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Last Saturday, my colleagues and I went for a food trip to Ipoh and back..all within a day. Why? Well, because we’re bunch of crazy ass people and got nothing else better to do…haha. But seriously, we’ve been planning this trip for the longest time and when it finally materialized, everyone was so excited. You see, in order to get everyone to go, everyone has to be free on a particular weekend…which nowadays..is very hard to come by, seeing that many of us have other commitments.

We started to meet at the mamak below our office. We had a planned out itinerary so everyone had to be punctual and meet at 7AM otherwise, he/she will be paying a penalty by paying extra for the food. So by 710AM sharp, we headed for our first destination, Bidor a small town in Perak, to be in time for breakfast. There is a shop called Pun Chun Noodle House which serves the famous Duck Drumstick Noodles. They are also known for their home made biscuits and Taro Dumplings (Wu-kok in Cantonese). The duck noodles and taro dumplings didn’t disappoint me one bit. It really really good and I would recommend it to anyone who plans to make a stop there.

Duck drumstick noodles

Chicken mushroom noodles

Herbal duck soup

Taro dumplings (wu kok)

After filling our stomachs, our next destination was to Teluk Intan for some sight seeing and to taste the famous Rojak. Well, the famous place to go in Teluk Intan is the leaning clock tower, sort of like the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy…only not as tall, not as old and not as famous. It was the first time for some of my colleagues to be there, so they were quite excited. For me, I’ve been there before more than once, and I got to say…it’s rather sad to see that such a distinct landmark not properly maintained. There was a bazaar, and stalls were setup all around the place that made it an eyesore. It’s sad…but nevertheless we did have fun taking pictures there.

leaning clock tower of Teluk Intan

After the clock tower, we went to have the Rojak Ah Chai which had great reviews from food blogs. Honestly if you ask me, it was only so-so, and nothing great.

Ah Chai Rojak

happy people having rojak and coconut juice

After rojak, we headed to Ipoh to be in time for lunch. On our way there, Eugene who was our convoy leader, decided to ask his GPS to take us through the “scenic route”….we end up in some palm oil plantation where roads were only wide enough for 1 car at a time…so guess what happened when there was a car headed from the opposite direction? The poor guy have to back up and give us way…because we were in a convoy of 4 cars mah! I bet he felt out scared and intimidated…that’s why he gave way. Nevertheless, we made it to Ipoh just in time for the famous Bean Sprout Chicken Rice at Lou Wong. The verdict of this famous Chicken Rice?….Let’s just say I’ve tasted better…and apart from the fat(ter) bean sprouts, I don’t know what the fuss is all about.

us again having chicken rice..

After lunch, we walked across the street to get some famous biscuits, then head to this place called Funny Mountain which is famous for their “Tao Fu Fa” and soya bean milk.

me slurping down tao fu fa

Again..for me it’s nothing great. Maybe because I never was a huge fan of it to begin with, but I got to say the texture is different to those found back home in KL. It’s firmer and smoother…plus it only cost 80 cents per bowl. After that, it looked like we were all going home, until Mike said why don’t we go get some gourmet desserts at Indulgence. I mean..how can anyone resist gourmet desserts right? By this time, I was already too full for desserts, but that didn’t stop everyone else from ordering nearly everything on the dessert menu. The bill came up to about RM182.00, which actually cost more than all of the food we had previously for everyone combined…insane?…yes!

nearly the whole dessert menu..

After dessert, we headed home, all stuffed and satisfied, already planning our next food trip. Where to next?..maybe to Seremban or Malacca? We’ll see what happens. Overall, the trip was a successful one. The company was great, and we really stuck to the planned itinerary and even made it back in time for dinner. With that, here is a group picture which was taken outside a biscuit shop in Ipoh.

See you for the next food trip!!! :)

Photos by: Olivia Siow, Eric Cheong, Sonia Zuzartee, Eugene/Audrey Lim

I was in Singapore again last week, mainly to meet up with my friends and party because the last time I was there (just a week before that), I only stayed for less than 48 hours. Well, I manage to meet up with Joyce and her friends and she took me to this place call Howl At The Moon. It’s located at Peranakan Place, along Orchard Road (specifically along an alleyway right next to CenterPoint Shopping Center). I’ve got to say I haven’t come across such a place back here in KL, and it would be great that they do open up a franchise.

“..Howl at the Moon takes the term "piano bar" to heights, with the piano players offering up witty discourse while encouraging the audience to "sing-along" to songs almost everyone knows by heart. Anyone who delights in good music will have a wonderful experience." - Howl At The Moon Tampa

If you want some fun having a guys/girls/group night out in Singapore, this is the place to be. There are performances from a band that entertains the crowd through a unique mix of music, comedy and sarcasm. What I like about the place that it has a “Phrase of the Night” board for the highest bidder. So, if you want to put up a quote or something quirky, all you have to do is to pay more that the specified price on the board and your quote will be up for all to see. They even have a “High-Roller” column, where bidding starts at say SGD$20. It’s really an ingenious way to get the crowd participate and to also generate income for the place…brilliant!

I just have to take this “Phrase of the Night” :P

I really had fun together with Joyce and her friends. If you know Joyce, you know how wacky she can be at times…

Joyce & I

The ladies

Joyce & I fooling around…

Juliet & I

The group shot..

I ended up super tipsy by the time I took the cab back to my hotel (it was around 330AM). The amazing thing was..the cab driver didn’t know where my hotel was exactly, so I told him to stop me somewhere nearby and I walked back (2 streets ok!)…not bad right?  Thanks Joyce for a really awesome night. It was really good catching up with you again. It was my first time there that night, and I can already tell you that I would want go back there again.

*Click here for more photos

[post updated: 20 August 2009]

I was in Singapore last Sunday to catch Liverpool FC vs the Singapore national team. Thanks to Kevin who got me the all expenses paid trip there. Although it was a rush thing, it was really quite an experience.

proud to be part of the entourage..

There were a total of 5 busses of Liverpool fans from KL with the labels  “The Red Entourage Tour” on the sides and front of the bus. There were also a bus each from Ipoh and Malacca, which we met up later in Singapore. We departed from Bukit Jalil on Sunday morning around 915AM. We stopped by a KFC outlet along the way for lunch which we redeemed with our given voucher. Voucher entitles you to an X-Meal…not too bad I must say. But by then, I kinda regretted having a little too much Dim Sum before we boarded the bus.

The journey took a little longer than expected because we made a few stops along the way. Mainly because, as part of an “entourage” all the busses have to stick together. So we met up at highway rest areas for “toilet breaks” and “beer breaks”. Yes…beer breaks..there were a few cartons of beer on board the bus in a cooler…how convenient. The organizers kept telling us, we have to finish the beer as we are not allowed to bring in alcohol upon reaching the checkpoint. So…you can see a few uncles and aunties drinking beer in the middle of the highway rest area in the afternoon. It’s quite a funny sight as the elder crowd kept asking us to drink up and don’t waste beer!

The auntie that can’t wait to drink..

Once we reached our hotel, which by the way was a Parkroyal hotel, we were given time to freshen up and rest, before coming down for high-tea. You see, the game starts at 730PM, so it seems a little illogical to be providing dinner. Very good compromise I must say. Well, being Carlsberg, what’s high-tea without free-flow of beer?!! Kevin and I had 2 bottles each during high tea but when we wanted to get our third…they ran out! Kevin jokingly said..”this is a Carlsberg event…how can they run out of beer!” Oh well, I guess the didn’t expect people like us there…haha!

free flow beer always makes me happy!

After high-tea, we were given our tickets for the game..

Oh..noticed the ticket says: “Grandstand Lower”? It means we’re really really close to the players. In fact, we were so close, one diehard girl fan wanted to give one of the players a present. Obviously she was being ignored, but it was fun to see how she begged (yes she really begged Xabi Alonso to take her gift!).

Calrsberg girls posed when we took out our cameras

The following are pictures of the stadium and during the match.

Reina warming up..

warming up during half time

the man everyone came to see…Fernando Torres

The atmosphere was electrifying. If you close your eyes for a moment during the anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, and during all the classic Kop chants, I swear you will feel like you’re in Anfield. The match ended with Liverpool thrashing the Singapore national team 5-0. Honestly I’m quite surprised with the score line because I always thought they were a better than the Malaysian national team who managed to play well although they lost (3-2) to Manchester United because of a late goal. Maybe its a sign that Malaysian football is improving..

the scoreboard says it all

We headed for supper (and a few more drinks) after the match and call it a night. The next day, we had an awesome hotel buffet breakfast, and then headed home. Thanks Kevin for letting me with you on this once in a lifetime experience and thanks Carlsberg Malaysia for organizing such an awesome event.

*Click here for more pictures

I got a call from Kevin yesterday afternoon and he told me that he had won some tickets to watch Liverpool FC play in Singapore and whether or not I’m interested to follow. Of course without hesitation I said “YES!”. For a chance to see Liverpool FC play?…anytime. It will be an all expenses paid trip…transport, accommodation and even meals will be covered by Carlsberg Malaysia.

However, there is a catch. It’s going to be a super rush trip…and super rush I mean that I’ll only be in Singapore for slightly more than 24 hours. I’ll be leaving on Sunday morning, and reaching SG by noon. The match is on the same night, so we’ll be staying over for a night before departing back home the next morning. Will be pretty tiring I guess…but hey..at least I get to see Liverpool play! YNWA!

This is about my trip to Tioman Island last weekend. It’s my first time there so I didn’t have any expectations whatsoever. To my surprise, the place is simply awesome! If you really want a short getaway from the city and to chill out by the beach in some island…this is a place to consider. Clean sandy beaches, cheap accommodation, cheap booze (it’s a duty free zone), and great company…the perfect combo for a holiday.

There were 8 of us who went, and out of the 8, 5 of them were mainly there for diving and the other 3 (myself included)….well, we’re there just to chill and for the cheap alcohol.

upon arrival at the jetty, awaiting the ferry

We stayed in Coral Reef chalets in Tekek Village.Tekek is considered the heart of Tioman Island, and it’s where the airport is situated. Room rates are from RM45 to RM150.00 per room per night by the beach. The rooms comes with 2 beds, air conditioning, water heater and TV in some (got Astro some more wei!)…not too bad if you ask me. A word of caution though…if you’re planning to bring your “princess-like” girlfriend/wife who can’t tolerate bugs and a not so perfect bathroom…don’t bother getting a room here…after all we only paid RM75 per person for 2 nights…what more can you ask for?

there are several hammocks in front of our rooms which was simply heaven!

Can you believe that this is actually the view from the hammock?

The beach

Crystal clear waters

sunset by the beach looked so calm and peaceful

For us non divers, we went snorkeling and chill by the beach during the day and during the night…well need I say more?

choosing our poison at a duty free shop

With alcohol being cheaper than a can of Coke there, it’s quite hard not over buy. Imagine a can of Tiger beer is going for only RM2 per can and a bottle of Hoegarden is only going for RM5! So on the first night itself, we bought a bottle of Glenfiddich single malt whiskey (12 years), a bottle of Absolut Mango and a couple of bottles of other imported beers.

note the price of this single malt whiskey?

these are our purchases on the first night!

It’s actually quite surprising that despite so much alcohol that we bought, none of us were actually really drunk on both nights. I think it’s mainly due to the fact that the majority of them had to go diving the next morning and consumption of alcohol before diving is a big no-no (heard they can actually revoke your dive license even). But even so, being tipsy for 2 nights straight was good enough for me…it was really fun nevertheless.

On the final day, Rabin & I rented bicycles and we rode around the island. I think that was my first time on a bicycle in after 5-6 years. It really feels great to ride again. I did most parts of the journey myself though, as Rabin was too tired to continue and headed back to the room half way for a rest.

I cycled to this marina where all the boats are parked..

And to this pier where several people were seen fishing..

coastal view from the pier

I think judging from the pictures, it’s hard for anyone to leave such a beautiful place just after 3 days. We were all contemplating to actually extend our stay for at least a week! Sighh…Oh well that’s just wishful thinking I guess, but I will most certainly come back here again…if it’s not for the beach…it’s certainly for the cheap alcohol…haha!

Our final picture…

Note: Some pictures are courtesy of Eric Cheong