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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

[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

Last Saturday was and eventful one. There was so many things going on. My day started at 630AM, as I woke up early to travel to Seremban for a friends wedding. The brides hometown is in Seremban, therefore all the "heng tais" have to gather at Subang at 730AM to start a convoy there. The interesting part of this was, it was something rather different than the rest of the customary bridal pick-ups. We were all FORCED to wear Manchester Utd jerseys as it was one of many criterias from the bride before the groom can get to her. Not only that, we were also FORCED to memorize and sing "Glory Glory Man Utd!" before they even open the gates! Buggar! Me and another one of the "heng tai" are Liverpool fans, and the groom is actually a Chelsea fan, so making us wear those jerseys was a bitter pill to swallow. The bride is a die hard Man Utd fan you see, but nevertheless, for the groom, we were willing to let this one slide (you owe us one Teej!).

This is the FIRST, LAST and ONLY time you will ever see me in a Man Utd jersey…

All the "Chi Muis" & "Heng Tais"

Anyway, we all arrived in Seremban at around 930AM and were torchured in doing stupid stunts (all part of the Chinese custom) in order to get to the bride. From putting fruits down another guy’s pants and drinking out of milk bottles to doing Karma Sutra positions, I shall leave it to your imagination on how bad it was. After the torchuring, we all had something to eat and then headed home to KL at about 1230PM (the dinner ceremony will be the following week where alcohol will be served…yay!).

As soon as we arrived, everyone headed their separate ways. I went to my condo to get some measurements as I need to source for tiles and also furniture. After getting the measurements, I headed to a few lighting shops to get some quotations for some lights. There was a shop having a 50% off promotion on all their items apart from their Best Buy items which I thought was great. Problem is, I have to speak to my contractor first because some of the lightings I want require special installation and rewirings to be done. After the light shopping (pun intended), I headed home for awhile to get some rest. It was already about 430PM by this time.

Upon reaching home, Jean called me up for dinner at BSC at 7PM. We were supposed to meet there around 830PM together with some friends later for a play at The Actor’s Studio, but since I haven’t had dinner plans made so why not right? After dinner, we met up some friends and watched Kam..In Your Face, a musical-comedy-cabaret starring actors Joanne Kam, Douglas Lim, Gavin Yap and Susan Lankester.

The cast members of Kam…in Your Face

Jean, May Lynn & I, just before the play started

For me the show was alright but not great. I personally feel the humor is a little too dry and very localized, meaning the "guai lous" in the audience would probably be wondering "What the fuck are they talking about?" Well, for me personally, I prefer something more witty and not so much of the "trying-to-be-funny-just-because-it’s-a-comedy" humor. Then again, it’s pretty subjective. I did enjoy the cabaret performances though. Another thing is that I don’t find it funny to be dissing the audience that paid less that were sitting at the sides rather than in front of the main stage. I think it’s rather rude. Just because they pay less doesn’t mean you look down on them. Although we were sitting right in the middle, I still feel for the people sitting on the sides. Very bad of them to do so. The show ended around 11PM and we headed to WIP for drink and snacks.

Just then, Samantha called to tell me that she and her friends will be at Poppy. At first I was rather reluctant to go because I was up since 630AM and was a little tired. Then again, I haven’t seen Sam for awhile, so I went down to party with her and her friends. It was around 1230 AM at this point. I must say I am getting too old for the clubbing scene. I don’t really enjoy clubbing like I did a few years back. It’s extermely packed and stuffy in there. Not to mention moving around is just urrgh! Plus you see so many YOUNG wannabes! Maybe I’ve outgrown the clubbing phase, I guess that’s why I’m not at Freedom 08 for Tiesto in Port Dickson to begin with…haha! I mean don’t get me wrong, I still go clubbing and raves if there is a reason for me to do so (friend’s birthday, farewell, mother’s day…etc), but given a choice, I would prefer to just chill at a bar anytime.

Samantha was so happy to see me after so long…

I left there around 230AM and by the time I got back, it was already 3AM. So there, 20+ hours of activity in one day. I rested for most of the Sunday, with me only accompanying my sister for lunch and to shop for her new mobile phone during the morning. And oh..DAMN IT!..Man Utd and Ferarri won…machibai!

Being spontaneous might be good if you want your life to be exciting. However, being spontaneous without knowing the consequences can be well…disasterous? Last Saturday night (Sunday morning), after dinner with some friends, we were deciding on what to do. No one felt like doing anything, so me and a friend decided to go Genting at 12am to see if we can get some “pocket money” for the week. Well, I guess luck wasn’t on my side that night or maybe I wasn’t wearing my lucky underwear! In the end, the damage was around RM500 and that was in a matter of 3 hours! Bah!!! So who says being spontaneous is good?!! Looks like I have to resort to roti canai with sugar for the whole week!

Ok, finally! Here are some of the photos which I took during my trip out station about 2 weeks back where I witnessed a chinese procession that took place. Like I said, its held only once every 10 years or so (don’t ask me why..another person says its being held for the first time..so I really don’t know). Well, the procession was sort of like a parade, where chinese monks, priests, and followers from different chinese associations unite. They go around from house to house where alters were setup (as a sign of offering) and they blessed the owners and the house itself. Some of the monks/priests were sort of in a trance when they went from house to house. There was even a few that appeared drunk, carrying a bottle of Guinness stout in his hand (not sure was it an act or were they really drunk). There were even floats that drove by the houses that were decorated with lights and holy objects. Everyone was praying as each float passed by.

These are some of the pictures:

*Click here to view more pictures

Well, it was really an experience that night. I am yet to find out what the official name of this procession is. Anyone out there knows??