Kepong Metropolitan Park

Second Half

So it's been a while.

2 more days and we'll be welcoming June! My new condo will be ready very soon, I have a new job to embark on in July and I'll be taking my mom to an oversea mother and daugther trip for the very first time! This means two items will be checked out of my bucket list. I'm excited.

At the moment, everything seems to be on cruising mode and I can't possibly ask for anything more...    

slowly steady win the race

RIP Helmy

 

Today is a sad day. I know it doesn’t resonate with the theme of this blog… but it calls for a post. Life is so strange sometimes, not to mention ever so fleeting. Yesterday, I was catching up with Chris over dinner on our happenings of the day and he told me about a fatal car accident that he witnessed at southbound highway. He said it in such a-matter-of-fact way... it looked pretty bad don’t think whoever in it would have made it, but oh well shit happens you know... and then later in the night I was shocked to learn that the passing victim was actually my colleague! A young 33 year old father hit by a sleepy driver while on his way home to break fast with his family. He died on the spot. Leaving 2 young kids and wife behind. Their Raya will never be the same again. Breaks my heart to even imagine how are they gonna pull through this undeserving ordeal…

I don’t know Helmy well but we’ve worked together on a couple of projects before. We have debated and exchanged views; I bumped into him at the lift just days ago where we smiled and talked briefly. He had a chance to live, had the sleepy driver decided to pull over and rest.

Suddenly it becomes a jolt... just too close to home. Rest in Peace, my friend.

Babies Party at Tappers

 

birthdays for babies are always an achievement of milestones. I don’t have kids myself but seeing my baby twin nieces growing up a little more everyday makes my heart skip a beat for them. They just turned one last week.

if you have little ones at home and ever come across the headache, or rather excitement should I say, of where and how to throw them a little nice birthday party so that these pictures taken will become memoirs of a lifetime for your little creation, even though you know very well, that they won’t remember a thing about this occasion 10 years later. haha

anyway here’s an idea.

 

being the so-called “creative” individual in the family, I was given a heavy task to organize decorate the party. I didn’t have to worry about guest lists nor party venue and food, but everything else was pretty much under my belt.

Diving in Dumaguete & Oslob

I’m still having a vacation hangover so let’s talk about the Philippines dive trip that I just came back from few days ago. This was a long awaited trip that I desperately needed as a little breather from work. 9 days getaway for the sun and the sea sounded just perfect for me.

Dumaguete is a city totally unheard of before we started planning for the trip. I was really excited when being told that there could possibly a session of whale shark interaction if we were lucky. Little did I know it would turn out to be a trip unforgettable. 

Diving in Tioman

A year has come and gone like a whizz, as you know dive season in Malaysia only lasts for a good couple of months in a year (Mar – Aug) to guarantee good vis and safety; while the rest of the months are not advisable for diving as the coast is often plagued by monsoon & torrential rain. I am so happy to have logged my first dive trip this year in beautiful Tioman Island just last month.

This is my second visit to Tioman Island. Still remember once upon a time, I was once so skeptical about getting drowned and challenged myself on the probability of being eaten by sharks… but all is history now cos I took the plunge and did my open water in Tioman Tekek Village 2 years ago.

Happy 2012!

Hello people! It’s been a while.

Life has been treating me pretty good. They say time flies when you are having fun, indeed! There has been so much happenings in the past months I do not even know where to start. It’s just really hard to keep up with a blog when social media never stop mushrooming new ways (mostly simpler and easier) of sharing life’s tit bits with your network. 

I don't have any grand plans for 2012. i just want to continue staying healthy and happy and hopefully with God's blessing I can give more . It's a wake up call after dad succumbed to cancer, a good friend who's barely recovering from a freak accident and a classmate who recently lost his wife to depression. I've come to realize life is no longer just about bonus and how skinny you can be...

Diving in Bidong Island

My last dive trip in 2011 was made to the forgotten island of Mini Saigon called Pulau Bidong.

Before embarking on the journey, I was quite apprehensive about the trip after having done some search about this little deserted island. Pulau Bidong used to be a UNHCR refugee camp post Vietnam war in the 1970s for about 20 years before it was declared as a restricted zone and closed from the public in 1991 ever since.

Daily Grind

lunch date at Delicious, Dua Residency

rainy December

Stormy Friday

Warrior

I haven’t done a movie review in a while now. That’s also probably because I haven’t seen one which was so so gripping since “my sister’s keeper”, and I have to say Warrior is probably the most emotional movie I’ve watched this year. Despite its ridiculously clichéd script, I find this movie superbly engaging, impressive fight sequences (not like I know MMA that well anyway) and terrific performances from the 3 actors. 

Personally not an avid fan for fighter movies. Oscar award winning movie Million Dollar Baby left me with a heavy heart for days. Warrior however turned out to be a lot deeper than I’ve expected it to be. The emotions were so raw and powerful depicting the enduring love of a family but i don’t want to spill any beans so say no further…

Redang

  

Finally had time to post this up. Went to Redang Island in July… beach quality there was superb. Redang is a popular tourist/ diving spot among locals and foreigners and shame on me,  it was my very first visit despite being a Malaysian. Seriously, Malaysia is a country that has one of (or many) the most beautiful tropical beaches in the world, not to mention they are affordable too.

 

It was a relaxing leisure dive trip with my fellow diver friends from Ipoh.

Sleep… Dive… Eat…

for 4 days and 3 nights.

Osteria Mozza

In a recent trip to SIngapore during Raya holiday break, we checked out this famous celebrity chef Mario Batali’s restaurant in Marina Bay Sands. 

September

life has been treating me pretty well. in fact it's been so well that I'm beginning to prosper sideways... sigh! no thanks to rainy season i haven’t done any running in a while. so now it's time to buck up again, run run running man!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Kuala Sepetang, Tepi Sungai Seafood Restaurant

In a recent trip back to my hometown of Ipoh which I sometimes also call it a dead town, as the number of hangout and exploratory places are always so limited. Boy was I wrong. A trip to Kuala Sepetang was somewhat an eye-opener as I never knew there was such a great place existed in Perak!  Traditionally this a river port for local fishermen to offload their catch, well I think it still is today. Eating at this place guarantees the freshest seafood you can find, not to mention its tranquil and beautiful river mangrove scene which I find almost therapeutic.

nice view while enjoying our lunch

Kuala Sepetang is about 45 mins to an hour drive from Ipoh town. I say it makes a great day out on a lazy Sunday, where you get to enjoy the river view and fresh seafood. I will definitely revisit this place again.

Sungai (RT Weld Restaurant)
No 150 Tepi Sungai, Kuala Sepetang, 34650 Taiping
Tel : 05 8581169
Business Hour : 11am - 9.30pm
GPS Coordinates : N04 50.150 E100 37.620

Cordon Bleu, Jalan Kuala Kangsar

One of the best Hainanese Chicken Chop I’ve ever had actually, besides the ones that my mum makes of course. Chicken was pan-fried to perfection, served with fried egg and coselaw.   

This place is definitely a Ipoh hidden gem, it takes more than a local to know about the restaurant. Here’s a more detailed review with directions to get there:

http://ipohchai.com/chicken-chop-rice.php

Citrus, Ipoh

Most people (non-locals) who visit Ipoh will not think of going for steaks when the city is famous for local delicacies. I remember Piffs asked me a while back about fine dining restaurants in Ipoh, I was scratching my head hard. There’s one big boy in town starts with D but that’s pretty much it.  Now I found another good one, it’s called CITRUS.

We had their sampling menu for RM80/ per pax

Bobbi Pole

Pole Dancing for Fitness is a hot trend in Australia and in the US but it’s still a very new sport for women in Asia. I love to watch pole dancing competitions cos it always amazes me how strong the core of these superwomen are and yet, they possess such a feminine and curvy body. Honestly I was quite shy to admit my interests in this so I’ve always kept it under the carpet.

Until recently.

Mobile Blog Test

technologies bring family closer

Hen Night in Ipoh

My good friend is getting hitched next month. As part of the wedding ritual, me and some girlfriends threw her a hen night party in Ipoh last weekend.

 

L got her the frenchmaid costume from Bangkok; I got her the beautiful veil from Lovely Lace (RM60); Tiara for the girls (RM2.50 each); some generic games like Truth or Dare, I’ve Never and viola! With 15 sporting hens and a drunken bridezilla in tow, the party turned out to be a blast.