Vincenzo - Ristorante Italiano

Wanna blog bout tis for a while but nv seems to complete it. Well, went to tis function recently(that's way back to months ago !!) in Vincenzo's in Bangsar, organised by a beloved fren, Emma in celebration for her wedding. Now, back to time of her invitation to me to tis function 2 months back. Wedding & function in restaurant...that gave a vision of me wearing splendid baju Melayu "menyiram air mawar" to her & hubby laps' & then proceed for grand dinner..fair enuff.

One month into the event & received tis facebook invitation from that cat. The word Vincenzo popped out in the invitation page & I was like "Wahh..Malay wedding function in an Italian restaurant huh?? Cool cool.." And then there's a theme for tis function: Gals shud be in white & the germs (that wat she called us guys) in black. Headgear(or anythin on the head) is a must for all (anythin on the head will do) Doesn't bother much until the day where I searched high & low for that headgear & managed to find one, in the form of an artist cap, which I barely remember having it in my wardrobe.

Monsieur me seeking to explain the meaning of a life...

The event was to start at 6.30pm. Rushed to pick up few fellas & drove like a mad dog, thinking we're late. Of cos in line with the classic M'sian punctuality culture, we turned out to be the earliest birds & not even one soul can be seen. Went to have a walk instead, to kill time. Settled into tis stall, specially selling apam balik in nearby Lucky Garden. Went back to the place & saw the groom greeting us upstairs. One question popped out: Where the heck is the bride?

Being a gracious host, the groom politely said bride is on the way, traffic jam bla bla bla and "why don't u enjoy the food first while it's hot?" Got myself few cups of spaghetti as appetizers..yes, spaghetti served in cups & they were delicious !! Simply prepared but tasty when it's in your mouth...!!! Talked cock while waiting for the rest of the Fifth Formers peeps to arrive. When the bride finally showed up, dressed up in a She-Devil suit + the horns (as headgear), Emma immediately became the centre of attention. Party ended at bout 10.00 pm, just in time for us to catch the biggest match of the season (Arsenal vs MU) at the nearest mamak restaurant in Bangsar.

The gang with She-Devil

The gang with She-Devil + Hubby

U like Italiano food? Come here !! Come here!!

Missed the first half but 2nd half was a thriller & both sides gotta be satisfied with 2-2 draw. Fair result...Continue to talk cock after the match till wee hours with rest of the bunch. Talked bout planning the reunion trip on an island & honestly, we were never tis serious before...finally, we managed to get tis moving after many donkey years...talk bout tis soon...

Trip to the Highland of Tea

Went up to Cameron Highlands with several office colleagues recently. My last time up there was way back to 17 years ago. So,that's explain why I said yes immediately when Jeri, a female colleague popped the question (no no, it's not a proposal but invitation to the trip) Being a tea lover, I was already dreaming away about drinking my fave hot teh tarik, overlooking the mountains with rains drizzling away... & I could hear someone singing "Raindrops keep falling on my head..." Ahhh..

The "participants" consists of colleagues from Port Klang-Raj,Hafiz,Bobby,Ummu & hubby & Liza and HQ offices-Stef, Jeri & Chow while I'm the only representative from KLIA airport. A truly muhibbah bunch indeed. Started moving at noon after work & reached Brinchang at about 7.00pm. Along the way, I looked out the window, telling myself how much this place has changed over the years. Strawberry farms were sprouting everywhere, mainly catering for tourists with their "pick your own strawberry" promos. We checked into this Star Regency Apartment Hotel which is located at the central of the Brinchang town. Our apartment unit was a cosy one, complete with 3 rooms, Astro & a big hall area (to the extent we cud have a picnic on the floor,really!!!)

Morning view of Brinchang town from apartment balcony...

Went for a steamboat dinner outside the hotel. As it was raining heavily outside, we're unable to take a walk in the night market, situated just in front of the hotel. It was chilly cold even in the apartment. Naturally, staying indoor is the one & only option for the night. Ended up playing some poker games & talked cock till wee hours while enjoying fine red wines. Managed to gain small profits from the poker games & that makes a perfect sleeping potion for a tired me.

The next morning was perfectly breezy & went for breakfast in nearby restaurant. First stop of the visit is the Sunday market, situated somewhere near the Equatorial hotel. Looking at the fresh veggies/strawberries on sale at too-good-to-be-true prices, the spontaneous response is to call back home & said "Mum, dun go to the market today & I shall buy the veggies which can last us the whole week!!!" Where cud we find the selling price of RM 10.00 for 16 big packs of different veggies. Maybe the seller has overstocks that she happily gave me another 3 veggie packs for free...

Superfresh veggies on sale

Nature's answer to mosquito coil & Ridsect

Next stop is the Cameron Bharat cafe in Tanah Rata on the way down, perfect place to fulfill my dream. Ordered the teh tarik & sat down with rest of the peeps chit-chatting away,breathing the fresh mountain air while waiting for the shopaholic ladies to make their round..:) Minus the rain & the song, it's still a relaxing moment. With the stunning & breathtaking view of the plantation on the mountaneous area, I had a field day clicking away my camera. Last stop was the Lata Iskandar waterfall, which makes a perfect place for a group photo.

Cameron Bharat plantation

A MUST - group photo with scenic view as background

Now back to the drawing board, ppl said the highland has lost its lustre & not attractive enuff to the foreigners / tourists. My saying is the place has not really changed much in term of attractions. The tea plantation/veggie farms etc have been there for generations...trust me, people here really know how to brew tea with perfect blend & "ngam ngam" amount of milk...Solutions shud be searched to keep ppl coming back. The point here is the biscuit quality could still remains the same after many years but it's the matter of re-packaging/improvised marketing strategies for the products that will keep going a steady flow of customers. Got the idea Tourism Ministry staffs, if u happen to be seeing tis?

Now, let me sip my self-made Cameron Valley tea (bought from Bharat plantations) first before talking about other trips soon....

Being Multi Racial

"Multi-racial" has to be one of the widely used word in M'sia. It's always included in every messages by all politicians for any major occasions such as New Year, CNY, Raya, Deepavali etc etc.

Now...why am I talking about tis multi racial thingy when I'm here in M'sia, a melting pot for all cultures that u know of?? In recent times, we could hear politicians telling how can we integrate all races, uniting everyone with a single language, single aim, creating a Bangsa M'sia etc etc...Just sharing my pieces of opinions based on my personal experiences.

To create a single bangsa will take us generations to achieve it. We're just too different with our own beliefs, values etc. To follow the Indonesian concept, whereby everyone are forced to have "Indonesian names" and other languages are prohibited will be disastrous & go against what's stated in our Constitution. Instead of banging heads to come out with solutions, we should leave it as the way it is. Take a peek at the Tourism M'sia "Malaysia - Truly Asia" promo and u will understand what I'm trying to say. Diversity should be seen as a strength instead of barriers. We dun really need to be ONE to be united.

It's the basic values that need to be taught to the children by parents, educators etc. When ur loved, u will learn to love. When ur respected, u will learn to respect. When u have respect & tolerance for other people, u will get to understand the person. When all these are in places, unity will naturally follows. From primary skool up till working life, I'm pleased to have frens from all walks of life.

My recent trip to Cameron with bunch of colleagues (of different races) was a classic example (Shall talk bout the trip in next blog). Despite not knowing each other well, the trip turned out to be fun. Of cos people have certain religious or cultural restrictions that could deter our personal indulgences (eg eating pork/beef), the best thing to do is to recognise & accept. Mutual solutions can then be sorted out when we're being "sincerely frank" with each other. When we learn about give and take, personal sacrifice (eg on food) is only a minor thing to do.

Tis weekend will be eventful with me attending Emma's engagement evening function and the MU vs Gunners crunch match after that with my bunch of muhibbah frens from Fifth Formers. till then...

Family & Friends...

Last weekend has to be one of the most eventful for me thus far. I supposed the day shud be fun as I was celebrating my b'day on Friday. Let me start on event on that day. A subordinate of mine screwed up some urgent works on the day before, causing customers & other ppl fuming mad. Naturally,as the superior, I got something to answer here, bound to be @&%#) upside down.

Called into a meeting in the morning & Boss was screaming all the way. To worsen it, there are other stuffs were screwed up as well. This is example of one of the days in our life where all matters just dont turn out right (& I'm sure other ppl experienced tis too) and it happened on my belated day !!! It was to the extent that I looked up to the sky & asked "God, is this Your New Year message & lesson for me?" And then, one teaching (learned in Mahikari) suddenly popped out from mind,it said "We need to treat all things in the universe as voice of God". Made me realised that making mistakes is one thing. It's the process of learning from mistakes (normally tough & winding road) that will help us to improve further. Getting screwed & being answerable for somebody's mistakes is not easy really but it will be worth the pain (we'll realise it later in life) if we learn & understand the phrase by heart.

At nite, went for Western food dinner outside with my family for the b'day. And them to Skybar, Traders Hotel for drinks with several MYG frens. Great place to hang out at, with its modern Zen design, majestic view of KLCC & seductive pools nearby the tables. Definitely gotta be added into the list of best places to enjoy the KLCC view (as commented in my previous blog) My only intention that nite is just to sit down, drink, relax & get the mind away from the stress. So, to those fellas with me that nite, there's a reason why i'm quieter than usual...

Thanks for company !!

On Sat nite, went to Sahara Tent restaurant in BB with my best pal & other frens to sample some Arabic fares. I must say the meat dishes are tasty, especially the lamb. On both occasions in bar & restaurant, got a surprise birthday cake from the frens. The cakes are nothing to shout about actually but what matters to me here is the sincerity & the efforts of those fellas, which make it meaningful.

Small cakes given with big heart !!!

Upon reflection of tis, I'm glad to have my family and frens around me all this while. Call me being emo but tis time around makes me appreciate the ppl around me. Dad once asked me, "If ur outside and the world is going to end in 2 hours, where do you go?" Naturally, we'll go home to check out our loved ones & be with them for the last 2 hours of our life. Daily laughters & harmony in the family makes us feel secured & appreciate the love of one another.

Close frens who has been with us are not to be ignored as well. They might be sarcastic, annoying, full of crazy antics or watever u may describe them. We just gotta admit that their presence itself brightens our day or at very least, makes us feel better..u get wat I meant?? Words of comfort is not necessary actually but families and frens that being there and being themselves cheered me up for me to go thru my brand "new year".

To my family: Dad, Mum & my 2 siblings, I thank God for giving me YOU. To all the brothers & sisters out there, thanks for your companionship all these years. Your presence itself means a lot to me. Cherish ur families & frens for your life would not be complete & meaningful without them. To end tis, can somebody gimme a tissue box here??

Reliving the Old Days

Attended an old classmate's wedding recently. It was a grand Telugu wedding ceremony held in Shah Alam club. Food served is good too, especially the curry chicken. CONGRATULATIONS, Siva & wife !! Been to quite a number of wedding functions tis year. Being in tis age-group, which the old people call them the "ripe" age, the big M is a norm in our vocabulary here.

Also met up with other Form 5 classmates & went for drinks in Q-Bar after the wedding to catch up the old times. Obviously, the first question posed to start up a conversation is "One down, wonder who's next ahh??" Naturally, old skool stories been raised up & discussed. One interesting thing I must say about old skool stories is even though all these stories (mostly dumb incidents, crazy antics etc) are "recycled" over & over again over times, they're always funny & felt great to talk about it.

I dunno bout the others but I'm quite sentimental when talking about being together with old mates during those old skool days. VJ mentioned of him being eager to go to skool everyday to check out wat's up for the day. Everyday seems to be a new day with new things to be discovered together with the gang. I felt that too, VJ...& I'm sure same goes to most of us too.

Tell me for being emo but whenever reflecting those days & comparing against the students these days, I can't help but feeling touched about the camaraderie between all of us. We were ONE & not classifying each other as Chinese, Malay or Indian. We were Akurians (that's our class name)

Those old mates represented part of our own life history. Knowing or unknowingly, memories of them are already permanently etched in our mind. So, keep in touch always with the old skool mates to ensure your mind keep working...:)

Posted: 15/7/2007

Roti Talk

Been quite a while since last time writing here. Spending time around the city doing food sampling...in local language, we call it "jalan jalan cari makan". Since I'm passionate bout food & a bread fanatic, I decided to start with roti bakar or toasted bread. Don't laugh first, just continue reading for u might be one of those who overlooked one of the most underestimated food in M'sia.

I made my way to the coffeeshops and those upmarket kopitiam. Notice those kopitiam are sprouting like nobody business everywhere in KL. The main similarity u might overlooked is these shops originated from outstations such as Ipoh, Kluang & even Kuala Lipis. Now, back to the roti bakar, the standard preparation is the normal toasted bread, with butter & kaya. Ordinary ppl wil say it's the same taste everywhere,doesn't matter where u go. Let me say it's not the same taste & let me substantiate my claim.

Been to most of the kopitiams & being an ex-business student, I kept guessing what could be the shops' competitive advantage & differential advantage while making the roti bakar. At least there's an avenue for me to put theories into practices...heehehe. Put it this way:-

The BREAD: All the breads from the kopitiam are prepared in accordance to age-old Hainanese traditional recipe. No point talking about freshness of the bread as normally the kopitiam owners will order in bulk and store them over few days. Bread is either toasted from an oven or over charcoal fire. I'm not a rocket scientist who could xplain what could be chemical reaction causing the difference between the two toasting style. Believe me, the charcoal toasted bread always tastes better..Try eat an oven-baked pizza & charcoal-baked pizza, u will know what I meant.

The BUTTER: All the kopitiam do not produce their own butter. They are no different compared to the one u buy in supermarkets. No point talking about which butter is better than the others.

The KAYA: THIS is what make the difference from the others. Those kopitiams produce their own kaya, using secret recipes, passed down from generations. Legend has it said that the magical taste of the kaya depends on how many eggs & type of eggs used as the ingredient. Heard that some ppl actually use duck's eggs instead and it actually tastes better.

The other day I watched Bobby Chim in Discovery Travel Asia Cafe, he tasted the toasted bread in a Hong Kong cafe & praising how great it was. I was like "Are you sure Bob?? Come to KL and try our roti bakar first!!!!" Having sampling those roti bakar around the city, these are my top picks (not in order) for the best roti bakar:
1) TCK 1920 Hakkakaya, One Utama
2) Yut Kee Restaurant, Jln Dang Wangi
3) Hainan Chef Kopitiam, Summit USJ Shopping
4) Uncle Lim's Kopitiam (multiple branches)
5) Killiney Kopitiam, Damansara Uptown

Roti will never be complete without a cuppa cham

Let me know if there's any other places better..for I shall go and sample myself..:)

Petronas Twin Towers - A Sight To Behold

Since small, I had tis special interest of watching & enjoying the KL city night skylights. Each time I drive around town at nite,can't help but noticed the magnificient Petronas Twin Towers. Guess they've changed to a newer, better lighting system tis year cos it looked much better than ever. And these towers are best enjoyed from certain views, angles from multiple places around the city. I'm not a "walking compass" but I do "go places". Below are my lists of places(not in ranking order) to best enjoy the Twin Towers,doing yr favourite activity.

Pride of the nation indeed....

1) Coffee Bean Jalan P.Ramlee
My pick for the Coffee Bean outlet with best scenery in the city. Tell me where u can find a place, when u can slurp yr favourite ice blended coffee, admiring at the majestic towers and ogling at countless "gorgeous beings", all at the same time....Now, that's heaven...:)

2) Seven Ate Nine, Ascot KL
This bar in the luxurious Ascot Apartment has one corner (on top floor) with transparent coloured roof, where u can see the towers at approx 75 degrees up. The best thing of the place is the sofa beds with lots of pillows. Towers will be best enjoyed when u lay down on the sofa facing the towers and sipping yr favourite liquors. And the staffs won't stop u for not sitting up straight.....

3) Restoran Kampung Pandan, Ampang
Situated along the Kesas highway, just after Tesco Ampang. This mamak hangout has a big piece of land outside its premise,where tables will be arranged at nite. There, u could see the towers standing together with KL Towers shining so bright as if it lightens up the whole city. Best enjoyed with u facing the towers, enjoying the restaurant's signature curry fish head...

4) Restoran Sri Angkasa, KL Tower
Just in case u dunno, tis place is at top floor of KL Tower. Serving continental & inter'nal dishes at price of king's ransom, tis place is perfect if u've strike lottery & wanna enjoy lavish dinner while enjoying sights of the towers up close. Sit at any corner & enjoy your candlelight dinner. Only setback is the ur only able to see one side of the tower & it's way too close for us to enjoy the overall beauty of the building.

Tell me if there's any other places I might have overlooked & i shall go there try myself...No, I'm not doin any Tourism M'sia promo neither I had any biz deals with Petronas. Some might say buildings in HK, Paris,Shanghai or even Spore are much more beautiful. The point here is not about comparing which is better than the others but it's about getting to appreciate the things around us, in our own backyard (which most of us ignored). So, go out 2nite and enjoy the scene of a M'sian icon...

Posted: 23/4/2007

The Beginning...

Can't believe I did this...Before this, kept saying to ppl how I won't start a blog- telling bout my life to whole world bla bla...and now, here I am?!??!!

It's all started when my best pal started his own & pushing me to create one for myself too...talking bout peer pressure!! One weird incident is when I met a guy at a dinner. All of a sudden, he whispered "Do you blog?". I was like "Huh?? Blog?? Me?? Is that the "in" question these days?? Last time (or izzit my time??), usual questions are like"U play CM2 ahh??" "Anyone coming for a Warcraft game with me?"...guess tis a sign of getting old *sigh*

Then one gal friend said it's a place for u to "express urself, u know"...& I was like again "Huh?? Expressing myself with a possibility of ending up like Jeff Ooi & Ahiruddin Atan (the master bloggers) in court??". Talking about freedom of speech here...

Anyway, let tis blog be the start of a a journey of knowing the real me...