Archive for May, 2006

there’s something NEW in OLDtown

Wednesday, May 24th, 2006

“When you have to go, you have to go”. I’m referring to going
for a meal actually…especially when hunger strikes.

It was in a midst of
deciding where to eat when all of a sudden the movement of my lips came very
naturally voicing the name “Oldtown Kopitiam?” (Obviously, a part of me
stayed back in

Ipoh

, probably
still sipping coffee from an actual oldtown kopitiam.)

 

There were other options for food but since my sub-conscious
mind had decided on my behalf, I carelessly chose to solve my hunger there. The
waiter gave me a menu, pointing at a particular selection saying “Newest in our menu”

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Now that is something new you won’t get in the oldtown neighborhood of Ipoh. Therefore,

save the time of choosing what to eat, I went on and ordered
just that.

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It came(hmm), I look(interesting) and I ate( -_-" )

 

It was nothing special…frankly. It taste like those ordinary
fish dish cooked with tomato ketchup. Ok….when a fish is cooked this way the
fish would probably say “They wasted my life T.T”

 

Unlike that, I find that the way IKEA prepares its fish
& chip satisfies me even more.

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It looks simple but….low and behold in a blink of an eye it’ll
turned out like this…

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Ahh…the simple things of life that fills me up.

And of coz now the fish can probably stand out proud in heaven saying "I DIED WITH PRIDE!!!"

20-210506 filled with food

Monday, May 22nd, 2006


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Picked my relatives up from town in the morning and went straight to Chinatown for brunch. Right at the alley behind Chinatown, we had our must-have porridge, served with yummy fried “char chiong” (fried pork intestine)..yummm. And if the pork intestine disgusted you, not to worry as fish porridge are also available. Fish are served in 2 ways here; cooked together with the porridge or “sashimi” style where u can dip thin slices of fish into the steamin’ hot porridge.

Ahh yes, since we were in Chinatown my cousin didn’t want to loose out the chance of getting the barbecued duck from the famous “Sey Ngan Chai”, so we “tarpao” a duck for later consumption.

The urge of going to a movie suddenly came to our idea when my cousin mentioned that she haven’t watch m:i:iii. We picked 1U as our targeted destination for the show, and the Chinatown duck gets to follow. Yea, it was my 2nd time watching the movie so it has became mm:ii:iiiiii to me instead… -_-‘ lame. I didn’t mind watching it for the 2nd time, and it turned out equally as entertaining as the 1st time. I like the part where  Jules electrocuted Ethan Hunt – takes lotsa, lotsa guts to do that to someone you love. Understands everything within the show better except for “What in the name of Einstein is the Rabbit’s Foot?”. One thing for sure is that it must have been really lucky having one, so much more that Ethan Hunt came back to life after the electrocution sentence performed by his wife(“that’s for not telling the truth, Ethan”).

We went for a steamboat dinner after that, at a place call “HoHo Steamboat” in Sri Petaling. (Santa Clause must have eaten here to have such a name). Along with the steamboat we had, the Chinatown duck finally made its featured appearance here.

We rested well that night, anticipating for the trip to Ipoh on the following day.


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We started the journey as early as possible in order not to miss breakfast @ Ipoh. It only took 2 hours+ for us to reached food haven. Brunch at Ipoh Old Town was the plan.

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There’s this place at Jln. Bandar Timah, Ipoh Old Town we went to, called "Thean Chun"; also known as "House of Mirrors". The place was packed with people that we have to wait for our seats.

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The food we ordered?…woah…makes me drool by just thinking bout it.

52176757newfolderimg_0074sOne of Ipoh’s finest "Kai Si Hor Fun" (Minced Chicken Koay Theow)

52176750newfolder0512031144canondigitali My favorite Pork Satay. You don’t get this in many places. In fact, this is my only source.

Ccf The CCF or "Chee Chiong Fun" is another favorite of mine. "Oh,how thee smooth texture in unity with fragrant musroom sauce melts thy heart~~"

We also ordered the "Sotong Kangkung", "Pohpia/Fried Pohpia" and my favorite "Egg Custard" T_T ahh..the tears of joy sound the feelings of my tastebuds.

We went back to KL within the same day in the evening. But wait! Our food exploration with Ipoh hasn’t ended yet. Together with us we had the Ipoh Salted Chicken for dinner (yea, both nights we had birds). And that’s not it! We had steaming hot porridge and even bought back yummylicious Sri Kembangan "Salted Egg Crab" (trust me, i don’t call it yummilicious for nothing) as additional.

Phew, it was the ultimate satisfaction for the day. "We live to eat"

Dining With Madame Mum

Tuesday, May 16th, 2006

"14th of May , year 2006 was a day dedicated to someone I always think that they’re the coolest person on earth….mothers" - emmanuel

I do admit when it comes to expressing myself with gifts i’m just not that creative -_-" But i always believe that one way to get to a person’s heart is through their stomach. Therefore I brought mum to an "Amarjit"(Mother’s Day) Dinner at Manhattan Fish Market.

It was totally a fortunate night where we were served by one of the Chef of MFM with a fairly good service. May I present Chef Raziman..
Raziman

He recomended us the mother’s day promotion - "Buy 2 main meals and the 3rd will be free".
Mum and I were looking at each other trying to telepath "Doesn’t this guy know how to count? There’s only 2 of us. We can’t finish 3"
The chef then continued recommending us more options..
"You can take the Manhattan Seafood Platter for 2…it’s considered 2 main meals and you can take another meal for free"
Looking at the menu, the platter picture do look mouth wattering and at the same time i also wanted mum to try "Baked Fish in Garden Herbs" (I like "Baked Fish in Garden Herbs"). After a split moment of consideration I turned to the chef and ask "If cannot finish, can take away?"
The chef smile "Of coz. Chinese’s orders are always clever". In addition, we ordered the Seafood Chowder..it was niiiiicee…and i guarantee it’s nothing like campbell soup.

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Manhattan Seafood Platter for 2

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Baked Fish in Garden Herbs

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Seafood Chowder

What’s best about the promotion was it came with a free instant photo taken.

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The MFM(Manhattan Fish Market) Sticker entitles 10% discount on any food in MFM, LIFETIME!!

We ate to our hearts’ content that night and yes…we did "Tarpao" (take-away) the "Baked Fish in Garden Herbs"….and so… mum had expensive lunch the following day

The whole meal was generally worth it for a total of RM61.76 versus the good service and nice food provided. All praises to Chef Raziman ..give him a hug when u see him

the eve of 14052006

Sunday, May 14th, 2006

Woke up late..and i’ve got a car service appointment to rush to. Was 15 minutes late but fortunately, EON Service reserve the half day (they open halfday on Saturdays) for customers which has made an appointment. However i loose my turn as the first service in line, so i have to wait.
A service officer came to my service by the name of Amarjit Singh.I can’t help but to find that he has an interesting name….Amarjit means "Mother’s Day" in hokkien….He’s parent must have really wanted him to remember the important day badly. Hmm..wonder if they really understand hokkien.

Mother

Sunday, May 14th, 2006

was looking back at some old emails in my mailbox and one particular one cought my eye.
______________________________________________________________________________________________

The young mother set her foot on
the path of life. "Is this the long way?" she asked. And the guide
said: Yes, and the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of
it. But the end will be better than the beginning."

But the young mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could
be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered
flowers for them along the way, and bathed them in the clear streams; and the
sun shone on them, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be
lovelier than this."

Then the night came, and the storm, and the path was dark, and the children
shook with fear and cold, and the mother drew them close and covered them with
her mantle, and the children said, "Mother, we are not afraid, for you are
near, and no harm can come."

And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and
grew weary, and the mother was weary. But at all times she said to the
children," A little patience and we are there." So the children
climbed, and when they reached the top they said, "Mother, we would not
have done it without you."

And the mother, when she lay down at night looked up at the stars and said,
"This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned
fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today, I’ve
given them strength."

And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth, clouds of war
and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the mother said:
"Look up. Lift your eyes to the light. " And the children looked and
saw above the clouds an everlasting glory, and it guided them beyond the
darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all,
for I have shown my children, God."

And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the
mother grew old and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and
strong, and walked with courage.  And when the way was rough, they lifted
her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and
beyond they could see a shining road and golden gates flung wide. And mother
said, "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know the end is
better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children
after them."

And the children said, "You will always walk with us, Mother, even when
you have gone through the gates." And they stood and  watched her as
she went on alone, and the gates closed after her.  And they said: "We
cannot see her but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a
memory. She is a living presence……."

Your Mother is always
with you…. She’s the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street; she’s
the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks; she’s the cool hand on
your brow when you’re not well. Your Mother lives inside your laughter. And
she’s crystallized in every tear drop.? She’s the place you came from,
your first home; and she’s the map you follow with every step you take. She’s
your first love and your first heartbreak, and nothing on earth
can separate you. Not time, not space… not even death!

YOU MAY…

…PASS THIS ON TO ALL THE MOTHERS &
CHILDREN YOU KNOW.
MAY WE NEVER TAKE OUR MOTHERS FOR GRANTED…

Pass it on to the men
too because they have mothers too….

 

You TUBE

Wednesday, May 10th, 2006

I realized that most of my fellow bloggers nowadays are registered to You TUBE. What exactly is this You TUBE? Needless for me to say I believe it’s a well-known thing among us. It’s like enhancements to  blogs. You know? It’s like having natural beauty which is not enough and u plan to have heavy makeups or makeover..so that more people will tend to look at u. so, I thought to my self "why not I, too register myself to You TUBE and see what crap I can upload to ‘manuel @ 7ven" . Here is what I use YouTUBE for, for the first time. Enjoy!

o,yea..it’s in cantonese by the way. But no worries. u can be tickled by just the way they dance.

“The House of 1000 Mirrors”

Sunday, May 7th, 2006

I work in an environment where i meet many people everyday, where expressions plays roles in various ways. I read a mail today that I thought it was applicable. KahKeng..thanks for the mail.

 

 
 

 

 

"The   House of
  1000 Mirrors"
 
    Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place
    known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little
    dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he
    arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway
    of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears
    lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To
    his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other
    happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as
    his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000
    great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the
    House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place.
    I will come back and visit it often."
 
    In this same village, another little dog, who was not
    quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the
    house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head
    low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000
    unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled
    at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs
    growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself,
    "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there
  again."
   
   All the faces in the world are
  mirrors. What kind of
    reflections do you see in the faces of the people you
    meet? What reflection do others see when they look at you? 
      

 
 

 

 

For instance a person with a hang’ed-computer will just come to me with
a look of concern in the face. Being a technical colleague, of coz i
helped with a smile and when the problem is solved, the word "thank
you" is written all over the person’s smile. Moreover such service often comes with a tip of "feeling-good-that-i’m-able-to-help" in my
heart.

Ever heard of this phrase?…"Smile and the world will smile with you" Cheers… my friends!!

Smile

“….Robin, To… the other BatCave!!”

Friday, May 5th, 2006

here…i did promise on a 2nd part didn’t i. i should have
sufficient picture uploads by now.
ok, where was i? oyea. as we explore further in the cave we were introduce to
many rock and cave formations.
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this piece of rock here is no ordinary rock. it’s formed from the deposition of
calcium carbonate. yea calcium - same as the
content formulated into our toothpaste so as per expected the rock is as white
as our teeth (that’s if you use Colgate). But from the picture it looks
a lil’ brownish..hmm probably like coffee stains to our teeth. It was pretty
conservative over such rocks and formation due to its many precious years of
structure formation. So much more conservative that we were told not to lay our
fingers on it.

Our guide posted us a question, "Can you guess if this rock
is soft or solid?". Ok, when someone forbids you from touching something and
ask you question related to its surface - surely curiosity will arise and from
then onwards i started touching almost every "thousand-year-old" rock
without the guide’s notice….Hahaha, Of cos not! i was pretty obedient then. We all guess
it to be solid because it’s made up of calcium…like our teeth. There are many of such formations. There was even one particular stone which we were told that every year there are people who perform rituals by circulating the rock for fertility purposes. It’s such a waste i don’t have the picture with me..cos its shape really look familiar to me.

Exploring to the next chamber, D, we saw even more formations.

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this, is one of the largest gaul-pool in the cave. It forms up with curved-in
side that keeps the water i from flowing out.

Rock and formation is all there is. Ever wonder what the cave creatures feed
on? For every habitat, surely there is an ecosystem cycling its round. In here,
it goes something like this:

Cycle

Sorry for the ugly draft. I don’t have Photoshop on my office desktop

There’s 2 kind of bats, the ones that stay in the outer caves eats fruits that they find outside the cave. They eat and ear, and there comes the precious..the dunk - Gwano (i think that’s how it’s spelled). The roaches are then feed on gwano so it’s their prciouse as well. After that, comes the inner cave bats that eats the roaches..then comes another..and another. Yea..that’s more or less how it goes..roughly.. i think. This eat that, that eat this…they’re all one big happy family.

In between Chamber B and D we came accross "Great Chamber" and boy, i love the sight.
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Behold! the Great Chamber!!

By now you should be questioning "Where is Chamber C then?". If not, then it’s proven that you don’t know your ABCs.

Chamber C is in fact the longest chamber among the rest and it requires more active movements like climbing, crossing wet terrains and crawling.. and i seriously mean crawling as of "belly-on-the-ground" kind of crawling, coz the space through the cave can be as small as just your body size. Because of that, the camera were left aside before we went in chamber C..how dissapointing = ( we could have capture our experience if we had an heavy-duty, all terain..camera…the build tough 1.

The crawling was the best, it’s the only one time where you’ll need to move 1 by 1 and on your own because most places are only able to fit a single person. There was a moment that i actually lost trail of the person infront of me and it was really dark depending only on my trustworthy torch(loosing the light infront).

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We all came out tired but sattisfied.If you zoom in the image above, you’ll see that my clothes are all covered in brown mud, or maybe gwano.However, not to worry, public toilets are provided for you to bathe. So before you go for such trip, prepare yourselves with extra clothings. Coz if u don’t, believe me, you’d wish that your car to have more then 10 fresheners installed.

We left the Dark Cave with 1 last look at the cave
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*Sigh… What an experience to remember. Something you might wanna tell your grandchild "I used to be a Caveman".

02 / 03 0506

Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006

it’s 1:43am…i can’t sleep. i can’t help but to think of the cat i ran over with my car yesterday…it’s haunting me now. argh!! eerrie..a shot of cold just went up my spine….i’m sorry cat..i’m so sorry

Dear Lord,
I ask of Your forgiveness for i’ve murdered a cat. May its poor soul souls (all nine of them…i think) rest in peace.

Berksl0105c It’s white in color if not mistaken..