did not think the pudding is made of 100% coconut juice. I believe they are just using the coconut shell, 30% coconut juice and additional flavouring. It tasted so-so.

The prices vary, depending on the size of coconut shell. The image above showed a huge coconut pudding (RM7.50), which is ideal for 2-3 person.

The coconut pudding can be obtained from a shop called Eden, located at Saberkas, Miri (somewhere near the Pasar Malam).

SUBWAY® in Kuching!

2011-10-02T15:35:00.004+08:00

Many times I craved for sandwiches with hams, fresh vegetables and condiments of my choice... I wished we have SUBWAY® Restaurant in Kuching! I will be satisfied with only one outlet. Praying hard so that one of those rich tauke in Kuching will get SUBWAY® franchise and we will have SUBWAY® in Kuching then! *omi-omi-omi*

Another alternative to fulfill my cravings is to go to Hi-Bread which is located in Petanak area (somewhere near T1, facing the main road).

Their buns are fresh and soft.

Yum yum, nice sausage too~

Besides sandwiches and burgers, they offer a wide variety of buns and pastries. I have never tried those, but I noticed many people purchased (tapao-ed) them, LOTSA them, I might add.

Hmmm... I guess I will have to give them a try one day... ;)

Heavily Loaded Masterpiece

2011-10-01T21:44:00.000+08:00

On the poster, the pizza looks good and tempting right? Also stated in the poster is that the pizza will consist of mouthwatering ingredients, but we could only choose between chicken or beef toppings.

I am somehow disappointed with the real pizza. Kinda dry and hard. I would still prefer traditional pizzas served by Bella Italia and Flinders...

Ah Hui Laksa

2011-09-22T20:00:00.000+08:00

For breakfast today, hubby and I opted for laksa as we haven't had laksa for a while now. As you may already know, laksa contributes to bad cholesterol in our body which will affect our health, so laksa is not to be taken too often.

We decided on Ah Hui Laksa today since it is nearer to our home. Ah Hui Laksa is yummy, though the serving is small. The price ranging from RM4.00 for normal serving and RM5.00 for special serving.

The laksa stall is located at Fu Xiang Food Centre, a corner coffee shop in Rubber Road, Satok. The coffee shop is right next to Ing Insurance building.

Here are what we have enjoyed eating this morning:

Mine special edition laksa - without beansprouts and prawns.

Hubby's special edition laksa - with lotsa big fresh crunchy prawns.

Yum, yum, tummy is satisfied with the laksa!

Bintawa Kueh Chap

2011-09-17T21:27:00.005+08:00

Had the well-known Bintawa kueh chap for supper today.

Finally got a chance to support them at their new outlet in Jalan Keranji, Tabuan Jaya. *previously they were home-based in Bintawa*

The used-to-be-yummy kueh chap turned out so-so only. The soup was kind of diluted. Probably it was late and they ran out of soup so they added some water (?) Hmmm...

Anyway, they are opened daily from 4.30pm until around 10.30pm (depending on the business of the day).

Rojak Kucei @ Batu Lintang

2011-09-15T21:00:00.000+08:00

I guess only Kuchingites know what Rojak Kucei is. Well, it is a special rojak by the founder named Kucei. The "makan place" is located behind Batu Lintang seafood centre.

The rojak does not seem appealing on the image above, don't you think? *take mental note to take better photo when I go there again*

In real, the rojak is nice. A plate of Rojak Kucei consists of a piece of roasted chicken, two pieces of vegetable fritters, beansprouts and fried beancurds soaked in nice gravy.

Yum yum, but the rojak finished real fast, need to be there early - for a place to sit and a plate of rojak to eat.

Updated on 03/12/2011

As promised: Here's a less disgusting version :P

Tebakang Big-Head Prawn

2011-08-27T20:00:00.000+08:00

A group of us colleagues and family went to Tebakang today for the long-awaited big-head prawn meal.

Have you heard of Tebakang? Tebakang is a small village in Serian district, about an hour drive from Kuching. There are only two rows of wooden shophouses in the village.

Opposite the shophouses is a river, where in certain part is dwelling place of the crocodiles - that is according to a local who joined us. The river is surprisingly shallow and clear today. In my previous visits, I saw rapids and "Teh C"! Anyway, the big-head prawns and "Soon Hock" fish are from here :D

The shop that we went is called Jit Hin. Have to make bookings in advance should you want to eat the big-head prawns.

There you go - the big-head prawns were covered in yummilicious sauce! The sauce is very good that I could eat white rice with only that. Not too sure if it is tomato sauce with chilies and onions or some other ingredients.

The BIG-HEAD PRAWN on my plate, it was as huge as my palm. Too bad, I only ate the body/tail, which was a small portion. Never like the big head as it tasted weird.

As usual, we also ordered the "Soon Hock" fish. Sometimes it is called Betutu/Tutu - yup, the fish has many names. Before this, the "Soon Hocks" that they served were good and fresh. The one that we had today was so-so, I did not think the fish was that fresh. Another place to enjoy good "Soon Hock" is Bekenu, Miri.

Besides the above, we ordered belacan bidin, kampong chicken in soy sauce and wild boar in soy sauce. They were just so-so, am not going to elaborate more here.

In addition, there are double celebrations coming up next week. Gonna take this opportunity to wish "SELAMAT HARI RAYA" to our Muslim friends and "HAPPY NATIONAL DAY" to all Malaysians!.

Heartstrings

2011-08-24T21:10:00.003+08:00

It has been a while since I last watched any Korean series. Recently I was hooked on a Korean drama called Heartstrings, starred by Park Shin Hye and Jung Yong Hwa.

The drama made me think of how nice it is to be young once again... *sigh* Suddenly I missed being young and the life when there were no commitments at all...

To youngsters out there, remember to treasure and live your young life happily.

Simplicious Restaurant & Lounge

2011-07-24T20:30:00.006+08:00

Haven't been dining in a restaurant for a while now. We chose Simplicious Restaurant & Lounge, which is located in Pisang Road (near our place). The place is cool, great for parties!

Nice water feature, but high maintenance too!

Wow, I love their display "cabinet" which is embedded onto the wall. Kinda expensive to have the same one at home, though.

As usual, hubby ordered steak. It tasted ok, but not to the "straight to heaven" standard yet.

I ordered fettuccine but they served spaghetti. Kinda unsatisfied with the guy who took the order, but I did not complain since I was too hungry.

"Fine Western Food. No MSG added. Friendly Service. Spacious Avenue." - a line taken from their page on FB.

GODIVA Chocolatier

2011-06-14T22:30:00.000+08:00

Guess what...

At last I have the courage to buy GODIVA chocolate!

Only six pieces. Could not afford more, the chocolate is too expensive :P

Purposely selected those with lotsa nuts *ahem-ahem*

One bite, and you are straight to heaven! Gotta try their truffles next...

Well, here is a brief history of GODIVA Chocolatier.

The creator of GODIVA Chocolatier is a Belgian master chocolatier named Joseph Draps. GODIVA Chocolatier was founded in 1926 and named after the legendary Lady Godiva. *from online source*

The Legend of Lady Godiva
When Lady Godiva (wife of Lord Leofric) protested against the taxation of his subjects, a deal was struck : Lady Godiva would ride through the streets of Coventry naked, and if the citizens remained in shuttered buildings, their tax burden would be lifted. The following morning she made her famous ride, the citizens graciously stayed inside and Lord Leofric kept his word and reduced the taxes. Lady Godiva won the hearts of many and her legend has continued to deepen throughout the centuries. Nowhere is her passion, purity, sensuality, style and boldness more symbolised than in a tantalising box of Godiva chocolates which in turn are sure to win the hearts of all those who taste them. *from the chocolate box*

If you notice, the logo of GODIVA Chocolatier is a lady riding on a horse ;)

Mozart Chocolate Balls

2011-06-10T23:00:00.000+08:00

We were introduced to Mozart chocolate when we visited Mozart's birthplace in Getreidegasse, Salzburg. I bought the chocolate balls. There were two types as shown below:

The very fine, genuine Mozart Chocolate Balls from Fürst. They are genuine because the chocolates are produced manually using the original techniques.

Mirabell Mozart Chocolate Balls, which could be obtained almost everywhere.

That's the inside - a ball of green pistachio marzipan covered in a layer of nougat followed by dark chocolate coating.

Honestly speaking, I could not exactly tell what is the difference between the two chocolates... besides the price and size of course :D

Sacher Chocolate Cake

2011-06-10T22:40:00.001+08:00

The world famous Original Sacher - Torte mit Schlagobers. 4.90 Euros/piece. It is cheaper than having Secret Recipe's cake in Malaysia! *dollar-to-dollar compasion*

This yummy chocolate cake from Sacher Cafe is a MUST TRY when you go to Vienna (provided if you like chocolate cake). The locals recommended it and it is also listed in the must-do-list that hubby downloaded off the Internet.

Inside Sacher Cafe - the cafe is having contemporary interior style.

The cafe/hotel is very easy to locate - a corner lot located directly behind Vienna State Opera.

You can opt to sit indoor or outdoor. The cafe was packed when I was there, we had to sit outdoor. I enjoyed it~

Now I can say I'd been there! Ha-ha~

Famous Vienna Coffee

2011-06-10T22:30:00.000+08:00

A nice nice cup of coffee...

at Cafe Leopold Hawelka on a wonderful afternoon.

Austrian Countryside

2011-06-08T23:30:00.000+08:00

Apologize for a slanting view. It was difficult to get good shot on a moving bus and the reflections on the bus window was very annoying as well.

Dear Hubby,
Can we move to Austria when we retire? It would be better if we could live there starting now...
Yours truly ♥

German Sausage

2011-06-08T23:00:00.000+08:00

I was very very thrill and excited when we were allowed to grab something to eat after the visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany. As you may already know, I am a sausage-lover plus German sausages are famous around the globe, how could I not have them when I am already in Germany?!!

I opted for Sausage Bun.

Hubby ordered Pork Burger.

A glass of beer to go with the sausages and buns. Not sure if this is really the Kaltenberg beer. To me, it tasted like ordinary beer :P

When we finished our buns, then only we realized we ordered the wrong type of sausage. Hubby and two other uncles went to order a set of this each. I LOVE THE SAUSAGE!!!

By the way, sausage is more commonly known as würste/wurst in Germany. Yummmmmm...

I Heart VENICE

2011-06-07T23:30:00.000+08:00

I bet everyone know where was this photo taken?

Yup, it was taken in the city of romance, VENICE. I am truly in love with the place.

Simple Life

2011-06-02T21:38:00.000+08:00

Do you wish to lead a simple life or would you prefer a luxurious but complicated life? Well, whatever it is, there is a new vegetarian eatery located in Sunway Pyramid called Simple Life. Great for vegetarians and health conscious peeps.

They are quite new, can't say much about the way they manage the customers and their orders. The staffs were nice but kind of inexperience.

Was there with Piu Piu and little nephew. We ordered a few dishes and a drink. Didn't order much because we weren't sure if the little guy would stay still long enough for us to finish all the food if we ordered too much.

Apple + Carrot + Tomato + Honey drink - RM7.90

Seaweed Fried Rice - RM11.90 The little guy liked this a lot. The portion was huge, the 3 of us shared the rice.

Golden Mango Roll - RM8.90 Mango... my favourite! But it turned out not as I'd imagined it to be.

Vegetarian Popcorn - RM7.90 Again, the little guy's favourite. He couldn't had enough of these!

Lot 10 Hutong

2011-05-30T23:30:00.000+08:00

Hubby and I must have love this place a lot... can you imagine going there twice in one day? Yes, we did! Took our lunch and dinner in Lot 10 Hutong today. Hihi ^^

In the noon, I had Soong Kee Beef Noodle (yummy beef balls!) while hubby had roasted duck rice.

Actually the beef balls were all I am after. I did not really like the noodle :P

The roasted duck rice seems ordinary but hubby loved it.

In the evening, we opted for western delights at Bistro Bavaria.

While waited for our food, I bought a piece of nice egg tart. Still no luck buying the Portuguese egg tart.

Finally... my mixed sausage, could not tell which is which... but they were all finger-lickin' good.

Hubby's grilled lamb chop.

Besides Lot 10 Hutong, we also had tea break in Din Tai Fung. Hihihihihi ^^

Sunny Hill Ice Cream

2011-05-21T15:08:00.000+08:00

Hubby brought these home on one hot afternoon. How thoughtful of him!

Our lunch on that day :D

Sichuan Pepper

2011-05-19T16:28:00.003+08:00

Easily found in whatever you eat and wherever you go in Sichuan!

The incredible hua jiao!

Its smell and how it affects my mouth, tongue and taste bud is unforgettable. Haha~

Lucky Encounter

2011-04-21T22:37:00.006+08:00

The 4th day of training. We were lucky that it rained in the morning so we do not have to walk to class today. Yippee!

We learned about Multicast and IGMP today, supposed to be an interesting one, but it wasn't a fruitful session. Could be that we were not used to the trainer's teaching method. Anyway, I am glad it was over. We will have a better trainer for tomorrow's lesson.

Our training session ended at 5:30pm today. There was a basketball match between international trainees and trainers from MAIPU. It was fun and some of them were hilarious. Can't help laughing at them! Each of us took turns to shoot the ball. I did three times but the ball did not even reach the board, haha!

However, our team, which comprised of Malaysian and Nepalese won the game. We did not score at first but we managed to catch up in the second half. Watermelon scored 4 points for us, hurray!

We were presented gifts by MAIPU President. We took a group photo and it was funny how she kept ruffling my hair excitedly (I was squatting in front of her).

Tada... it was spoon and chopstick set :)

I was overjoyed throughout the games and I did not realize my iPhone was not with me. It was when we were halfway back to the hotel then I realized my phone was missing. We rushed back to MAIPU to search for it. "Oh, no! Please, I need to get my phone back", my heart was screaming. We searched hi and lo, but couldn't locate it. I was pretty sure that I left it in the washroom before the game was started. Mr. Egg helped too and assured me that no one in MAIPU will steal the phone, whoever found it will return the phone tomorrow. Hearing that, I felt relieved and we started walking back to the hotel again.

Coffee Queen, who did not give up that easily, called my phone again and again. Suddenly a lady picked up the phone. The founder identified herself as Little Lamb and said will pass the phone to Mr. Egg by tomorrow morning. I am very happy and I respect the employees of MAIPU. They are helpful, honest and trustful. Way to go, MAIPU!

Spring Time

2011-04-12T20:25:00.003+08:00

The beginning of spring and I start receiving beautiful spring postcards. Love them all. Received two lovely postcards today, one from The Netherlands and the other one is from Estonia.

Dutch Tulips from Hanneke, The Netherlands

Purple-themed flowers from Anna, Estonia

Lovely!

Cakes by Appétit

2011-02-16T14:00:00.000+08:00

In the end, hubby and I decided to give each of our guests a cupcake as a "thank you" gift. We also ordered a small chocolate cake for cake-cutting and wedding after-indulgence - hihihi!

First of all, a novelty cake for me and family. The cake is very cute and consists of hubby and I, and luggages for our many many vacations in future :)

500 pieces of cupcakes for my guests. I ordered three flavours: chocolate, vanilla and pandan.

Half were on display (7 layers of them) while the other half were sitting in the kitchen waiting to be served.

All the above are designed, produced and delivered by Appetit.

Chai Kueh

2010-12-09T20:27:00.002+08:00

Have you tried papaya chai kueh before? It is so crunchy that you wouldn't know that it is actually papaya! ;)

RJ Ayam Penget Kopitiam

2010-12-05T00:18:00.007+08:00

Raja Ayam Penget Kopitiam. Operating from 5pm to 2am. According to the waiter, the shop is full even after midnight! What a pity they only operate in the evening. But they might operate their shop during daytime starting year twenty eleven. Yippee!

Raja Ayam Penget

Super hot and spicy 'sambal'. I am loving it!

Besides ayam penget, they have the crunchy pecel lele too... *drools*

Scrumptious Fried Rice

2010-12-04T17:30:00.006+08:00

Jalan-jalan cari makan with Piu Piu today. We rarely eat lunch over weekend but today Piu Piu said he was hungry. I doubt he even ate breakfast this morning. Hmmm....

Decided to makan (eat) in Kong Tung Cafe, an eatery that I have never been to all my life :P The shop is located at Ang Cheng Ho, very near to Da Wan Kung.

We ordered their oh-so-famous fried rice set. I like the boneless fried chicken wing very much. Deep fried prawn skewer and sweet dark sauce pork that tasted similar to bak-poh are simply divine. Yum yum!!! However, marks are deducted when chunks of salted fish found in the fried rice. Some might like it, some fussy ones might not :P

The eatery also serves freshly brewed sweet potato, green bean, red bean and soya bean drink. These drinks are good to remove heat from body, especially after a complete "deep fried" meal. Piu Piu highly recommends the sweet potato drink.

Char Siew Pao

2010-11-28T13:30:00.004+08:00

My breakfast at Lot 10 Hutong yesterday morning. The char siew pao and egg tart are just so-so. They do have portugese egg tart but they were in the oven, not ready to be served yet. The cheese mushroom chicken siew pao is a MUST TRY!

Wanted to try the popiah too, but I was blinded when I walked pass the stall. Believe it or not? I did not notice the stall at all!!!

Was so tempted to order the delicious Soong Kee beef ball soup again, but I need to try other foodie goodie right? Huhuhu, will surely missed the bouncy beef balls to the max! :(

Bye-bye KL for now...

Just In Time

2010-11-27T21:58:00.000+08:00

Didn't know MAS Airlines was going to give out free Häagen-Dazs ice-cream but I happened to have additional bits to add to the plain vanilla ice-cream.

TADA!

My version of yummilicious Raspberry Vanilla Ice-Cream.

Do I have sixth sense? Bought the raspberries at Pavillion yesterday. Didn't finish them because there were not sweet at all. Thought the raspberries will go well with ice-cream. I was thrilled when the air-stewardess gave them out in the plane.

Most of the time, ice-creams were given out during delayed flight, but I have no idea the reason for this one. I enjoyed the free ice-cream, though.

Madam Kwan's

2010-11-23T22:55:00.001+08:00

Had dinner at Madam Kwan's in Pavilion tonight.

Must try - Fried Kueh Tiaw.

Madam Kwan's specialty - Nasi Lemak. The chicken is good, tender and juicy... yum yum! Note: Do not take too much nasi lemak, though. The coconut milk rice caused sleepiness.

Madam Kwan's food can be expensive, but the food is worth the money you paid for and large portion too *wink*

Sunflower Postcard

2010-11-18T22:41:00.003+08:00

Received a sunny postcard on a rainy day... lovely one from Marjatta (Finland). Thanks a bunch!

Sunny Sunflower

Lui Cha

2010-11-15T22:12:00.008+08:00

Lui Cha is one of Hakka dishes that consists of grinded herbs/leaves broth, stir-fried chopped vegetables and roasted peanuts eaten with rice. Most Hakkas like lui cha a lot. Most non-Hakkas find lui cha unappealing, especially the green bitterish broth.

There is one eatery in Kuching that sells not-so-bitter lui cha. The eatery is a corner house located at Jalan Pisang Barat, Kuching. Even Ah Xian from Taste with Jason flew all the way to Kuching to try it out. They operated from 10am - 2pm only. Opened daily except on Sunday.

See, they have Ah Xian's banner hung on one of the wall. Prior to Ah Xian's visit, the owner changed the tables and chairs, and repainted the home-based eatery. The place is very good looking now.

The little girl knows just how to pose in front of the camera. Must be so used to it since this place has become so popular.

Ta-da... the green bitterish broth! A non-Hakka colleague put this aside when we brought him there for lunch.

To eat them, you will need to pour the broth into the rice. Mix them well and chomp chomp chomp.

By the way, lui cha helps improve health if taken daily (only if it is home-cooked). You gotta have a real good blender to ~~blend~~ grind the herbs and leaves. In the olden days, they manually grind the herbs and leaves using mortar & pestle. We are being lucky to be born in a modern world!

Oh, there is a stall in one of Pending food court that also serves authentic lui cha. *I like that one better*

Da Wan Kung

2010-11-14T22:57:00.005+08:00

Sis has been talking non-stop about this place and highly recommends the Fried Chicken Noodle. Located at Ang Cheng Ho, the shoplot is directly opposite Dewan Masyarakat.

Alright, gave it a try this morning. They have only three items on their menu -
(1) Fried Chicken Noodle
(2) Pork Chop Noodle
(3) Fried Sauce Noodle (Zha Jiang Mian)

I would say the Fried Chicken Noodle is good, except it is a little on the salty side :P

Bought Zha Jiang Mian for sis. She did not like it. She said the sauce reminded her of tofu. Hah!

Should try Pork Chop Noodle next. It is already sold out when I tried to order...

Every Bread

2010-11-05T22:23:00.003+08:00

... is a bakery cum cafe kinda outlet in Kuching. Just recently opened. Located at Chan Chin Ann Road (@ the shoplot behind Pizza Hut). Selling the most delicate and beautiful pastries. That includes macaroon, one of the French's baked confections.

Have been wanting to try this. Bought a pack although a bit expensive. RM8.50 for six pieces.

It is really sweet. Don't really like the strawberry jam filling. Wish I could try Ladurée's someday!

Trio Berry Cake. Looks robotic. Not to my liking. RM6.90 per piece. Whole cake cost around RM40 something.

Named Eclair. Don't ask me why. Yummy looking. Not peanut butter filling. RM1.90 per piece.

*Updated on 10/11/2011 The shop did not survive and had closed down for quite some time now*

Bishopsgate Noodle

2010-10-17T23:19:00.006+08:00

This is the famous coffee shop in Kuching, where one will have to wait an hour long to be seated and served. The coffee shop has been there since long long ago.

Located at Bishopsgate Road in Carpenter Street, right next to Madam Tang.

People standing in front of the coffee shop while waited to be seated. Warning: Do not disturb the 'chef' or else you will get it...

That's the soup, which could be eaten with 'kolo mee' or 'mee pok' or 'kueh tiaw'. You could request to add 'spare parts' in the soup. I like mine with minced meat, fish cake, char siew and fishball.

The 'kolo mee kosong'. The noodle is at best when they add a lot of vinegar.

The 'mee pok kosong'. Don't like this one. Very oily.

Direct Swap

2010-10-13T20:05:00.004+08:00

When I first saw the term, I do not even what it meant until someone dropped me a message on Postcrossing asking about postcard exchange.

Today I received postcards from a Ukrainian user who requested to have direct swap with me. It was very nice of her to send me so many postcards. She sent a total of four postcards and I had only sent two to her. Will send another two on this coming Saturday when I am free to hit the General Post Office. New and pretty stamps are only available in General Post Office...

The postcards came in an envelope. Love the stamps on the envelope. Honestly speaking, I would prefer postcards that came without envelope, though.

Beautiful place!

Kyiv or Kiev, the capital and largest city of Ukraine.

Ukraine is such a beautiful country, wish to visit the country one day...

Thank you for the wonderful postcards, Elena!

Vegan Food

2010-10-11T15:59:00.006+08:00

Some people think vegetarian food are :-
(a) healthy - (organic) vegetables and fruits.
(b) unhealthy - GM, barbecued, fried, coloured and fattening.
(c) unsavory - the cook must be really bad :D
(d) unappealing - same as above (c)

Some vegetarian food can be good, go give it a try!

四大天王 (Four Heavenly King), which consists of brinjal, lady finger, winged bean and dwarf bean.

Kangkung (Water Spinach), love it when chili is added!

Simple yet delicious spinach with mushroom.

A few good vegetarian restaurant in Kuching would be Thank Food and Popular Vegetarian Restaurant. However, there are still many more around, which I have yet to try...

10th Mile Kolo Mee

2010-10-10T23:48:00.003+08:00

Forgot the name of the shop. It is the corner shop facing the main road in Kota Padawan. The shoplot is right next to Padawan Council.

Most Kuchingites would know this place. They would say, "Let's go to 10th mile to eat noodle".

Ooh, I love this! The fish balls are good.

The famous big prawn. Drooling already? Ha-ha!

Unpleasant sight of the coffee shop, but worry not, the food are hygienic and do not cause diarrhea or food poisoning. At least the people I know who eat there often and I myself haven't encounter such incidents yet.

Water-resistant

2010-10-03T23:41:00.012+08:00

I have a water-resistant phone, LOL!

See what I mean...

This phone is not even 1 year old yet :( It fell into the drain when I had dinner with Piu Piu at a stall near my house this evening.

I hope it can be rescued. Sigh~

Edited 10/10/10
The handphone is pronounced DEAD. It will either hang or restart on its own... RIP to my phone and I bought myself a new toy *tee hee*

Edited 18/10/10
My handphone had suddenly came to live again! The SE handphone is functioning normally again, this is amazing!

Finland & China

2010-09-27T23:22:00.003+08:00

I received a couple of postcards today.

Silhouette view from Savonlinna, Finland - a beautiful small town that I wish to visit one day... thanks Virpi!

As I do not read Chinese, I could not tell where is the place on this card from China, it looks great though, thanks Lykos!

I'm so happy :)

Borneo Convention Centre Kuching

2010-09-26T21:35:00.003+08:00

Also known as BCCK was launched by our Prime Minister early this year (sometime March).

Today is the first time Piu Piu and I stepped in to the building.

BCCK sure has a huge car park, at least a few times bigger than The Spring's.

Had dinner at the one and only restaurant there, called The Raintree. They specialized in western food.

They fly in Singaporean interior designer to design the place...

Pretty!

We read some good reviews of their food off the Internet, today we decided to try it out. Piu Piu had sirloin steak and I ordered the chicken breast meat.

While waited for our main course, we were served with these cute buns. They are good especially the one with seeds & nuts, hihihi!

My Baked Stuffed Chicken Breast. I heart the ricotta cheese and macadamia filling. The black coloured thingy are actually shallots...

Piu Piu's Finest RL New Zealand Sirloin Steak 220gm

Our drinks... pure juices!

But that evening, the restaurant was practically empty! Only 2 tables were occupied, us and another group of people.

At Last

2010-09-25T22:14:00.002+08:00

I have been waiting and waiting but they never came, not even a single piece...

Finally when I reached home today, as I searched through the stack of envelopes on my desk, I found POSTCARDS!!! Yay, I was so delighted!

This time I received 3 cards. They are from Netherlands, USA and Belarus.

Pink Flowery Card from the Netherlands

Junk Mail from USA

A cartoon-thank-you card from Belarus that came with beautiful stamps as below.

Thank you, my fellow postcrossers!

Double Happiness

2010-09-06T18:34:00.003+08:00

Firstly, I sat for an exam today and I passed!

Took a peek into my mailbox as I arrived home and to my surprise, I found two lovely postcards sitting in there. It has been a while since my mailbox was happy...

One came in an envelope with nice stamps on it...

... nice postcard from Brazil!

One is an odd size card, which I wished to receive one day... from Poland!

Dream came true! *Woot woot*

Her Top Fashion

2010-09-05T13:33:00.005+08:00

I was introduced to this Malaysian online boutique early this year. So far, I have made two purchases from them due to their low prices.

Not all the clothes are in good quality, though. The first batch quality has got me completely disappointed, not too sure if the clothes were local made or China made. Of all the items purchased, only one that is of good material and the price is reasonably good.

I've seen almost similar one in KL shopping mall that cost about RM120 per piece and I got mine for only RM29.90

I made another purchase last week, for myself and sis' birthday present. Made my purchase on Wednesday evening and TADA, the parcel arrived on Saturday!

There is improvement in their clothes quality. Only 1 item that differs from the images displayed on their website.

Trumpet Sleeve Blouse (RM30.90) for my sister

The below are mine *tee hee*

Light-grey Shirt (RM30.90) *belt is my own*

Wrinkled Dress Shirt (RM31.90)

Chiffon Blouse with Ribbons (RM35.90) - black coloured part is cotton fabric

Pink Chiffon Spaghetti Straps (RM26.90)

After a few bad experiences, I am now more careful with online shopping. The beautiful images and convincing words/reviews on the Internet might be misleading. This is concerning the authenticity, quality, material and colour of the item. Be a careful and smart consumer!

But I am very impressed with Her Top Fashion. I made double payment on my first purchase, I contacted them and they returned my money immediately. Their honesty has gained my trust and that is why, I do not mind to make second purchase from them :)

Self-made Postcard

2010-09-04T11:31:00.003+08:00

It was 2am, but I was as alert as chamois. I logged on to Postcrossing and YAY, a postcard that I sent have arrived! That means I could obtain a new address. This time I get to send postcard to one that actually requested for self-made card, which is rare because most people do not welcome self-made card. Cool!

So I came up with this card featuring "Sandmännchen", a cute tv-series character specially for her. I think he is very popular in Germany.

The below are some of the cards I made months ago and have already been sent out to the lucky postcrossers.. hehe ^^

The teddy bear is from an old greeting card, the background is from Moof.

The picture of Brunei mosque, taken years ago by me, specially made for a postcrosser that likes building archistecture.

Love this one the most. The teddy bear was cut out from a present paper.

My first self-made postcard. The picture of bamboo is very nice (taken @ Alamanda, Putrajaya). It is very embarrassing that I actually got this card sent out. This card is not presentable at all... :P

I hope I can come up with more self-made postcards in future. It brightens up my day! :)

A Mere Coincidence?

2010-09-01T17:37:00.015+08:00

Just recently I had two things removed off my body (in the same month). I am thankful both surgeons are very professional in minimizing the 'destruction' done to me.

First Surgery
Date: 14 Aug (just a few days entering 7th Lunar month)

I had my wisdom tooth extracted. The dentist is definitely a pro, took him around 15 minutes to remove the wisdom tooth in my upper jaw. My tooth was half buried and was actually affecting the next tooth. The surgery went great and I had 2 self-dissolving stitches on my gum. They are already gone by now. The after-surgery pain lasted for around 3 hours. By evening, I am all fine, with no swelling, and any discomfort.

Huge wisdom tooth

Second Surgery
Date: 23 Aug (just hours before 7 1/2 Lunar month)

Sounds eerie, eh? What I had is acute appendicitis. Was admitted to Normah Hospital at around 9pm (after a series of checkups) and I was "pushed" to the operation theater at around 10.15pm. I was anesthetized, I felt dizzy and shivered, and then everything went blank... I woke up to the sound of machine's beeping. The pain was still there, my heart cried "Oh, no! The surgery have not started yet and I am already awake!" but my worries were put to rest as the nurse informed me that the surgery was successful. "Thank God!", I remarked silently. Returned to the ward at around 11.30pm, my family and Piu Piu were there to support me. That night, Piu Piu stayed in the ward with me. Was discharged on the next day at noon.

The wound healed completely by day 7. Went to see the doctor earlier than scheduled, had the bandage removed and everything was alright. However, I still feel pain on and off, especially after walking around too much.

Now I know the size of appendix :D

My scar measured around 6cm... :P

It is not that I did not take good care of them, but it just happened or could it be...

My New Love: Postcards

2010-07-24T13:14:00.004+08:00

I ♥ postcards!

Spent whole morning hunting for postcards today. Erm... maybe I exaggerated a bit, actually I'd only spent like 15 minutes shopping for postcards at souvenir shops along Main Bazaar.

@ Main Bazaar... looks familiar?

I received my first 'direct swap' request on Postcrossing last week, asking for postcards that I have none in hand, plus it is about time I restock my postcards, that's why the hunt for them today.

Lucky me, Piu Piu is free today, he drove me around shopping for postcards, mailing some of them at the post office and stopping by Philately Bureau to grab more stamps.

Unfortunately, I have gotten the ordinary boring birdie stamps again :(

With Piu Piu's help, I managed to grab some non-ordinary postcards, map cards that look "serious" and some limited edition ones.

The result of my restocking today...

P/S: I spent nearly RM100 today on my new found hobby, expensive one, eh?

Fat Cat

2010-07-23T09:43:00.009+08:00

What have you in mind as you come across names such as "Fat Cat"? Yup, if you are truly Kuchingites, you would know what "Fat Cat" is. If you are not, you would have thought of my favourite cartoon character - GARFIELD. But you are wrong, tee-hee!

Fat Cat is a coffee shop located at Stutong, somewhere near Kuching Specialist Centre.

People comes here for laksa and also Heng Hua Pa Mee. Heng Hua is the name of an ethnic group from China, meaning Heng Hua Pa Mee is a type of traditional foody goody from this ethnic.

I am not going to feature Heng Hua Pa Mee in this post, though. It takes a while for the noodle to be served and since today is a working day, we ordered laksa instead. If I am not mistaken, the laksa stall is another branch of the one in Chong Choon coffee shop at Abell Road.

The delightful Fat Cat Laksa RM3.50 (a little too much MSG and it is on the oily side but the laksa is among the best in Kuching).

Here's the stall selling the above mentioned laksa. Special laksa comes with bigger prawns, and it is only RM1 difference. Hehe~

Kuching's Kueh Tiaw Tng

2010-07-11T19:34:00.002+08:00

The best would be from Spring Delight Cafe. Piu Piu likes to come here especially on Sunday morning that the taukenio seems to recognize him and knows his preference by now. Piu Piu a supporter of this coffee shop?

Honestly I kinda like here too because of its cleanliness.

Located at BDC's one-storey shoplot.

Can you tell where's this? It is just right behind BDC's H&L and Everrise.

Piu Piu's seafood kueh tiaw tng

Mine normal kueh tiaw tng. Personally, I think seafood kueh tiaw tng tasted better. Probably because of the fish :P

Look, the tauke (cook) prepare each bowl of the kueh tiaw tng one by one, separately! Sometimes you will have to wait for a while for yours to be served, but the wait is worth it and if you are early + lucky, you'll get to order their belacan fried chicken. Kinda nice too and sold out very quickly, so you need to be hurry... heehee~

Yung Kwang Coffee Shop

2010-07-04T15:09:00.001+08:00

Located at Kenyalang Park. Familiar view isn't it?

@ Yung Kwang Coffee Shop...

To me, the chicken rice in the above image does not look inviting at all. But in real, it is very good including the soup and chili!

The portion is huge because Piu Piu and I were sharing, so this plate of chicken rice is not the ordinary one that you would get when you eat there.

Also, they serve the best 3-Sour drink here! *slurps*

Heritage Restaurant

2010-07-03T23:53:00.004+08:00

What do you think is this?

One of the famous dish served here. Claimed by the restaurant to be 'high quality' one with no chemicals added. Soft and tender, if you know how to enjoy eating... sea cucumber!

This restaurant's popular signature dish are such as special fried long beans, mango duck meat, and another type of duck meat.

You could also bring your own fish/prawn/etc and the chef would prepare them to your preference. One word to describe the chef's cooking, PERFECT! ;)

Chong Choon Cafe

2010-07-03T23:52:00.001+08:00

RM3.60 Cha Kueh at Chong Choon. Quite normal. Not-so-extraordinary.

There are very few people that makes good laksa, you know. This is one of the famous one in Kuching. Too bad, the MSG content is a bit on the high side.

For normal size laksa, it cost about RM4.50, larger bowl and prawn will cost you another 50 cents = RM5.00

All these, you could get them here... Chong Choon Cafe, Abell Road.

Quite difficult to get good parking place. If you park opposite, make sure you don't leave expensive goods in your car. That place is famous for car break-in.

Famous Sabahan Ice Cream

2010-07-03T23:19:00.006+08:00

Honestly speaking, I never heard about this before until Piu Piu showed up at my house with two boxes of this. And frankly, I never like eating 'potong'. That's the common name of the ice cream.

Super Ice Cream Potong... Funny name it has got, huh? I like the box that contained the ice cream. RM20 for a box of 12. Manufactured by Taluwang Sdn. Bhd. at Penampang, KK.

Piu Piu got me my favourite mango flavour. But it is not as good as other flavour such as avocado, red bean and according to Piu Piu, durian. Red bean is super yummy, and the texture is smooth and rich. Totally different from the local 'potong' you could find in Kuching.

Yum yum!

Jacky Kolo Mee

2010-07-01T19:19:00.003+08:00

Piu Piu finally returned from his Sabah trip. We went to have breakfast at Jacky Kolo Mee this morning.

Jacky used to have his stall at a coffee shop at Sekama, behind the shoplot that has Fujisan Bakery and Kueh Hong Ann grocery shop.

Now he moved his stall to King Centre. His stall is located at the coffee shop just outside Smart supermarket.

The kolo mee is quite good, certain people likes it a lot, but is not to my liking...

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

2010-06-27T12:35:00.003+08:00

Bought this in LCCT after my Vietnam trip. This is the most expensive chocolate I have ever bought. Cost me RM27.90 for a small packet like this.

Why it is worth the $$$...

First, this is imported goods. And it is Hershey's.

Although small in size... one bite, you are hooked!

Creamy peanut butter covered in milky chocolate, what a scrumptious treat!

Definitely worth every single cents I paid ;) Highly recommended to you chockie & peanut butter lover out there!

New Chong Choon Kopitiam

2010-06-26T23:18:00.005+08:00

Piu Piu and I had our breakfast here on last Friday before sending him off to the airport. This is branch of Chong Choon coffee shop in Abell Road. There are more food stalls over in this branch but the Sarawak Laksa is not as good as the one in Abell Road.

However, it is a must to order Teh-C-Peng when you go to Chong Choon for breakfast. They serve the BEST Teh-C-Peng ever! And it is only RM1.80 per glass.

The Kampua that we ordered is ok, but according to MKL, it is good. It costs us RM2.80 per plate.

100th Day

2010-06-24T23:04:00.010+08:00

I am proud to announce that today is the 100th day of me being a Postcrosser. I first came across Postcrossing when my friend posted on Facebook the postcards that she received. My passion towards corresponding and stamp collecting had got me signed up for an account almost immediately.

This is the first postcard that I received. Coming all the way from Prague, Czech.

Up till today I have 20 sent, 14 received, and 2 expired. I am now granted 6 traveling postcards at one time.

Here you go, screenie of my postcards wall...

The postcards that I received are mostly store-bought and some self-made.

A few of the postcards that I have sent. It's a little difficult to get nice postcards in Malaysia. Ho hum... where have all the good artists gone?

Interesting, don't you think? Postcrossing certainly gets me checking my mailbox everyday! :)

Matadoe

2010-05-28T01:45:00.004+08:00

Matadoe is a not-so-new restaurant in Brunei, serving some quality western food, owned by one of the princesses of Brunei.

The Ambiance

Neat and cosy, don't you think?

The Bar Counter

What have you in mind when you see the above picture? That... booze are served in Brunei? You are wrong! Those glasses are for juices :D

The Menu

But the word "Bistro" had me ponder... and it is only 2 pages. Basically, the choice is extremely limited.

The Goodies

Matadoe's Beef Steak (nice!)

Matadoe's Fettucine Carbonara (so-so only)

Matadoe's Lamb Chop (nice!)

Personally, I'd prefer Charcoal. More choices, more expensive, and most importantly, more delicious! Currently, Charcoal has "DOWNSIZE" option, so stop worrying about the huge portion...

So Heavenly

2010-05-26T20:49:00.000+08:00

Oohhh, it's chocolate again... yummy yummy...

Been a while since I laid my hand on something else besides my all time favorite - Ferrero Rocher and Kinder Bueno.

Bought a box of Ferrero Rondnoir in a pack of 4.

Only 3 left, while the other one has gone missing *wink*

Dark wrapper, dark chocolate, dark creamy filling plus a little bit of bitterness... basically, Rondnoir is all about darkness and mystery :P

Not too sweet and still taste good... but a no-no for "nuts" fan.

In addition, I bought something else *tsk tsk tsk*

Ta-da!!! Fully imported Cadbury chocolate in a new packaging *hiak hiak hiak*

Patisserie

2010-05-25T16:32:00.000+08:00

Finally I had a chance to drop by this very nice little cake shop that I had been eyeing on since long time ago.

Packed inside an elegant box...

is a slice of simply delicious Hazelnut Mousse Cake BND3.60

and they have attractive business card too!

Oh So Healthy!

2010-05-22T13:38:00.000+08:00

Kueh Tiaw Tng (Soup)

Non-oily and MSG free. The soup is boiled with ingredients such as pork ribs/bones, that's according to the taukenio.

Believe it or not, this is not home-cooked! Our all-time-favourite, be it for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Personally, I think this "kueh tiaw tng" tasted the best in the evening.

Price: BND3
Location: Gadong

Shikai Restaurant

2010-05-21T21:15:00.000+08:00

Also known as Shi Hai Ting in Chinese, located at Batu Bersurat.

Famous for its roasted duck (sold out most of the time). There are Pi Pa Duck, which is prepared to resemble the shape of pi pa (chinese music instrument) and Chinese Herbal Duck, roasted duck meat served in delightful herbal gravy.

1/4 Pi Pa Duck

The famous seafood fried rice, which is a little too much for one person, named "My Way" - BND5

Mix Vegetable Rice - BND5

For Teh-C lover, you will love this Teh-C special with sago, served hot or cold.

There is also a branch of this restaurant in KK, Sabah. Do check it out!

Korean Ice-Cream

2009-12-14T18:58:00.000+08:00

Introducing a-couple-of-months-old ice-cream parlor at Jalan Song, Kuching. It's a small outlet called Young-Su's Ice Cream, operated by a Korean family.

The ice-cream that they served tasted just nice, not too sweet and not 'diluted' but cannot compare to McD's.

We ordered:-

Yogurt ice-cream bbeongtuigi plate with choco syrup RM3.5 (note: bbeongtuigi = Korean rice cracker)

Can you figure the correct way to eat this thing?

Special ice-cream with sweets and fruits with strawberry syrup RM5 - come with rice cracker, salted cheese cracker, choco love letter, cubes of pineapple.

Patbingsu (Korean style ABC?) RM6 - not very nice especially the "chocolate look alike" topping, but it is actually red bean paste. I would still prefer Malaysian ABC :)

Inexpensive + Fresh

2009-12-13T12:13:00.000+08:00

I have never once in my life eaten so much seafood before, but those cousins of clam were good!

Elephant Trunk 500g RM15 - named after its trunk, similar to elephant's, they also 'spray' water :P

Sapak or in Chinese, 沙白 1kg RM18 - some has sand inside :(

Steamed Live Prawn 500g RM28 - very fresh. Too bad, I don't fancy eating prawns cooked this way.

Cangkut Manis with Egg RM12 - include the stems, totally different from Sarawak style but it was good.

Lastly, the most recommended dish here is the aromatic Garlic Rice Rm6 (more than enough for 4 person). Strongly recommended!

Regrets:
Didn't take pictures of live Elephant Trunk, Sapak and Prawn and also the humongous lobsters :(

Eating place:
New Gaya Seafood Restaurant
Inanam, KK

I Heart Egg

2009-12-12T12:12:00.000+08:00

Yummy egg tart

@Dotts Egg Tart

Pho Bo

2009-12-11T21:06:00.000+08:00

Pho Bo... that's the only words that I could recall from my Hanoi trip.

Came across a Vietnamese eatery as my colleagues and I wandered around looking for food. It was late afternoon, the good food were all gone and some shops have closed for afternoon break.

This eatery was graded A for its hygiene, but a colleague saw a huge rat in the drain outside the shop. Hmmm... maybe the rat accidentally stumbled upon this shop in that afternoon :P

Was starving and kinda missed pho bo, so we decided to have lunch there.

Pho Bo with Homemade Beef Ball & Spare Parts Rm5. Of course the 'spare parts' went into my colleague's bowl.

Although contained irrelevant amount of MSG, it is kinda similar to the one in Hanoi. Yummy!

My colleagues ordered:-

Fried Chicken with Vermicelli Soup RM5

Beef or Chicken Combination with Spring Rolls RM6.5

Takoyaki

2009-12-10T15:03:00.000+08:00

At Tawau, we were introduced to Japan Boat Takoyaki, an outlet selling octopus ball or better known as takoyaki (very popular in Japan/Taiwan/Korea), located at their latest shopping centre called Eastern Plaza.

Is this the so-called JKR standard? :D

Ready for serving. Creative box.

Three pieces in a box for Rm3, the takoyakis are hidden beneath a pile of dried-fish shavings. In it were creamy diced octopus with some vege. Yummy!

Weird Combination

2009-12-09T13:30:00.000+08:00

Have you ever thought of adding macaroni as ingredient for something else - I mean besides pastas?

Came across this weird combination during my recent trip to KK.

As I was checking out the food stalls at the Philipino Market, I noticed all the ABC stalls have a container of uncommon white-in-colour substance, which I find quite unusual.

As I took a closer look at the content, I saw macaroni soaked in iced water. OMG!

Curious by how it tastes, I stopped by one of the stall and ordered ABC Special.

Sabah ABC Special RM3 - very colourful, with crunched peanut, the usual sweet corn and lychee, and not forgetting, the macaroni - not very nice~

Well, I suppose the ABC Special should taste good, but I was unlucky to pick the wrong stall, so MKL theory is not applicable here :P

One Bite 'n' You're Hooked

2009-12-08T15:46:00.000+08:00

I have never been a fan of 'Fish and Chip' but this outlet was seen at Warisan Square and One Borneo. Those are huge shopping malls, I guess the food must be good...

Hmm... looks good!

Unfortunately I found the food so-so only. It could be me and my taste buds, though. My colleagues, one of which is real Fish and Chip fan claimed the food was good. Guess I have no rights to comment further :)

Nice decor isn't it?

You could also fish them online here, as printed on the paper napkin.

Sweetness Overdose

2009-11-22T23:43:00.000+08:00

An overly sweet combination of Extreme Vanilla and Blueberry Cheesecake. Nearly got killed from overdose of "sugar" :P

Surprise!

2009-11-08T19:39:00.000+08:00

It has been a while since I last had this...

Inside, I found...

... that spins 360 degree when the tip of the skateboard is pressed and released in a span of 1 millisecond...

... I have no idea what is this called. You could switch between the two images:- Smiley or Surprised expression.

... it could turn into mini solar panel too!

TQ for the lovely surprise.

Have U Ever Wonder

2009-05-09T00:13:00.000+08:00

How do power and data travel through copper wire like this?
Hmm...

Emperor Q

2009-05-05T13:00:00.000+08:00

Stumbled upon this restaurant after our terrible dinner at a "dark" restaurant. Since we were not feeling bloated yet, we thought it would be great to indulge in ice-cream before heading back to the hotel.

This place served soft ice cream, and also frozen iced cream but it was the soft ice cream that attract us more. Inside the menu were pages of ice cream treats. Took us a very long time to decide on our pick...

Green bean.Pearl.Chopped Almond.Choc Ice Cream

Red bean paste.Deep Fried Yam & Sweet Potato.Choc Ice Cream

Kinda newish and yummy~

Although they served lotsa ice cream varieties, their ice cream could not beat McDonald's or Baskin Robbins' or Häagen-Dazs' ice cream :P