Belian Farewell too

Here goes another streak of outdated post and I mean really outdated.

Just came back from an extremely satisfying trip in Pangkor over the long weekend. It was the perfect opportunity to relax, unwind and forget about everything happening in my tiny little world. Haven't really recovered from the tragedy, (room still in a mess) countless assignments pending completion and plenty of responsibilities to fulfill but coping..

Anyway here's a brief description of the not-so-recent farewell for the belianers.

It was held at Delicious in One Utama, one of the best places to chill, I feel.

It was actually a farewell for Shing Yee, Rita, Zhu Lian and Ee Lin. whoa.. that's alot. Although many people were absent due to the fact that they have already left the country, the atmosphere was still as intellectual as a belian outing would be. lol

yien hsiu frowning while reading the upside down menu while shing yee looks on.

Intellectual huh?

Shing Yee acting cute. failed miserably.

Makan

Desserts at Delicious never fail to impress me. Damn I mean the desserts there are extremely delicious, as its name suggest. I got myself the apple crumble with some berry sauce and trust me it was orga*mic. Well, something like that.

beneath the not-so-generous scoop of ice cream lies..

..a generous helping of apples soaked in some berry sauce which I've forgotten its name.

yum.

Food was awesome although I only opted for dessert (bajet). Just don't get the olio spagetti coz' it's just spagetti and oil. (that goes especially to Jane)

Belian's disturber of peace that chose to remain in Malaysia

Setiausaha Shae. wahahahaha.

belian girls doing what they do be; Nothing

Jane's having a light moment with Zhu Lian.. hmm

Flanked by a bevy of 'beauties'. hehe

Shing Yee leaves* for Czech to study checkers. Actually medicine

*already left... lol

Jin Ern getting all the attention he wants and need. Slappable ain't IT?

Eesh. My number one competitor. lol. Zhu Lian leaves for Imperial College in the UK?

Rita off to Edinburgh, also for medicine

Ee Lin, already having the time of her life in Manchester

so scandalous..

so scandalous too..

Was there a colour code we're supposed to oblige to?

Being the intellectuals, we dropped by Neway after dinner to experiment karaoke-ing. Sadly, it was way beyond the budget of the many future economists available with us. So we opted for the K-box. Costing us only RM 1 for a 4 minute song and 30 minutes figuring how to play the song. lol. All 6 of us literally squeezed ourselves in to the cubicle which has the same size as those in the toilets.

exciteees waiting to sing their brains out.

a living testimony of a dummy. Yien Hsiu pressing the screen of the TV, assuming it was touchscreen. Simply classical. Look how fascinated and excited Jin Ern is.

Jane trying to be a superstar

I dont really have to tell you whose voice was the loudest, do I?


Jin Ern again wanting attention. =P

It was quite a fun night although we didn't do much. I'm already missing the company of the boring old Belian. haha. Good Luck people in whatever you're doing!

When Disaster Strikes

I wake up to this outside my window every morning. ^.^

As we all know, the weather is getting more erratic now. All thanks to the men blasting hills in Perak. Well, not exactly. It is more likely because the consumption of plastic bags in Malaysia is greater than the number of housewives that mistaken hot chocolate as a gourmet coffee. heck. I was just being random.

Saturday, the 11th of October, about 3pm.
That was when disaster struck.
A day I shall never forget.


Yes I know it rained in the afternoon, It rains almost every afternoon in the month of October due to the shifting of the monsoon season and the "angin Sumatra" that brings heavy rain to the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia. What made it different was my house got flooded. (I shall not bold or caps it for a reason I am unsure myself)
Yes, my house got flooded for the first time in our 18 years history of living there. Who would have imagined? I'm living in a city, a recently declared city by the name of PJ. The nearest river is probably miles away and I'm on a hill. Very unexpected. To make matters worst, I was already dead exhausted from the endless assignments and tasks received at our 2nd week of college. All those and the flood is a recipe to disaster.


A scene from Poseidon.. it's actually my flooded living room just as the water began to recede.
Notice the colour of the water.


See my desktop? yeah, I nearly lost it. It got a lil wet together with the countless plugs and wires on the floor but I finally restored it a couple of hours ago. My modem router was a miracle. I dropped it into the water and I only realised it after the water has receded. Fortunately, it's still working.


As for my pets, they survived. That was probably because we dragged my cat out from its hiding and pulled my dog to safety or they would have drowned.


Still, they can sleep well unlike my parents and I.

My life is in a total mess now. Already finding it hard to juggle between studies and work, plagued with assignments and tasks and lately, the aftermath of the ultimate disaster of my life. My room is a blunder. All my personal belongings had to be shifted upstairs causing a massive jam in my already tiny abode.






it spells disaster


Thank God there was karaoke session on Monday.


and a not so exciting Zanmai experience but better than nothing.

To all my fellow college mates. Sorry for the lack of response. Thank you for understanding the situation. I'll be back to normal once I've passed this 'test'.

Thank you so much for those who offered help, especially the caring neighbours and friends who offered cleaning services. I really appreciate it.
God bless you.

The avid traveller has decided to take a break but he'll be back shortly once he straightens up the disorder.
- out-

Home Sweet Second Home

I was literally forced into going to Penang last month to visit my relatives coz' my sister was scheduled to leave for the UK at the end of the month. Not that I don't want to visit them but because it clashed with so many plans and excursions back here in the Klang Valley. That was before I realised that we were staying in a hotel. We stayed at Paradise Sandy Bay, located in Tanjung Bungah. It had everything a typical hotel would have in Penang, a splendid beach, a landscaped terrace, a swimming pool and unlimited internet access. Damn, it's the perfect holiday I was longing for.


Pulou Ticouse - my unobstructed view from the 20th floor


One of M'sia's greatest super condos, The Cove. Fetching millions of ringgit per unit.
Small white building in the foreground is Philbert's ex playground with his girls (Copthorne Orchid Hotel)


Tanjung Bungah by night


Dreamland

This holiday seemed very relaxed although there were some minor problems with the hotel staffs due to some problematic internet connection at the hotel. Toured the island as usual but did not manage to make a complete round.


The 'majestic' Penang Bridge. Did you realise how much the government promotes the Penang Bridge as a must-visit tourist destination? and.. Did you realise that vehicles are prohibited from stopping on the bridge? so much for a tourist attraction.




random sculpture


Penang International Sports Arena (PISA)


erected 1924

Because my granny can't drive, we had to take her shopping. Trust me, it's the most boring shopping experience one can ever request for. It's almost impossible to get that shopping feel in Penang like those in KL. Supermarkets are small if not already crowded and old. Malaysians pushing and squeezing themselves through your armpits are just one of its many drawbacks.



Gosh I was bored to death at that very moment. Their departmental store don't even sell Nike or Adidas merchandises and finding a renoma label is very rare. Thank goodness I was with my Singaporean cousin. He's always on the lookout for cheap products that can only be found in Malaysia; like twisties. He got uber fascinated by the fact that they were selling it at 99 cents per pack. I stopped for a moment, before I grabbed 10 packs at one go. No kidding. Surprisingly, my parents approved coz' it was dead cheap. Anyway, I needed something to complement the dead cheap Dvds that I was going to buy in Batu Feringghi.


Simply irreTwistable




Pensonic, Panasonic... which one???

Well, the Pocky kept me shut for a while. I was already whining coz' it was almost like hell in that Sunshine supermarket. Not so sunny after all. The next day, we made an excursion to Balik Pulau. I still can't figure the English name for this place but heck, it's a pretty nostalgic place. I remember those days in my early years where my grandfather would drive me and my cousins in his aging Volkswagen through that winding road, up the hill and then down again to savour freshly picked durians and feast in local curry noodles beside the mangrove swamps. Those were before he went to the fishermen in Pantai Acheh to bring home something for granny to cook for all the cussies, uncles and aunties. The good old days...


Teluk Bahang dam where the international dragon boat race is held annually. People from all over the world takes part in this event including Caucasians. Very popular outside the country but not in Malaysia itself. Some tourists even walk up the hill just to catch this event.


The once glorious Titi Kerawang falls. Realised the fact that I did not take any snapshots of it? It was trickling like a rat's piss. That don't fit under my list of 'falls'


Went to this Chinese communal place in Balik Pulau sitting beside Sungai Pinang. They were having some opera show but strangely, no one was watching it except my cousin and I. hmm.. I'm having doubts over this.. Having visited Balik Pulau many times, I can safely suggest that the Assam Laksa in the main town is to die for - or at least one of the best in Penang after the one in Penang road.


scrumptious

At the same shop itself, they serve authentic Siamese laksa. Siamese laksa is basically the same as our local assam laksa, just that it has coconut milk instead of assam that gives it the sour taste. Another must -try is the freshly brewed nutmeg juice. The British travelled thousands of miles and the Spanish conquistadors shed blood over this treasured fruit so I don't see a reason to miss sampling it. After all, its uniquely Penang.


Atop Balik Pulau, gazing at the Straits of Malacca


Sunset at Mount Erskine

The following day focused more on eating and hunting for spices and crucial ingredients to prepare peranakan cuisine. Well, my grandfather was semi-Baba so my mom and aunts inherited the cooking techniques and recipes. There's no other better places to get these ingredients than Penang itself, homeland of the Straits Chinese.


Our quest began at the New World Park, a newly renovated hawker centre in the middle of Georgetown. It has always been my family favourite for Curry Noodles and Ais Kacang with pecan nut ice cream.


Curry mee
I love the blood the most. haha


Shit, it's Heaven.


the all time Malaysian favourite, rojak

Then we headed for the wholesale market around the island; each to obtain a specific ingredient for either the otak-otak, assam laksa or vegetable acar


cinnamon barks sold in bundles. damn the exotic scent


anchovies... a must have in typical chinese broths.


Nutmeg seeds


Skin of the nutmeg seeds. damn the even more exotic scents


dried shrimps, always present in chinese stir fry and sambal udang kering
Goodness, my mom and aunts are great cooks

Sad to say, I made a strange discovery this trip. I found a fruit almost similar to durian except that it doesn't stink up the room as bad as a durian but it still stinks, my dad can't take it.


It is none other than the cempedak (no English name), looks almost like a durian, pretty close to a jackfruit. I always thought cempedak and nangka were the same until that day where I was told a jackfruit is known as a nangka. Many people can't stand the fragrance.. similar to that of the durian. I am a big fan of durian so heck, time to dig in.


harvesting the fruit for its flesh is rather tricky. One must be careful as its sap is truly stubborn.


Balik Pulau cempedak. Unlike jackfruits, its texture is very soft, sticky and chewy suggesting a hint of the king of fruits. Tropical fruits from Penang never seemed to fail me.

Day 4, I requested for a personal day off from my parents and relatives. Just wanted to enjoy the hotel's facilities and experience a typical spoilt brat's lifestyle; the tourist way.
Early in the morning, I headed across the road from the hotel to a nearby Indian restaurant. Serves authentic Indian and a hint of Malaysian cuisine. It's called Seri Ananda Bachawan if my memory serves me right. Patrons to this restaurant will feel treated no less than the Maharaja, well kinda. They had attentive waiters and contemporary layouts and interiors. I was already liking at first glance.


I ordered somethign unique, masala tea. I didn't really know what it was when I ordered it. It's basically normal tea with added spices. Not bad.


And how could I resist a cheese naan for breakfast?
Breakfast cost me less than 5 bucks. Now that's a bargain. I was already in love with the place.


After that completely satisfying breakie, I headed to the pool, went for a nice cool swim, and the adjourned to the deserted beach, got myself a nice parasol and took a short nap. I felt like a lazy tourist at one point, but it was a well deserved rest. Screw the Loft. lol


Me, the beach, and blue skies


An evening scene at the Tanjung Bungah beach

Without realising, I spent most my day at the beach. This time, without the tan lines.. I've learned my lesson and paid a hefty price. =)
By evening, the beach was infested with beachgoers from all walks of life. The good thing is that the hotel had security guards to ward off the public from the hotel grounds, providing privacy for the hotel guests. perfect.




The facade of the hotel




sexy amber glow dancing in the sky

Considering it was my last night in Penang, I made a trip down to Batu Ferringhi, a place filled with fond memories for me. Bought the usual Dvds in abundance for myself as well as the other pirated fans of mine. Bought a couple of presents too before I realised I already spent 3 digits. woot. Glad to say it was one satisfying trip.
"I'll be back"