Diary of K

Pictures in Shanghai

2026-09-15T15:51:46.601+08:00

fried snacks

French Cafe

Pictures in Hangzhou

2026-09-15T15:41:17.745+08:00

View of Xihu or West Lake from Merchant Marco

Lingyin Temple

Inside one of the temple

Longjing Tea

Butterful and Creamorous

Hangzhou and Shanghai

2026-09-14T07:16:17.464+08:00

My maiden trip to Hangzhou! The weather was warm and not too hot when we arrived at Hangzhou. We reached about 11pm and by time we reached Merchant Marco it was past midnight. Everything was closed. Luckily, there was 7 eleven and Lawson nearby and we managed to get some snacks to eat! Yes, flying budget is same as flying in the old days! Life is a circle!!! I recalled flying this way when I first started flying in 1984. I brought books to read. International flights has food and drinks service. All domestic flights do not have any food or drinks at all especially in US. I recall it was same as taking publice transport like bus. Get up, sit down and wait till you reached your destination. Then you get off.

Hangzhou is new city with all the High Tech companies headquarters like Alibaba. The didi or ride hailing is very inexpensive. The food is very affordable. I love the market! Grocery at a fraction of our prices and very fresh. Also the cooked food e.g. braised duck looked absolutely delicious and only 48 RMB per duck. Or less than 10 Sin dollar!!! Lots of pastries and bread. It is an amazing place to live. This food is quite diverse. But western-style resturants are few and in between. Then again pao and wa tie(moon shaped dumplings) are everywhere. We also tried the bbq mutton sticks. Yum Yum:)

High speed train from Hangzhou to Shanghai is fast and convenient. The ride is about 45mins. It used to be 2 hours by taxi.

Shanghai! The mega city! It is very convenient to get around. We took metro everywhere. Our hotel/apartment is right where the food street is. We stay at Zhong San Garden. Metro 2 line is a great place to stay in. We are very near the pedestrian mall or Nanjing Rd E. It is wonderful to visit the place after more than 15 years. I used to stay in Radisson Hotel which is the start of pedestrian mall.

Kulim Road Chendol

2026-07-18T16:49:50.685+08:00

Kulim Road Chendol newly opened a branch in Johor Jaya. This chendol tasted so much better than the Penang Famous Chendol. I highly recommend this chendol!

Chendol with fresh musang king durian is only RM13.50!

Penang Hill and Food

2026-07-13T10:01:35.289+08:00

Funicular is a lift system in Penang Hill. We went on a Saturday morning. Extremely crowded. It is a good place to visit.

I went with 3 schoolmates. So it was 3 days trips for food and durian. So shiok. Here are some of the food we ate.

CNY Fair Johor Jaya

2026-02-13T11:16:00.000+08:00

The annual CNY Fair in Johor Jaya is one of the biggest in Johor. It is one of the biggest. I visited 3 times now. I first went to explore Johor Jaya with a friend. We took a long way following the bus driver telling us the bus stop to go Johor Jaya. We found the underground pass! Then I go JJ again the following week by dropping off at Aeon. I found it is far easier to walk to JJ. Now I keep going to JJ since via Aeon Tebrau.

The fair has a few bak kwa stalls. The pork belly bak kwa is very popular. Some has waited for a few hours. I gave and then found that the shop is 10min walk from the fair. So I walk to the shop instead and there is no queue there!!!

Lots of new year goodies but I did not buy any because Malaysia new year goodies do not use coconut or only in small quantities. Sweet cakes and mandarins are plentiful.

Johor Jaya is a residential district. So there are plenty of kopitiams. I enjoy trying out the different hawker food. There are a few bak kut teh shops as well. Emperor Wanton Mee was pretty good.

Pudu!

2026-01-29T05:37:00.000+08:00

I love Pudu! Pudu is an old area just beside downtown KL. It is near Berjaya Times Square and Lalaport. Jalan Alor and Jalan Imbi are walking distance. Loads of food option. ICC Pudu is like our morning market and hawker center. ICC Pudu is closed by afternoon. The morning hawker has several of my favorite. The coffee and tea pretty good. This is the stall I like.

The other stall is the wine chicken buns. The stall is open for business just after 6am even though the sign say 630am. My other recommendation is the egg tarts. I bought pork belly bak kwa for Chinese New Year and my boy and granddaughter loved them. At Petaling Street, I also bought almond florentine.

My appetite is small in the morning. I ate one bun and one egg tart for my train ride from KL to JB. The balance 3 buns and 1 tart I brought home. My daughter-in-law, son and Wife enjoyed a bun each. My 2nd granddaughter enjoyed a little of bun's dough skin. I am glad they get to taste the buns and the egg tart was shared by my 2nd boy and his family including my eldest granddaughter. This is a sweet ending of my KL trip.

Johor Jaya the residential area opposite Aeon Tebrau

2026-01-16T17:48:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, I went to Johor Jaya with a friend. We went trying to look for the fried chee cheong fun. Took some searching. We asked the local Malay student for help. Then a Chinese woman who just drove out asked us where we going. We told and she said the coffeeshop has fire and is closed. Will only open tomorrow. She also said the food is not nice as it is very oily and recommended Toast instead. It is true, we found the place and it was cooking spring onion. The tables and chairs are all new. The coffeeshop is right beside Durian stall. We found the durian price is quite high.

Toast Kopitiam food is quite good. So I ordered takeaway Nasi Lemak with Chicken Merah and Fried beehoon with Chicken Chop. Both are quite good but the beehoon taste of fermented balachan. So, I think I will skip fried beehoon in future.

To reach Johor Jaya, we have to go to underground pass as we were on the opposite side of the highway. It is my first time. We walk a long way from Aeon Tebrau, so I was getting worried that we will given wrong direction. But my friend said he trusted the guy who gave us the direction. Eventually, we found the underpass!

Shangrila, Lijiang, Dali and Kunming

2025-12-26T21:08:00.000+08:00

We went for package tour in Kunming with B3. Day 1, I had motion sickness. It was so bad. Poor start to holiday. After landing we go to Lijiang for 3 nights. 2nd night, altitude sickness hit. I had no appetite to eat. Have to take bus for a few hours. Feeling nausea all the time. Hence, the trip is plagued with fellow tourists feeling sick.

We went to the hospital for treatment. B3 was given IV. My wife and I had oxygen for 2 hours. I also had CT of lung. I had nodules in my lungs. So the doctor advised me to go for check in 6 months.

The hospital in China is amazing. Treatment and CT cost RMB600 or about S$120. CT costs $800 in Singapore. The Tiktok claims are credible. I am so impressed. On our return to Singapore, we decided to go Raffles Medical for treatment. We have to wait for more than 2 hours to see a GP!! They were out for lunch. The cost of GP, medicine and Flu testing costs $137.

Direct train from JB Sentral to KL

2025-12-08T18:24:00.001+08:00

There are lots of news flashes and articles on the Electric Train Service or ETS from JB Sentral to KL Sentral. Until now no tickets available on sales. So much publicity and systems is falling behind. They are trying to generate interest and demand. I took the train from KL to Kluang. I was the only passenger in the coach. I think it demand is low due to the timing. The train leaves at 745am KL Sentral.

I am also starting to be skeptical when the initial news said 12 trips daily. Now the reports are says 12 trips when fully operational. Also the 12 trips are two ways. This actually means 6 trips per day each way.

The price is quite high at RM 90 which is 3 times the price of bus. The first month there will be a discount of 30%. Still high but very competitive vs bus since the comfort of the train and timing certainty.

Midvalley Mall Southkey

2025-11-05T17:51:00.001+08:00

I was hungry for tim sum and decides to go the Johore to satisfy my craving. My wife decided join. Hence we have to go to Midvalley Mall as she needs aircond. Meng Meng has good charsiew and dim sum as well. So I decided to try the food there. However, the dim sum is a huge disappointment. Plus the price is high. To scratch my itch, I have to go to Nam Heong. The egg tarts and beancurd are pretty good.

This is one of rare time I drove over. The drive is pretty good today. Half an hour each way.

One hour from JB - Kulai

2025-09-10T21:08:00.002+08:00

This morning, I went to Johore at 6:30am. It is quite early and so I was hoping for smooth ride. But morning is peak hour for Malaysia workers returning home from night shift. Plenty of blue buses clogged up the bus terminal. So it actually took 2 hours instead of 1 and half hours off peak. However, I also got lucky. I managed to board T30 right away and save at least 15mins to half hour. There were traffic jams along the way. So the journey took slightly over an hour.

Today, I tried Hakka Yong Fu which was pretty good. So I buy back home. Cost RM20. Pretty good value. Unfortunately, my boys don't seems to like them. So I will not be buying back home again.

Also walk from Aeon Kulai to Commune Mall. It is nice and new but has limited shops. Only a Thai supermarket and a Kopitiam. I am happy to buy back yutiao at RM1.30 each. Basically about one third the cost in Singapore.

After my meal, I bought fruit fertilizers and burnt rice husks for my garden and took a bus to Paradigm Mall to buy grocery. I bought sliced beef and pineapple chicken. The meat are fresh and far better value than Singapore. At 2:30am, I left Paradigm Mall. I reached home at 4:30pm.

My trips to JB are by public transport. Today, my wife picked me up from Yio Chu Kang station.

JB Kee Chup Chicken Rice

2025-07-12T19:37:00.002+08:00

It is so near yet so far. I have been reading and reviewing video on Kee Chup Chicken Rice. After looking at the map, I discovered it is very near the City Square Mall. So I checked it out yesterday. I discovered it is walkable. I shopped in Larkin for eggs, uncooked emping, and gula melaka. I am happy to try it out. It is quite nice. The chicken is tasty and soft even though it was deep fried for a long time. The rice is broken rice and tasted like mild version of hainanese chicken rice.

A picture worth a thousand words..

Teochew style Braised Duck

2025-05-10T16:17:00.003+08:00

On Wednesday, 8 May, I took my wife to Baliban Braised Duck. She thought the food was good. I am happy. After lunch, I took her to Aeon Bukit Indah. But she is not happy as the shopping was not good. She also found the Aeon supermarket price was too high. Hence my happy trip with her evaporated! We took the bus from Bukit Indah to JB Sentral. She asked how long it will take. I told her about 15 minutes. How wrong I was. Frankly, I don't really time the trip back; if I did, I did not bother remembering. She timed and said it took 45 minutes. Hence, she said I lied and cheated her. She was not happy. My enjoyable trip to JB was marred by her disappointment. I will need to go there by myself. It is hard to meet her expectations. She wants comfort, aircon and good shopping. Whereas, I just want cheap good food and exploring new places and food joints. Hence the disconnect.

Back packing

2025-05-01T06:22:00.002+08:00

It was a dream of mine to travel the world backpacking. I have always wanted to be a "wanderer" or "liu lang han" in the Chinese Wuxia Novel. Travel cheaply and have adventures.

On 29 April 2025, I took my backpack and a bus to Johore Larkin Sentral. The

n I purchased a ticket to Terminal Bersepadu Selatan or the Bus Interchange in Kuala Lumpur. Cost RM35 plus RM1 for printing the boarding pass. At current exchange rate of 3.3, just over Singapore $10. The journey took about 5 hours. Reaching TBS, I asked the counters how to go to KL Sentral. The counter staff recommend KL Kommuter. So I went to buy the ticket from TBS to KL Sentral. Cost only RM2.40.

I ask where to go. The train comes in about 30 minutes. The journey was short and pleasant. KL Sentral is pretty amazing! Coming to Malaysia so many times in the past, this is my first time to KL Sental. It is massive! Although nothing compared to China's hub, it has MRT, LRT, intercity train and monorail. I usually stayed in Midvalley, 1Utama, Sunway and the Curve. Now that I experienced KL Sentral, I loved it!

The mix of old and new. NU Sentral is spanking modern mall. There are plenty of street side stalls. The food is amazing! I tried fried kway teow and it brings back memories of growing up. The taste is so nostalgic!

The next morning, I tried the wanton mee. It is a makeshift stall behind a temple. The wanton soup was same taste as wanton soup in 1960s.

Sokcho and Sakura

2025-04-12T07:58:00.003+08:00

It is spring holidays. B3 wanted to go somewhere. He found a deal with T'Way for $260 to Incheon return. We also rented a car and drove to Sokcho. The Sakura was not blooming yet. But the Seoraksan National Park is pretty amazing.

After a few days of cafe hopping and trying out some amazing local delights, we drove to Seoul. Seoul is mainly for shopping and revisiting memories of the food I have tried. It is good to be back. Sakura has also bloomed.

Hari Raya at Larkin

2025-03-30T07:54:00.003+08:00

I went to Larkin to buy eggs. I love Malaysian eggs as they are cheaper and nicer. For the first time, I experienced the hustle and bustle of Hari Raya. Below are some short videos I took.

https://www.tiktok.com/@teohken60/video/7487086722744978696?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7477026368871433745

https://www.tiktok.com/@teohken60/video/7487063921996631304?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7477026368871433745

FOMO

2025-03-09T16:26:00.002+08:00

Fear of missing out! I put in a check and got a queue. However, we chickened out before our queue was reached because my boy said to get out of the room. I feel opportunity lost. We had the opportunity to take 19-12. But the price is $50K over my first cap at $2.016M Sigh! If we have not run around and check on everything and put in the check, maybe it will be life as usual...

Will I get the chance again? Should I just go ahead to buy another project?

What a breeze!

2025-02-05T08:32:00.001+08:00

I went to Johore Bahru yesterday. The cross-border traffic has become significantly less, Plus I just use the QR code for immigration. So it is quite convenient and faster. When I returned home, I boarded the same bus that I alighted at Woodland Checkpoints!!! My first time:)

I also explore further taking bus T33 to Bukit Indah. The food is quite good. Lunch was nasi bryani just at the bus stop.

I also bought Korean Chicken home. It is really quite good. What a nice trip! Pictures of the menu and resturant below:

Healthy Food and Drink Intake

2025-01-30T06:22:00.003+08:00

I have been welcoming my sisters and their families for many years now. In the last few years, I noticed that the soda consumed is decreasing. This year, no one took any soda at all. The kids have grown up, and many have kids of their own. Only two Pepsi cans were open this year, and my boys and I drank them.

The guests drink only water. I cooked 3 cups of rice and only a bit was eaten. All just ate the chicken and cabbage.

Next year, I have to cook less rice. In fact, I noticed only my boys ate the rice and their consumption was quite little. More than half the rice was not eaten.

Also I am getting more ang pows. My eldest sisters 2 girls both gave me angpows. My baby sister's son gave me an angpow too.

I am starting to receive angpows!!! The first to give me was Prisca. She has given me angpows for a couple of years now. This year, I received from Dawn and Sean. My nieces and nephew have grown and are now adults. I am getting old....

Geylang Serai Market

2025-01-26T18:29:00.002+08:00

We decided to go Geylang Serai Market to buy prawns. We purchased 3 kgs at $12/kg. Sotong sold out by the time we went down after our breakfast. So we decided to buy beef brisket and beef tendon to braise. Then we get a large fresh chicken for $11.50. The market was extremely crowded with loads of foreign workers. The freshest seafood at the best price!

After that we went to Fairprice to look for organic carrots. No joy. I bought 3 heads of cabbages for our vegetable dish. Cabbage is best for Chinese New Year as we can keep it for a longer period of time. I also have to prepare some food for my sisters and their family when they come on Day 1 CNY. Tomorrow, I will buy frozen chicken to braise for my guests during CNY.

I guess I am as ready as can be to welcome the new year.

Dental Treatment Costs

2025-01-20T09:33:00.003+08:00

A quick search on Google on dental costs has shown a dramatic price increase!!! I am totally shocked!! A simple filling used to cost $80 now can cost up to $400 now. This is crazy. Price increase has escalated astronomically in the last few years. Luckily, I am getting treated by my boy in school. Cost is more affordable. My last filling was $8.70!

Tomorrow I have to go for Dental again

2025-01-20T09:28:00.006+08:00

I have an appointment to see my boy boy tomorrow morning. This time, he will repair my front right incisor, which the work was done earlier. So the fix will be finished, and then I may need fillings on other teeth as well.

As I write, I recall the implant cost which I was charged $500 more than what the dentist agreed to charge after I used the medisave. So it is important not to trust the dentist or clinic to leave them to charge you when treatment is done.

Hand me down Apple

2024-12-29T20:42:00.003+08:00

My wife bought a new iMac, which was passed on to me. I am not familiar with Apple's system, so it is hard to use it. Also, my current system is Windows-based, so it takes time to figure out the mouse and the different ways to operate it, and simple things like changing the screen size take time to figure out.

The good thing is I get to use the dvd player. So now I can watch dvd again.

2nd Sweetheart

2024-12-08T16:29:00.002+08:00

My second sweetheart arrived on Dec 5 at 2:57 a.m. She is good and healthy. Now, with two girls, it will be busier. We are happy, and Mum is doing fine as well. We are clearing up our home to accommodate 2 babies. Big baby is doing well with her potty training. Now the newborn will require intensive care until she can sleep through the night.