Me and the World

Some Pals from Back Home

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:13:17 PST

Gua Tempurung @ Ipoh

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:05:00 PST

This is from a while back when a bunch of us KTJ peeps were in Ipoh. Wei Minh and Adeline brought us around, loads of good food! I've never explored a proper cave before so I thought it was rather interesting. There were proper pathways which meant that you don't actually have to get dirty though you can opt for the 'wet' tour if you fancy that sorta thing.

Turtle Break

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:58:27 PST

Life is a little overwhelming right now. Need some time off.

Hyde Park, London

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 16:05:00 PST

That day was gorgeous. The sun was out and the sky was noticeably void of clouds, revealing that beautiful blue hue. Such weather is rare and I have learn to consciously make the decision to go out when such weather is present. I ended up strolling aimlessly all over Hyde Park, which is massive by the way.

At one point I just threw myself on the grass and lay there for a few minutes. Ended up having dirtying my pants because I just had to accidentally pick a muddy spot. Genius move! But I was in such a carefree mood with the holiday spirit and all.

Flight

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:43:40 PST

Silhouette

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:05:01 PST

Gold Mine @ Bayswater, London

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:05:00 PST

When talking about London with Chinese people, one of the thing that often comes about in conversation is roast duck. Legend has it that London serves the best roast duck in the world. After trying it, I say good effort London but the best roast duck in the world still goes to Petaling Street.

Gold Mine is a 'duck place' recommended by some friends living in London. I thought that it was really good. Personally I think that the special taste comes from the extra layer under the skin, which may not fly with certain people especially those watching their cholesterol levels. (British people feed their ducks differently?) The duck is also de-boned before serving so I guess they win some marks for ease-of-eating. The siu yuk and char siu are good by local standards.

I really miss the roasted duck from Petaling Street, the one sold by two sisters and their elderly father. Dad have been buying roasted duck from them since I was little so it might have some added nostalgic value to it. But I will always remember how I would always get a drumstick, bite into the juicy flesh and hear that slight crunch from the crispy skin. Best duck ever. Good times.

How am I going to hold out till summer?? Ahhhhhhh.

Gold Mine
102 Queensway
Bayswater, UK W2 3

Walking Around London

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:54:12 PST

Din Tai Fung @ Empire, Subang

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:05:01 PST

Dim sum is one of my favourite food to eat. I find it incredibly appealing how you can eat so many different things in one meal, due to the nature of dim sum which comes in bite sizes. Din Tai Fung serves dim sum but their menu is not very extensive as they choose to concentrate on what they do best - the xiao long bao.

Dumplings are good. Put soup in them, it becomes amazing. The whole thing literally bursts deliciousness all over your delicate palates. My family have been visiting this restaurant every time we get the inkling for some dim sum. Someone please open a branch in Edinburgh and give Saigon a run for their money!

Other than dim sum, they have a really good selection of food you can try as well like the noodles and fried rice. Mom is fond of the beef la mien. It reminds me of the one our old Taiwanese neighbour used to make. I like their fried rice. Every grain is nicely separated and does not clump together. I've been told that it takes exceptional skills to fry rice like that. Salted egg prawns are also good, a welcome change to the generic butter prawn.

The first branch in Hong Kong was awarded a Michelin Star. Not surprised because the food is really good. It's affordable and there is no way you can this sort of prices at Michelin Star restaurants. (but a little pricey compared to your average joe dim sum)

Din Tai Fung
G-15, Ground Floor, Empire Shopping Gallery,
Jalan SS16/1, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.
TEL：60-3-5022-2522

The Hummingbird Bakery @ Soho, London

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:30:32 PST

Soho is such a great place for gastronomic adventures, with restaurants and patisseries at every corner. I spent quite some time peering in through the windows at the delicious looking pastries and cakes. Plus it's next to Chinatown and Covent Garden, which has loads of restaurants as well.

Stumbled on the Hummingbird Bakery while walking around one day with Sue Jan and the sister. I remember reading somewhere about how good their cupcakes were so I was curious to give it a try. Tried the red velvet and carrot cake flavours and thought that it was good. Slightly on the sweet side even for a sweet tooth like me. I personally think that Whisk does a better job.

The Hummingbird Bakery

(Soho)
155a Wardour Street
Soho, London
W1F 8WG

(Notting Hill)
133 Portobello Road
Notting Hill, London
W11 2DY

Notting Hill

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 16:05:00 PST

Here's some snaps from Notting Hill. We wanted to visit the Portobello Market but did not realize that it was a bank holiday so nothing was open. That however did not stop us from wandering the streets browsing through the few shops that were open.

I thought that whole stretch of road was rather interesting and has a sort of bohemian characteristic to it. Each building has different bright colours painted on it's walls. There are art and antique stores aplenty which I personally find fun to browse around.

Bought some pizza from this wee little shop near the tube station and thought it was brilliant. I recall being impressed by the stacks to pizza all over the shop. A middle aged man, whom I presume to be the boss (attributed to the Godfather looking hair he had going on). Yeap, not racist at all. Italian guy in a pizzeria, definitely the owner.

The weather on that day was brilliant. It would be my one and only sunny day of the entire London trip. Went totally crazy with the camera that day.

Hello 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:14:18 PST

Happy New Year! I spent the past two weeks with family and friends, taking a luxurious break from student life. Had so much good food. It's good to be reminded how satisfying it is to lean back against your chair after a meal feeling absolutely stuffed.

The family came all the way up to Edinburgh for a visit. Had a blast taking them around and walking them through my daily routes in town. We stayed in this absolutely swanky service apartment I wished was my house. My bed had ten pillows on it! So many that I had to remove a few. Needless to say those were the most comfortable nights I've ever had in Edinburgh. We also discovered that Edinburgh turns into a ghost town on Christmas Day. Nothing was open except this Chinese restaurant (how typical!) which was quite a rip off.

Flew down to London the next day. Long story short. Shop and eat.

Watched Wicked with the sister, which was brilliant. I think everyone in that theater including me, were secretly lip-singing to Defying Gravity when it came on. Tickets were pricey but well worth the experience. I will never get over how perfect the singing was. Where do these people come from?? Such talent.

After the family flew of to their exotic Dubai escapade, I stayed on in London with Daryl. His house looks like it came right out of an Ikea catalogue and I mean it in a good way of course. (Apparently he secretly stalks this place and has been bugging me for an update *waves at Daryl*)

New Years Eve was fun. A bunch of us met up for dinner at Nando's. Good fun catching up and laughing over embarrassing stories we made the night before at the club. Then we were off to Waterloo bridge where we spent the next three hours waiting for fireworks which lasted for about ten minutes. That explains the lack of firework pictures because I was pretty much occupied with looking at it. The atmosphere was really good and it's nice being a part of such a massive crowd. Everyone's probably excited about the prospects of the fresh start a new year promises.

That was in a nutshell, an abbreviated version of the event that happened in the past two weeks. More updates soon!

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 16:05:00 PST

So glad to get the opportunity to spend the holidays with the family. Cooked Christmas-eve dinner today and set off the fire alarm. We had random hotel staff rushing into our apartment unannounced. And no, I did not burnt anything. The oven was somehow just really smoky. We were told that we were almost at the point where the main alarm would go off and the whole hotel would have to be evacuated.

You know what they say, you've never really cooked till' you set off the fire alarm (Just kidding I made that up). Anyway I hope that you will have a good Christmas and New Years. 2011 have been an amazing year, and I keep saying year after year that there is no way the next year could top the one I just had. So 2012 you have high expectations to live up to. (Lol I am such an Asian parent)

And this is the last post of the year, I am taking a short (well deserved) break and will resume in the new year. Yes, I put stuff up every two days if you still haven't noticed. Blogging is so well integrated into my life's routine it's not even funny!

Winter Wonderland

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:05:00 PST

This year has been relatively warm in Edinburgh because apparently this time last year we were stuck in three feet of snow. So far I've only recall it snowing properly two times so far this year, and the weather seems to be getting warmer as the week progressed. We're having double digit temperatures, this is ridiculous. That means that it is very unlikely that I will be getting a white Christmas this year.

I tend to paint a very rosy picture of Edinburgh in this space and people often get idea that it looks like the photographs all the time. Well, no! I purposefully choose to go out on photo walks when the sun is out shinning brightly or just right after it snowed. Hence I guess the pictures serves as a representation of the city's potential to look beautiful on good days, which comes rarely in this season.

The family arrived in Edinburgh today. So happy to be seeing them again and I've missed them so much. We'll be spending Christmas together in Edinburgh, and heading down to London after that. Today was very chilled and I brought them around the university campus, and catch up over dim sum. Mom brought me a long pillow (bolster) and I am well excited about that. Whee! I love my bolster.

Japan Trip: Baseball

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:05:00 PST

This has got to be one of my favourite sets of photographs from Japan. I just love how the sun gets reflected off the flying sand. The baseball pitch can be found at Ueno Park, something I found interesting because baseball is practically non-existent in Malaysia. Though admittedly I was more interested in the sand flying about rather than the game that seemed to be going on.

Sin Wah @ Miri, Sarawak

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 16:05:00 PST

My friends took me around when I visited Miri, and this is one of places they took me to. Sin Wah Restaurant serves what seems to be the 'official' snacks in town which is cucur udang and cendol. I have no idea where this place is except that it's next to a Petronas petrol station and apparently they refer to visiting this restaurant as 'going to Petronas'. True story.

I really liked the food at this place. It's very distinctively local and is something that you don't find around Kuala Lumpur. The sticky brown peanuty sauce that comes with the cucur udang is very addictive. Cendol is absolutely refreshing and Miri puts a twist to it; the cendol bits are larger and chewy, and there seem to be a more substantial use of sago.

Miri is one of culinary destinations that has so far managed to elude the mainstream media. It is a small town filled with hidden gems all over the place, which you will never find unless if a local directs you to it. Do give this place a try if you happen to be in town, and if you manage to find it.

Sin Wah Restaurant
Next to Petronas

One More

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 19:30:05 PST

One more paper next Tuesday and I am done for the year! It's amazing how I'm almost done with a whole semester of med school. Time flies. Can't wait for the next few days to be over. The holidays will be saturated with family and catching up with friends. It is the only thing that's keeping me going right now. Hang in there Stanley, almost there! *game face*

Edinburgh Christmas Market

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 16:39:26 PST

Edinburgh is already being caught up in all the festivities in spite of me being caught up in exams. Princes Street, the main shopping area has been transformed into this winter wonderland with the ice rink, decorations and German Christmas market. They look amazing with the Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop.

It's a nice place to walk around and soak in the festive vibe while munching on some really good waffles. People have been going on and on about how amazing the mulled wine is, but I think that it's just hot wine. Then again, I've never been a fan of wine. Can't wait to take the family here when they come up to visit next week.

Just had my first exam today. I thought it went alright despite a few rather stupid mistakes but that's done and there's nothing I can do about it except moan (how does one mistake protein kinase for phospholipase??). Final one will be next Tuesday and then I will be permitted to start getting into the whole Christmas mood. Loads of festivities to catch up on considering that people down in London already had a two week head start. It'll be worth the effort of turning cave-like over the past three weeks or so.

Saigon Saigon Restaurant @ Edinburgh

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:05:00 PST

Part of being an foreign student in a strange land is you tend to miss food from home occasionally, and in my case all the time. Saigon Saigon is one of the first restaurants I've heard about while being here in Edinburgh and was told that they serve pretty good dim sum. And we also get cheeky little discounts using our Edinburgh Malaysian Society Association (EMSA) membership cards.

So yeah, one week I was particularly itching for some dim sum and managed to summon the other KTJ homies for this culinary adventure. Looks like we're consistently meeting every other week and I think that's pretty cool. This restaurant is located right on Princes Street so it's quite central and I guess is quite a convenient spot for us to meet. And Kah Jun literally lives right next to Princes Street, the convenience! It's like living next to Pavilion back in KL.

I thought the food was really good, and do take into account cravings and desperation related bias. I would avoid though anything that has dumpling wrappers on it because those things are so thick it's like stuffing flour in your face. I think from the pictures you can already judge how thick some of the wrappers are. Their chee cheong fun, which I tried on a previous occasion is also disgustingly thick and is not something I would order again.

Things like the siu mai was nice, as you get a really generous portion of it. Stew pork was good albeit a little gamey. Friend noodles also good but they could lay off the msg. The thing is after being used to dim sums the standard of Foh San, things stick out like a sore thumb when you get anything less than that.

But living overseas you can't be too picky and have to live with what you get. Some of the dishes I had were actually really good. Will definitely go back again when I'm feeling particularly rich.

Saigon Saigon Restaurant

14 South St Andrew Street,

Edinburgh EH2 2AZ

Tel: 0131 5573737

Open from Monday to Sundy

12am - 11pm

Lunch buffet

12am-4pm

Let it snow

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:31:49 PST

I was just about done with work at 4am, looked outside and it was snowing! Never seen snow fall down before so I was pretty excited. Wore my jacket, went out and stood there for a good ten to fifteen minutes. Trust an Asian kid to run outside when it snows. I've always wanted to see snow fall from the sky so it was one of those special moments for me. Almost teared up there for the little bit haha. It's like desert people getting emotional about rain.

Revisiting Miri’s Kenyah tribe

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:32:02 PST

Hei folks, I now blog for AirAsia and this is the first article which is based on my visit to Sarawak a few months back. You can check out the original article here on Travel 3Sixty, Air Asia's travel magazine. And it's my birthday! Exciting times haha. Though I reckon that most of the time will be spent revising for the upcoming exams next Wednesday. Oh yeah. Christmas better be ******** awesome to make up for this sad excuse of a birthday.

................................................................................

This blog entry is part of the AirAsia Bloggers Programme.

Interested to blog for us?

Contact Jayne (jayneeloisekam@airasia.com)

Revisiting Miri’s Kenyah tribe.

A city boy's adventure in a tropical jungle.

By Stanley Liew

We woke up very early in the morning in Miri, Sarawak, about six if I recall correctly. I was still tired, having just arrived the night before via AirAsia. But we have a long journey ahead so it's best for us to get a good head start.

Our destination is a Kenyah tribe longhouse near a farm; a seven-hour drive into the jungle. My uncle became our taxi driver for the day. You can actually hire jeeps to take you in but it helps to have someone in the family who can help.

Armed with a dozen packs of ‘Kolok Mee’, we started our journey.

Our adventure begins!

The journey was a bumpy one because we travelled using dirt roads, not that we had much of an option. It helps if you try sleeping through most of the journey. I find the road system rather interesting because you need to look out for little red arrows that indicate which side of the road you should be driving on. Miss one and you could be heading into a direct collision with one of those massive logging trucks!

I was so glad when we arrived because I needed to stretch my legs badly. Our jeep was also stuffed to the brim with supplies so you don't have the luxury of moving around to find your 'sweet spot' in the truck. People don't drive in very often hence they try to bring in as much as possible when they do. The thing about living in a jungle is that you don't have a hypermart around the corner!

Now this is something you don’t see every day in the city

The leisurely pace at the village

They still use firewood to cook!

The kitchen with both modern and traditional facilities

Kids enjoying the evening in front of the TV

I was greeted with a gush of fresh air as I stepped out of the jeep. The longhouse seems to be located smack in the middle of nowhere. Lush green foliage stretches on for miles ahead. We were on the side of the hill so you get really nice views of the mountain range.

This is as authentic as it can get. It's quite impressive how they managed to build the longhouse without the help of huge industrial machines. About four families occupy this longhouse, each having a small section to them that comprises a kitchen and a room for absolute everything.

The generator is switched on in the evening as it gets dark. So that means no electrical appliances during the day. Children crowd around the television at night watching literally anything that comes on. At one point, I think they were watching a Hindi movie despite not understanding anything.

The next day, we headed out to visit other members of the family. It is the planting season so everyone is spread out working at different farms. They would usually gather back at the main village at the end of the year when the farming work is done.

Simple living=more bonding time with family members

Goods at the local grocery shop

Group shot!

I had many fond memories of my last visit, which was almost ten years ago. I would always remember riding the longboat, picnic trips, and swimming in the river. So I was quite excited when my uncle told us that we would be going on a picnic the next day.

It was raining quite heavily the night before so we had to look for a safe spot that has relatively weaker currents. Riding the longboat is as fun as I remembered. Everyone has the task of keeping it balanced as it cuts through the waters. This means that I can't lean over the side of the boat to take pictures. The longboat is also not very wide so you tend to feel like you can potentially fall over at any moment, which is generally not a very good idea when you have a really expensive camera in your lap.

We roasted the fish that my uncles caught over an open fire and cooked rice in bamboo. Every ingredient is sourced from nature. It's amazing how resourceful they are and it also goes to show how much the native people depend on the jungle and river for their daily needs.

Yes, folks. The longboat is THIS narrow.

A quick photo opportunity

Supplies carried in traditional baskets

Preparation for lunch

Mmmmm...grilled fish for lunch with fish caught fresh from the river

After lunch I jumped into the river. This may seem like a mundane activity but it was one of the highlights of the trip. I just sat there as the water rushed past me. It's a special feeling; being alone in such a vast space, a small dot on a humungous patch of green. The water is cold and refreshing though slightly murky from the excessive logging.

The kids were having a blast. They had a tire tube, which moonlighted as a float. The current eventually swept it away and my uncle had to swim downriver after it.

Down river they go!

Kids hungrily digging in

Cute tribe kids

Well all good things have to come to an end as we had to leave the next day. Overall it was a really good experience, though I can never get used to the roosters making such a huge fuss early in the morning. Being a typical city boy, I would usually sleep in till eleven. I had a moment of distress when the they started screaming for a good twenty minutes, seemingly persistent in making sure that I wake up.

I reckon that this is something everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. The best time to go is during the ‘Gawai’ harvest season when the whole village is abuzz with festivities. You can check the Sarawak Tourism Board for home stay opportunities. It's also great for those who want to travel but have limited budgets. You don't have to go very far to discover exotic escapades. Look closer to home and you will be delightfully surprised.

So what are you waiting for? Low fares at www.airasia.com are just waiting for you to take advantage of so that you can experience the tribal way of life!

Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:35:59 PST

Photo credits: Hannah Lee

Thanksgiving was about two weeks ago and we had a few friends over for some good ole' feasting. Everyone brought something so there was tons to go round; turkey, pasta, mash potatoes, roasted veggies, etc. Used the same recipe for the turkey. Can't go wrong with using bacon strips! I thought that it was nice especially for the Americans since this is normally a huge family celebration. My flatmate's granny actually sent over spices and ingredients all the way from his hometown. That was one good night.

These are some of the people I've met here in Edinburgh. We all live in the same student accommodation area (Warrender Park Crescent fo sho!) and somehow found each other over the course of Fresher's Week. There's also the medics gang, which you guys will meet in due time. We've had some good times though most of the stories will never make it into this space!

Got to get back to work. Cya in a bit.

First Snow

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 16:31:26 PST

Woke up in the morning and people were going on about how it's snowing on Facebook. This actually lead to two sad realisations.

1. The first thing I do in the morning is check Facebook.

2. I found out that it was snowing from Facebook, rather than looking out the window.

Got to sort my life out!

Anyway, I rushed to the window right away to see for myself. The courtyard was covered beautifully with a thin layer of snow. I had this little burst of excitement and was running back and forth from various windows around the house. Walking around in the snow is another experience in itself. The crunch of my boots against the ice reminds me of the sound you get when hacking into a bowl of ice kacang with your spoon.

Met up with the KTJ guys in the afternoon for lunch at Saigon, that serves pretty decent dim sum. I've been craving for Malaysian food recently (Well, I do most of the time but you get the idea). Made a whole pot of curry chicken that lasted over a whole week. I am now officially sick of that stuff. Yeah the whole cooking food in a large batch thing isn't working out very well for me. It's definitely cost effective but eating the same thing for five meals in a row is not very pleasant.

Exams are next week! Really happy that they've given us a whole week off to revise. This one actually counts so hopefully I'll be prepared enough when the time comes. Studying is actually turning out to be quite a challenge with all that festive spirit looming around. Christmas jingles have been unconsciously looping in my head. Time to get some work done.

Ohana

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 04:06:43 PST

Japan Trip: Shibuya

noreply@blogger.com (Stanley) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:25:28 PST