To the mountains and back (in pictures)

All geared up for the trip-excited but nervous at the same time...

View onboard Air Asia, row 31 (the last row,FYI)

Avocado juice @ Tanjung Aru...delicious but the food is otherwise...Sabah has abundance of avocado that they use it for everything...

I'm sure the toufu is very young

Pineapple @ Pekan Nabalu...sweet and cheap and the kacangs too

Cheap sticks for sale...I knew I found mine, darker than the rest, just like me...

View from Kinabalu park...I like the park-peaceful, fresh air, cool temperature...

Attempting a scene from Star Wars...not!

Steamboat dinner...so so only...but just nice to warm us up in the cold weather...

Bishops Head, dorm 3

Mesilau starting point

Still all smiles, quarter of the way...well done girls...

Saw a lot of beautiful flora...but no fauna, except for...

mr ulat

Dawn breaking, I can sit there everyday, watching the first ray of the sun, drinking hot milo in the cold...

Almost to Low's peak, so near yet so far...with that famous RM1 peak in the backdrop

Ascending is not a problem as it is still dark at that time...but during descend, it gaves me shivering legs and sore arms from holding the ropes, but this is not as dangerous compared to the Mulu Pinnacles

Laban Rata, our accomodation for that few hours before we ascend to the summit...no hot water but I still managed to wash my hair

Beautiful trees along the way...some parts are so beautiful, you'll feel like you're in a another country

We took it slow, taking pictures of every marker

and every hut

The night after the climb, we had a small celebration for Terence, Happy Birthday!!! hope you will remember this birthday, especially when we sang for you on the summit...

The morning after, still hard to believe that we were up there...above the clouds...

Some better lodges near to our hostel...with the view of Mount Kinabalu...

Grace's Hostel

Local ice cream with Baskin Robbins' concept...really nice...they have avocado flavour

Dinner at a seafood restaurant with many weird fishes and clams bigger that my palm...

Not complete without some booze

Walked along a pasar malam, selling weirder fishes and stuff like this

and this

Instead of eating the hotel breakfast, me and FoongLing ventured out for a taste of the local food...Ko Lo mee and the beef noodles. This is when my mum called and told me my house was borken in when my parents went to the market...story on it coming soon

Ventured out to explore KK town...

and getting excited sitting on some poor fish despite under the EXTREMELY hot and burning sun...I am missing the weather up in the mountains...:(

Walked to the markets and handycrafts centre, bought this ragi for dad to make tapai...

Our room in Kinabalu Daya...pardon the messy beds...we packed our things (oh and we had VedaBlu again before that) and head to...

1borneo...not 1utama ya...

after all the energy burnt, we had a hearty meal at ManHattan Fish Market

before we went to buy cheap cheap cheap frozen seafood...

Overall, it was a very memorable trip. I feel a sense of achievement. Will I do it again? Yes!! Anyone wants to join?

tired

At times, I really wish I can be free to do whatever I want, go wherever I want. I wish to be carefree and only accountable to myself. But, I don't need no one to tell me that this is impossible. I am bounded by responsibility- as a daughther who have to take care of my parents, as a gf who needs to be understanding. Bounded by fear of the unknown. Bounded by doubts and discouraging factors that will pull me down. I'm tired sometimes. I just want to be alone in a place that no one knows me. Then, I don't need to give a damn on what people say or do. I don't need to put on a smiling face to please everybody.

Of dragons and titans

Believe it or not, I grew up reading Greek myths and got myself quite familiar with the names of the Olympian Gods, Achilles, Medusa, etc. So, not surprisingly, I wouldn't miss watching movies like Troy (it's not all about Brad) and the most recent movie, Clash of the Titans (COTT). Despite some bad feedbacks and reviews, I find the movie quite enjoyable. Maybe because it brings my imagination of those stories I read to life.
And Sam Worthington is hot. Well, not those strikingly handsome type but he has a charming element of his own. I couldn't really remember his name from Avatar/Terminator Salvation but he made his mark in COTT.

And go watch How to Train Your Dragon...It's one of the nicest animated movie I've watched. Some graphics are so real. And I realise I can recognize Gerard Butler's voice easily. LOL, his Scottish accent is still strong. Toothless, the Night Fury dragon is so cute...

road rage

And so I have to drive again as my driver aka my dear is on 'mogok' leave (just joking)...Anyway, due to some errmmm foreseen circumstances, i'll not have the privilege to be chauffered around anymore...
It's been over a week now...and I find myself getting really pissed off on the road. Stupid, impatient, rude drivers should be banned from the road, forever...
I mean, what is the point of overtaking me, using the emergency lane, just to brake to a halt in front of me because the traffic light is red? What is the purpose of tail-gating me, almost kissing my bao bei's buttocks, in the middle lane and when I am already going at 90km/h? And people, please turn on your signal light BEFORE a junction and NOT upon reaching it. And one of the rudest driver is the lady who stole my parking lot right in front of my eyes! I was patiently waiting for a car to reverse out, and I did turn on signal light while waiting. And this stupid lady driver coming from behind me just overtook and slotted in the parking lot before I can make a move. I was fuming mad and I stopped my car behind her. I was ready to get out and confront her but lucky for her, a car was behind me and if get down, I would be blocking the way. It was so unbelievably rude. Anyone can see that I am waiting for that lot. Arrrrggghh...
But in most of these situations, I managed to cool down...Deep breathing works for me. Else you can just wind down your window and show the middle finger. I've learnt to be really really careful on the road, influenced by dear...I do not want to be part of the road accidents statistics. But sometimes, no matter how careful we are, it's the carelessness of other that we cannot avoid.
So I do hope that everyone can be nicer on the road. Everyone is trying to reach their destination so be considerate and respects others. You might not value your life but others do. And if you cannot even understand basic road signs/ etiquette, just don't drive.

Food Review:Fitou@Desa Park City

Fitou brasserie at Desa Park city has nice indoor settings but most of all you can dine alfresco while enjoying the view of the lake. Too bad, it was raining heavily the day we went so we decidedly to sit inside. Food there is nice and will definitely make a few more trips to try out other items on the menu.


1) Paella - spanish version of risotto. Rice with generous amount of prawns, mussels, squids, sausages, and chicken. My first time trying paella and love it. Very flavourful.

2) Spaghetti carbonara (with egg yolk for that extra creamyness) - orgasmic. It's so rich and creamy, one of the best carbonara I've tasted. Surprisingly, it does not make me go wueeekk when eaten too much like most carbonara do...

3) Country Farmer salad - with juicy prawns, thick bacon bits, fresh lettuce and grilled potato. Despite too dry and lack of sauce, the bacon and potato is nice.

4) Burger (either with pork or beef) - Huge, juicy meat with fresh vege & very delicious toppings.

5) Spaghetti meatballs (again either with pork or beef) - generous amount of cheese sprinkles and big meatballs. Not bad at all...

Ending the day with some NZ natural...beats Baskin Robbins...:P

I love orang utan...

On a hot Sunday afternoon...

(the title is unrelated to this post)
Felt like the whole week just passed by like a dream...Reached home late on Sunday night (or was it early Monday morning?). Could not sleep much and woke up early the next morning. Texted my boss to work from home as there are so much to wash and unpack. Went to work the next day and amazingly, managed to pull off the whole week without much issues. Next couple of days, Mr Flu and Fever paid a visit. H1N1 did cross my mine, but luckily, after some panadols (the doc said panadol is good for flue also wor) and clarityne, felt a lot better now, except for this hacking cough. Even went for a jog yesterday and a hike this morning. Not so much of an eventful week. Oh oh oh and I manage to watch Alice in Wonderland. Love Johnny Depp...Will blog about China trip, if I can find the inspiration to blog about it:
I'll end this with my 10 ten things I don't likeyyyy about packaged tour:
1. visits to places where you are forced to sit a room and listen to people trying to brainwash you to buy things
2. time spent in no 1 resulted in less time to enjoy the beautiful scenery
3. stuck with people that you do not enjoy their companionship
4. queue up each time we visit the toilet
5. no freedom to wander far
6. limited time to pose and capture beautiful shots
7. forced to sing on the bus
8. food has been pre-arranged:10 course meal everyday-I would not complain if the food is nice...but sadly it's not
9. time wasted waiting for everyone to be on the bus
10. no chance to taste local snack, by the road side

I *heart* Subway

I love Subway...an I always go for Parmesan Oregano bread and with all the toppings and mayonnaise and thousand island...

And i love it better when shared with someone special...Muaksss...

李聖傑--古老的大鐘(KTV)

love his songs.....

Food Review:Delicious@Dua Residency

What captured our attention to Delicious @ Dua Residency was the environment. I nearly booked the wrong outlet as there is anothe one @ Marc Residency near KLCC. With the lush green settings of the place, you'll barely notice that you are actually in the middle of hectic KL.

The food was not disappointing.We had:

1. Salad (I forgot the name) with crispy bacon and grated cheese. It was not heavy and the amount of sauce is just nice. (chargrilled chicken is optional).

2. Four cheese macaroni - I love this (I think I like everything with cheese in it). Best eaten fresh from the oven when it's still hot. The macaroni oozing with cheese just melts in your mouth.

3. Breaded chicken tenders with honey mustard dip. Nothing special about this. I guess we had too much chicken that meal.

4. Homemade pesto spaghettini (another favourite). It was the first time I tried pesto sauce and I fell in love. Pesto is made from basil leaves and pine nuts and mixed with many other ingredient. It taste refreshing and not too heavy. (chargrilled chicken is optional).

5. Pan-seared crispy skin salmon served with coriander relish, asparagus and fried potatoes. Salmon is well marinated and not over cooked thus, it is still juicy. Served with the side dishes, it is not bad at all.

The desert is quite disappointing though. Not to say really bad but not as satisfying as expected.
1. Mango cheesecake with mango salsa. We expected real mango in the slice but there's none.

2. Berrilicious Chocolate Pavlova - a meringue-based dessert (type of dessert made from whipped egg whites and sugar). It melts in the mouth but it's a bit too sweet. I don't remember the chocolate-y taste, only sweetness.

3. Macadamia cheesecake - best of the 3. With macadamia nuts on top, nothing could go wrong.

Making prawn crackers

Besides all the ang paus, new clothes and clear roads, my CNY will not be complete without mum's prawn/ fish crackers. She's been making this every year for as long as I can remember. And shame on me for not keen enough to learn or even helping out...until this year. And boy oh boy...it was not easy at all.
Step1:
Peel and de-vein white medium sized prawns - use only 'whitish' prawns as it will not make the crackers too yellowish. DO not buy anything smaller than your pinky finger as you will have hell of a time peeling and de-vein-ing them.
Step 2:

Mince medium-sized white prawns until it become paste - this takes like forever until both my arms are tired. My mum doesn't use food processor as she said it will make the paste watery and taste different wor...

Step 3:

Add in salt, sugar, pepper, baking soda and a little msg...

Step 4:

Mix the paste with tapioca starch and a little bit of water

Step 5:

Knead the dough (and toss it and turn it and squeeze it) - and this is again a tedious thing to do...poor arms of mine...

Step 6:
Roll the well-kneaded dough (ermm...when it is a bit tough and getting harded to knead) into logs of the same size

Step 7:
Steam the logs for hmmm....until they are cooked

Step 8:
Once cooled, put them in the fridge and refridgerate overnight for it to harden
Step 9:
Use a sharp knife (very important) and cut them in small pieces
Step 10:

Dry the slices under the hot sun for several days - watch out for cats/ monkeys for they will steal... 

Step 11:

Lastly, fry them in hot oil and put them in tin cans...or straight to the mouth (which might cause sore throat the next day).

I was guided by my mum all the time (and maybe she helped a bit....ok ok...helped a lot). I make a promise to myself to make it all on my own the next time. :P

Can't really figure this out....Can you?

Pic taken in a lady's restroom outskirt of KL.

Remembering you

Sounds of the fire crackers reminded me of Lucy. During CNY every year, she will try to find every possible way to get into the house. She's so scared of the sound of fire crackers that she will tremble and tries to snuggle to any of us hoping that we can protect her. I miss Lucy.
Indeed CNY should be a joyous time but it should also be a time of remembrance. Treasure your loved ones, be it your parents, relatives, spouse, friends or even your pet/s.

Pic 1:Was looking forward to come home everyday to these cute puppies

Pic 2:Lucy-miss you deeply

Pic 3:Kitty who jumps to our laps and loves it when we sayang him...

Happy Chinese New Year + Valentine's Day

Wishing all a Happy Happy Chinese New Year and Sweet Sweet Valentine's Day....

Abuchiakk...

Walking down memory lane

I'm supposed to be in Putrajaya now, sweating my pants running the night run but due to some personal reason (yeah, that time of the month and it shhhucks), I am home-bounded. With nothing better to do, I dug up some old photos and took a trip down memory lane. Some made me laugh, some made me smile and some brought back bitter-sweet memories. Following pictures are taken in New Zealand. It was one of the best trip I've had so far. I remember waking up to the sound of chirping birds, cool wind and green pastures everywhere.

Pic 1:Seagulls in Queenstown

Pic 2:Seals sunbathing in Milford Sound

Pic 3: View of Mount Cook

Pic 4:Sheeps and more sheeps

Pic 5:Blue skies and sea

Pic 6: Whale-watching in Kaikora

Pic 7: Sunset view in Mount Cook

Pic 8:One Tree Hill, Auckland

Pic 9:Breathtaking

Pic 10: Robert Burns statue, Duneidin

Pic 11: Tasman Glacier

I miss that country.

Looking back at all the photos, I wondered all the what-could-have-beens and what-ifs...And I wondered how you are getting on now. Well, it's part of the past. And I am glad that we shared it.

Growing old

Finally after may hours of labour, I finished wrapping all the chicken floss with a pack of popiah wrap. You don't need to be a genius to do this - just cut the popiah wrap to small squares, put a bit of chicken floss and wrap them ala popiah style.

But mind you, it was no easy task. NOT easy at all. It took me almost 5 hours in total, spread out to 2 days. I remembered making this for CNY a couple of times few years back but half way through it, I gave up. It was my mum who finished the task. But this year, I am proud to say, I have the determination to finish what I have started. No matter how tiring it was, I managed to psycho myself to keep wrapping - thinking of how nice the end product will be...

It got me thinking. The younger me would have complaint a lot. It's so tiring la, so boring la...etc etc...But I do feel I have a lot more determination to carry on through a difficult task as I grow....errmmm...older more mature.

Speaking of growing more 'mature', it's hard to believe that my age is coming to a big x0. At times, I still feel very childish inside, reacting stupidly to situation which I could have taken control. So, resolution number 6. To be in control of my fear/emotion/difficult situation (aka act like a grown up).

Then downside of growing more 'mature', my shoulders/back/legs are a bit sore from the hours of sitting and doing the same repetitive thing....(+ spring cleaning + shopping, etc etc)

Muscle rub, anyone?