What Have I Gotta Say...

Beijing Trip May 2013

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:55:00 +0000

Peking duck.

Simply awesome, that is all I can say about our recent holiday to Beijing, China. With some trusty guide books (2 books actually, light weight to carry around) and a subway map, we made our way to Beijing during the start of their summer, and made the most out of it.

Temple of Heaven

I've heard a lot of stories about China, especially about their toilets. How everyone tells me the filth and terrible conditions, and to bring your own toilet roll as well! Well this trip proved to me that China, or at least Beijing, has come a long way. I had no issues with the public restrooms there, even at tourist hot spots. The restrooms were kept clean as there was always a janitor cleaning it constantly. Most doors has proper locks (had only one experience where there was no lock), occasionally I came across some ladies who had left the door slightly ajar while doing their business (I'm guessing it's still part of their culture, and these ladies could be from the more rural parts of China, who are here visiting the capital). I didn't carry a toilet roll with me, I much prefer to do my big business in the comfort of my hotel room before making my journey out the door. But just in case, I had in my knapsack tissue papers and toilet seat covers.

The Forbidden City

The Chinese still sometimes spit on the ground, again it's been part of their culture for centuries, although I think the younger generation don't really do that anymore, the same can't be said for the older generation. It's a rude thing for most of us, but to the Chinese, it's a normal thing.

Taken at Zhengyangmen/Qianmen (literally means 'Front Gate').

Beijing is also pretty clean, as we spotted cleaners and rubbish pickers everywhere. I'm guessing the Beijingers now take pride in trying to keep the place clean now, and it's good to see the effort from them. Even the hutongs are clean! Expect to see some rubbles, as hutongs are the old narrow alleys and courtyard residences of noblemen during Beijing's glorious past. There is rubble, but no rubbish. The hutong restrooms make a good experience. No doors, holes next to each other, quite a shocker for most tourists heh! Unless you really have to go, I suggest you hold it until you get to a proper public toilet or hotel.

The iconic Bird's Nest.

The subways are simply the best, every tourist hot spot we wanted to go to (except for the Ming tombs and the Great Wall) can be reached via the subway lines. At two yuan (RM 1) per way, you can ride the subway and change multiple lines. Everything is so well connected, it makes planning your itinerary really easy. You just need a subway map, identify the locations you want to go to and the nearest subway station to that location, and make your way there. And because there's English signages, the subways are pretty tourist-friendly. We were not the only ones holding on to a subway map, many of the local Chinese from other parts of China were also discovering Beijing.

You haven't been to China until you've scaled the Great Wall.

Everything was simply super-sized, and I think that's what the Chinese likes. Majestic, huge, gigantic, humongous, the key tourist destinations are only but a glimpse of Beijing's rich and glorious past. If you're planning a trip to Beijing one day, get a good guide book and carry a subway map, and you're pretty much ready to go.

For more images of our Beijing trip, click here, and look under the tab Beijing Trip 2013.

Hiatus

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Sun, 26 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Need I say more? Laterz!

Nick Vujicic in Malaysia, 22nd May 2013

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:00:00 +0000

I had the chance to attend a talk recently, by none other than the man himself, Nick Vujicic. If you've never heard of him, where have you been? Just kidding!

To keep things short, Nick was born without limbs, and has spent much of his life now dedicated to be a motivational speaker, especially to students. Despite the circumstances, he has remained very upbeat about his life, his motivation to share and educate, and is one that is full of love.

This event was organized by the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and Sunway University, and it was indeed a huge event for its students, who were all clamouring to get a glimpse of Nick and take pictures of him. When I got to know about this event, the tickets for public (only 400 available, FOC) were already snapped up on 45 mins! I figured I wouldn't have much of a chance to attend the talk, so I didn't really bother about it much. Two days before the event, my workplace received a media event to attend the talk, and I tried my luck. Lo and behold, my colleagues and I were given the good news that we could attend :D

The stage is set for the special guest.

We found our way into the designated hall, and the venue was already packed with students. Good things for us media folks, our seats were right up front! While waiting for Nick to show up, the organizers started playing some video clips of the campus etc, and then we were told no photography or videos were allowed... with the exception of media folks... *smile*.

Nick Vujicic in person.

And when it was announced that Nick had arrived, everyone's spirit rose and was anticipating his appearance into the hall, with the photographers and videographers all ready to capture that significant moment. Aside from the campus hall, the live feed was also broadcast to other parts of the university, their campuses in Johore and Ipoh, and also the resort. Talk about reaching out to as many people as possible, Sunway University did a pretty good job covering this.

Everyone was thrilled to see Nick in person. He was funny, witty, charming, and to see this man in the flesh, it gave me the sense of possibility and hope. How sometimes we see ourselves so small, we plant the seeds of unworthiness inside of us, simply because we chose to see the bad side of things. Nick admitted to the audience that he had thoughts of suicide before as a child, and even attempted it before. He was teased, bullied, looked down upon, made to feel like a burden to his parents. Being a devout Christian, he is now channeling all love and energy, going around the world speaking to children, spreading the love and with a little bit of hope, change the world and make it a better place.

At the press conference after the talk, before heading to the airport to catch his flight to Vietnam.

After the talk, there was a short press conference in a nearby lecture room, and my colleagues and I quickly followed closely behind. Nick was still full of energy and taking questions from the media. I had a chance to ask him a question too, and my question to him was: can you share with us, what it felt like, to hold your child for the first time?

Nick was smiling the whole time, and you could tell he had an enormous amount of love for his wife and 3 months old son. His voice and eyes had a lot of sincerity in him, and he's pretty charming and funny too.

I managed to take a short video clip during his talk, and I do agree with what he said in the video. Sometimes having a positive attitude may not be enough of a coping mechanism.

One of my favourite quotes from his book 'Unstoppable' is this: If a man without limbs can dream, why can't everyone else? The talk was inspiring, emotional (many from the audience, myself included, at one point, had tears in our eyes), and I've very glad to have had the chance to hear Nick Vujicic share his story and his strength.

Nick will be back in Malaysia in August, this time it's Taylor's that's bringing him in, and it will cost you an arm and a leg... Click here to find out more about the event in August 2013.

Ichiban Boshi @ Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Mon, 20 May 2013 07:29:00 +0000

We made a trip to Pavilion KL one weekend, as hubby's younger brother was in town and wanted to do some shopping. What better way to take the tourist to one of the hottest shopping locations in town, right? From Pavilion one can walk to Fahrenheit, Lot 10, Sungai Wang, and Times Square (if you really must cover all the hot spots as much as possible).

While at Pavilion, the brother's new girlfriend said she wanted to have some sushi, so we headed to Ichiban Boshi, simply because it was the first Japanese outlet we came across when we walked into the mall. While ordering our food, the staff were actually preparing a monthly show in front of the outlet, a tuna cutting demonstration. I was rather in awe about the whole thing and had to snap some pictures. All four of us stood around to watch the entire process, which was led by their Japanese chef.

Guess my weight!

50 kilos waiting to be sliced up.

Chef slicing off the cheeks.

While the demo was taking place, the Personal Assistant to the MD, who was holding the mike, was asking questions about the tuna. Whoever could give the correct answer gets a plate of freshly sliced tuna sashimi on the house! The first question he asked was the weight of the fish, and no one really answered it cos everyone's eyes were just fixated to the cutting process LOL!

Each cheek is priced at RM 35, which is not expensive at all.

And now to slice the body and fillet it.

One tough cookie...

The best part of the fish, tuna belly.

The second question the PA asked was what kind of tuna is this, and hubby raised his hands to answer "Yellow fin tuna". Bingo! And out table received a plate of tuna sashimi (3 slices) courtesy of the restaurant :D Actually the answer was a dead giveaway, because the tuna had yellow fins.

It was also through this process, I learnt that yellow fin tuna has no toro, or fatty belly. Toro is only found in the blue fin toro, and is highly prized because of its marbling.

Black505

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:28:00 +0000

I'm sure most of you would've seen or heard of the term "Black505". It was actually a marking for the recent general elections, and the many questions evolving from the exercise. Three days after that historic day with over 80% voter turnout, a huge rally (or rather, assembly) was organized to reject the results, as there were several reports of alleged fraud and raised many eye brows about its authenticity and integrity.

Traffic was chaotic, cars were stuck on the highway, throngs of people in black tops marched towards the Kelana Stadium, where a huge crowd was already there, to dispute the election results, to be with fellow Malaysians, to stand united, and to show the ruling coalition what it really means to stand united, irrespective of race, religion and colour. I heard that a lot of shops in the nearby shopping mall had brisk business, especially with black coloured tops! Tesco would've been wise to stock up extra on that fateful day.

Front page of Utusan Malaysia, an UMNO-backed newspaper.

A long line of red lights, many heading towards the direction of the stadium, to attend the Himpunan Rakyat.

This photo was taken an hour+ after the one above. Car lights are all off, traffic was at a complete standstill, and backed up onto the NKVE/PLUS highway.

Some Samaritans helping to direct traffic.

Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Tue, 07 May 2013 11:07:00 +0000

5th May went down as history for many Malaysians, as they all came out in droves to designated polling stations, to cast their ballots, which will determine the fate of the country in the coming years. The results have been announced, but has left a very sour taste in the mouth and broken spirits, as it has left more questions than there are answers.

Too much has been going on, yet no one has been held accountable nor responsible. It's like some folks are untouchable... or are they? And it doesn't help when your country's leader, is now fanning the flames of racism. What's even sadder is, that some folks are actually buying the stories and are fueling the flames. Is this what Malaysia has become? Do we really want this for our country? Are some of us too blind to see that the real culprits behind all these mess, are a group of people practicing elitism and only looking after their own agenda? They are probably sipping tea, lounging back in their patio and clutching their Birkins, laughing at all their minions who are doing their dirty jobs for them.

This is our Malaysia, our country. We all belong here. We are already home. The country belongs to the rakyat, not any political party. We are voting for a better Malaysia. And I hope you guys who are fanning all that bullshit and malice, will one day answer to a greater power, and be rightfully punished.

4th May - Stadium Kelana Jaya.

5th May - At the polling centre.

5th May - Inked.

Beef Stew with Guinness and Red Wine

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Had a bottle a red wine from a CNY gift box, what to do with it? Beef stew came to mind, and the dish was awesome! I remembered Suanie posting something about making beef stew, so I started Googling for her blog post and started reading it. After much anticipation, we went grocery shopping for the ingredients and the outcome was divine~ This recipe is based on Suanie's serving, but I made a slight tweak to it (less Guinness, and added red wine).

We got all the ingredients from Aeon BIG, Tropicana City Mall (formerly known as Carrefour), except for the beef. Seeing that the supermarket didn't have good cuts, I told hubby to swing by Las Vacas Kelana Jaya to see their selection. I had initially thought of using beef brisket, but unfortunately Las Vacas only had frozen briskets and I wasn't keen on using frozen meat for stew. I took a look around and inquired if I could use rump to make stew, and the folks at Las Vacas said yes, rump would make a good stew. So we ended with about 1kg of rump (RM 50/kg). Next time, I'm going to try to hunt for brisket.

Ingredients (3-4 servings)

Beef, cut into bite size

Ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

2 onions, roughly chopped

3 carrots, cut to chunky pieces

1 garlic bulb, chopped

2 medium sized potatoes (we used Holland potatoes, russet tends to break down after too long)

3 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

4 bay leaves

1 tbps dried thyme

1200 ml beef stock (we used Knorr, 2 cubes diluted in warm water)

2 cup red wine

1 bottle of Guinness, 325ml each

Pat dry the beef and cut them into bite sizes (not too small though, as the meat will shrink during cooking). Heat up a deep pot with the olive oil, until the oil is smoking. Brown the beef cubes on both sides for a couple of minutes, but don't over cook them! Take the beef out and set aside.

In the same pot, add the onions, garlic, carrots and potatoes. Cook them for about 10 mins. Add the tomato paste, coating the other ingredients evenly. Next, add the browned beef, beef stock, Worchestershire sauce, Guinness, red wine and bay leaves, and stir it a little to blend all that liquid. As you bring to boil, stir the dish occasionally, you will start to see some bubbly reddish stuff appear, scoop those out... you don't wanna eat that.

Ta-daa...!

This is what you will get initially, a deliciously aromatic pot loaded with beefy goodness. At this point, the sauce is pretty diluted and the flavours are all still very watered down. Boil the pot over high heat for about 10 mins, then using medium-high heat, simmer for about 1.5 hours to 2 hours, uncovered. Depending on how much gravy you want, adjust your simmering time accordingly. We simmered ours for 1.5 hours.

Yums!

Be sure to get a French baguette to go with your stew, makes a perfect dish on rainy days especially. This dish taste even better the next day, that's the good thing about stews... Taste better overnight! Next time if my friends organize a pot luck, I know what to make then :)

A Wreck

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 09:21:00 +0000

Some days my mood is up and down. One hour I'm all normal, the next hour I feel like I'm in the dumpster struggling. These days I don't fight that feeling anymore, I just let them roll until they pass. It's hard though, cos that would mean I would have to put on a face in front of everyone else, while I'm writhing inside trying to fend off the attacks which is making me want to cry.

It's been many months now, yet I still feel very hurt deep down inside. Some days I feel so lonely, because I have no one to talk to. All I can do is try to find that ounce of strength within me to push forward, how ever little that strength may be, it's still a fuel for me to carry on. It's the only thing I can do on days when I feel down, to stay strong and march forward. A big part of me wants to quit everything, but it's this small part of me that's telling me to challenge things, the same small part of me that's keeping me afloat.

Sometimes I try to talk to hubby, but often times I end up staying silent, and just wrap my arms around him. He would usually console me by saying the very same words ("don't think so much"), but to be honest, these days, those words have little effect on me already. I guess men just deal with things on a different level.

I've been needing reassurance from him, that I'm doing alright, and that I'm doing OK. On days like this, I have doubts about everything I'm doing, to the point, I no longer know what to do anymore. I question everything. I'm afraid to have expectations already.

Why should I do this, do that, drink this, drink that? What's the point anymore? What's the point of even trying, when I'm just going to fail again like I did before? Why do I even try? Why do I even bother? What's the worth in doing all those things anymore?

This experience has left me so broken, I feel like I can't be mended anymore. It feels like my scars are visible to everyone who sees me. And I will have to carry this feeling for the rest of my life. I'm such a wreck.

Kompassion by myElephant @ Damansara Kim

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000

Hubby was hinting over the weekend that he wanted to bring me to some new food outlet, and judging from his cheeky demeanour which sometimes makes me smile (cos he's as much a foodie a I am, maybe more, heh!), he was just as excited about the place as I was anticipating it. The only hint I got from him was that the location was in Damansara Kim

Now I'm pretty familiar with that area, having worked from one of the terrace houses where Integricity was based, and I don't recall seeing a new restaurant there the last time I passed by. So imagine my surprise when we drove past and I spotted this new Thai fusion place, right next to the mini mart.

Kompassion by myElephant, is a new player in town, serving up fusion Thai dishes, and they serves pork. Hubby got the know about this place through a friend who had recommended the place to him. Flipping through the menu, their servings do sound pretty fusion, a mix of Japanese, Korean, even Italian influence. I then discovered online that the chef is a Thai national, chef Nikom "Kom" Uatthong.

Pork satay, yums! RM 17.90++

For starters, I wanted to try their pork satay (couldn't resist, it's pork!). Five delicious marinated sticks, the sweet tangy flavour is sweet temptation to the palette, and even the dipping sauce is enticing.

Smoked salmon salad with eggplant and capsicum, RM 18.90++

This is one salad with a twist. It has slices of smoked salmon, eggplant and capsicum, sprinkled with kuaci and pumpkin seeds. The overall flavour of the salad was pretty heavy and spicy, and if you're just eating this alone, the taste can get pretty heavy on the palette.

Green curry with roasted pork belly, RM 35++

The star of the afternoon had to be this dish, green curry with roasted pork belly. I enjoyed the creamy texture of the curry, and if I were to compare it with the one from myElephant, I would pick this one because it's less oily, yet still full of flavour. Generous portions of pork was also a welcoming sight, be sure to order rice (fragrant rice per pax RM 3.50++) if you're planning to order this dish.

If you're planning to check this place out for dinner, I was told it's best to make reservations as it's been quite a hit with foodies. Also, it's best to go with a group of friends to split the cost, as the price factor is a bit on the higher side. For the 3 dishes and rice we had, our bill was close to RM 90. I'm also guessing they might start planning to dish out set lunches to attract the lunch crowd, must like their sister establishment myElephant is offering.

Kindersoaps

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 02:00:00 +0000

Like most folks out there, I've been using body shower gels for the longest time. And I was a long time user of Dettol shower gels too. I wasn't a fan of soaps because when I was much much younger, I remember my late grandmother bathing me in soaps like Lux and Palmolive, and the scent was so strong, I started disliking it. Plus the soaps were drying my skin, made me detest the idea of soaps even more. And I've always somehow felt that soaps couldn't clean enough (a perception probably).

My husband on the other hand, only uses soap in his showers. He has always use the soap, and will always only use the soap.

When a friend of mine started her new venture into making natural soaps using the cold press method, and I caught wind of it, and naturally I wanted to try her product and at the same time, give her some support. And since she had a soap sampler set at RM 20 for 3 bars of soap (about 30g each), I figured I'll try it out and decide for myself if I like her products or not. Plus I had confident in her products because she went into the business of making soap when her daughter was born and suffered from eczema, and being a concerned mother, she was trying to find an all-natural skincare solution for her precious one. You get where the story is headed :) If you want to know more about Kindersoaps, click here.

After the sampler pack, well, I started purchasing more soaps from Kindersoaps. I not only love the scent, which smells heavenly and makes me relax, the soap doesn't leave my skin dry like other brands of soap. Plus because the ingredients are all natural, I can also use it to wash my face, and not have that tight feeling after. My favourite bar of soap from them right now, is called Dreamtime. Free from all the unnecessary ingredients, kinks, fake scents, preservatives etc... Just good ol'natural ingredients and essential oils. What's good for baby is good for you too, right?

Kindersoap soap bars, some of my personal favourites.

If you're around Jaya 33 area, pop by their store and check out their products. They also have several stockists around the country where you can find their products.

Bad Boy Cooks @ Oasis Plaza, Ara Damansara

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Oasis Plaza was one place that could use a lot of promotion and publicity, being a new area for mixed development. It was a Saturday when we decided to drop by and hang around the place, also to check out what sort of eateries are there in this area.

The piazza was actually a pretty cool place to hang out (except for the afternoon sun), complete with water features, walkways and individual buildings for F&B outlets. I think if more promo were done to push the location, this place can be quite a hit with the surrounding neighourhood.

Bad Boy's interior.

We decided to walk into Bad Boy Cooks as it was still early and there's no lunch crowd. The interior reminded me of an American diner, doesn't it? Plenty of room to move around, and waiters were attentive, maybe because we were the first and only customer that morning.

Looking at the menu and pricing, prices were reasonable, with burgers starting from RM 9++. And if you add RM 1, you get a drink.

Two peppercorn pasta with beef bacon add-on.

Give their pasta a miss, lacking in presentation and the add-on was rather miserable. The pasta was tasty, a little salty after a few helpings I felt. The portion was pretty small too, so much so hubby ordered another burger just to fill his tummy.

BB Bessie burger.

Now this burger was pretty tasty. Grilled beef patty topped with cheese and caramelized onions, it was pretty hearty for me. And the fries were piping hot! How does this beef burger fair against say, Ben's General Food Store beef burger? Not a very fair comparison, Ben's burger was actually a lot tastier, and their pricing factor is higher as well. For RM 9++, this BB Bessie burger was pretty alright in my books. At least I don't have to wait a whole hour for my burger.

If you're feeling adventurous, they have a double patty burger too.

Ben's General Foodstore @ BSC

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 06:37:00 +0000

This is a long overdue post!

We made a trip to Bangsar Shopping Complex many moons ago, and discovered that Ben's had outlet in the mall. Being curious, we decided to step right in to grab some lunch.

If you ran out of topics to have a conversation, have no fear. Here at Ben's, they actually created topics cards which you can pick and select, minimizing the awkward silent moments! Being rather playful, hubby and I scanned through some of the options and found some of the topics quite interesting and engaging. Don't knock it till you try it!

Soft shell crab pasta with curry leaves.

I had their creamy soft shell crab pasta, with an oriental twist to it. Served with one whole soft shell crab, garnished with curry leaves, the sauce was creamy and had a slight spiciness to it, leaving you wanting more. The soft shell crab was delectable, and even though it was deep fried, it's still moist. OK I admit, deep fried stuff are not so good for you :P

Beef burger.

Hubby opted for their beef burger, which turned out pretty nicely. Caramelized onions, cheese, a thick beef patty full of flavour and spices, topped with a sesame bun, and served with a side of salad with home made dressing, it was the perfect burger for a weekend.

The Day For Malaysians To Decide

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:52:00 +0000

A decisive day for all Malaysians. Come out and exercise your vote, every vote counts, every vote matters. This is Malaysia, this is our home. We decide its outcome, we decide its fate. See you then!

Image taken from https://www.facebook.com/BFMradio

Love Thyself

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 10:20:00 +0000

It's been close to seven months now since the incident. Having been through the ups and downs and the emotional roller coaster ride, the psychological trauma, what seemed like a physical punishment at that point of time, slipping into a depressing state, reaching out and getting help to get out of the depressing state, to starting a new job in the new year as part of the healing process... I still get days when I feel crappy about myself.

And today was one of those days.

There are days when I feel no matter how much effort I've put into things, no matter how hard I've tried, things are not going to work out. Sometimes I really question every single effort and contribution I've made, questioning the significance of things. There are days I feel so low about myself, wishing the world would just gobble me up whole. And when I do have such days, I just allow myself to have a good cry, and let the feeling runs its course. I'm not going to fight that feeling anymore, preferring to just let it run its course until it hits the final line, and then all is well again.

Most will never know nor understand the psychological effect the incident had on me over the last few months. Spending the last few months of 2012 in a lot of emotional and mental agony isn't something I want to go through ever again. I've been spending some time to love myself again, to tell myself that I'm still worth every bit of good I'm doing, and reminding to always treat myself well.

It's having these quiet moment to myself that gives me the chance to look around me, to be aware of my surroundings, and to find comfort in things that are familiar to me. Things may not have worked out well initially, but all is not lost. I just need to remind myself time and again, to love thyself.

You would have been due this week.
You would have been four this year.
You would have been four and a half this year.

Serenity For The Dearly Departed

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 02:37:00 +0000

Peaceful settings for the dearly departed, a hill with a view. And now with plenty of entertainment and a new mode of transport!

A Trip To Carlsberg Brewery

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:00:00 +0000

One of the perks of being in the media line is, you get to go for media tours such as the Carlsberg Brewery tour my colleagues and I were treated to recently. When my colleague informed us via email that Carlsberg Malaysia was arranging to give us a tour to their plant and have dinner at their lounge, I jumped at the chance. Ok so I don't drink beer, or liquor, or any kind of alcohol for that matter, so some of you might be thinking what a waste for me to go see a brewery and not have a sip of their products. In all honesty, I was really there to see their plant. The dinner was a bonus of course haha!

Tag, you're it!

Security was pretty strict, which is to be expected from breweries. After all, a lot of secrets are boiling in there.

Carlsberg customer lounge.

First thing after arriving at the plant, we walked into the customer lounge. It was a nice welcome considering the weather has been erratic and the humidity was getting to all of us. Plus you get to sample all their products, some of them straight from the tap. I was told that beers from their plant actually taste better than what you get from the market.

Rows and rows of alcohol.

The iconic Carlsberg silos and signage we see from the Federal Highway.

After a brief intro from our host, we were guided to the plant, which was a 10 minute walk from the lounge. You won't be seeing any pictures from inside the plant as photography is prohibited after a certain point. Quite understandable, a lot of secrets in there ;)

We only saw the bottling line, which was pretty amazing already, as it reminded me of something out of a movie. Rows and rows of green bottles moving along waiting to be filled with the golden liquid, and the sounds of the bottles knocking against each other as they move up the line.

The Elephant Gate at Copenhagen, Denmark.

This is a mural painted on one of the external walls outside the plant, The Elephant Gate at Copenhagen, Denmark. Click here to view the actual building.

Our friendly guide for the evening, Diana, took us into the plant and briefly shared with us the history of Carlsberg, its origin, its journey into Malaysia and the many labels under it. Besides labels like Asahi, Kronenbourg, Skol, Jolly Shandy, Corona and Somersby, Carlsberg also carries other famous labels like Budweiser, Erdinger, Hoegaarden and Stella Artois, under another brewery by the name of Luen Heng.

Freda teaching us a thing or two about history.

The many awards Carlsberg has under its belt.

Yuuuummmm... Seeeeeeeng!

The Carlsberg lounge, probably the most favourite spot for more people. You can request for any of their products here, free flow. It's also a place for their staff to chill out after office hours. My colleagues had a ball of a time with the free flow of alcohol, hehe! As for me, I had mineral water, which raised a few eye brows at first because that was the first and only beverage I asked. Didn't have Shandy either, can't take cold stuff at the moment. Don't judge :P

Kuala Lipis Noodles @ SunwayMas

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 04:30:00 +0000

Made plans to meet up with a couple of friends over lunch, and one of them brought us to this restaurant in SunwayMas. He had raved about their siew yuk (roasted pork belly) for a while already, and being a pork lover myself, I just had to go for it :D

Located opposite from car workshops, the restaurant wasn't crowded that day, which is a good then it would be too noisy for us to have a decent conversation. I didn't know what to order and so relied on my friend to make the call.

Crispy siew yuk, nom nom!

When the plate of siew yuk came, I could tell it's made fresh. The meat still retained its moisture and the skin was absolutely cripsy, and I like how they had picked a nice slab of meat to make the siew yuk, an even combination of meat and fat to make eating every piece of the siew yuk experience more delightful.

Dry noodles with minced pork.

The dry noodles had an even balance of meat and noodles, not forgetting some pork lard as well. If you like your noodles spicy, there's some chilli on the table for you as well, think of it as chilli pan mee style, escept that this chilli is a little of the pasty kind.

Slurping the noodles while munching on the siew yuk was just simply orgasmic. Just a couple of days ago I had lunch at Champs, Centerpoint, and I had their siew yuk rice. Champ's siew yuk was just as awesome, but some parts were fatter that most, and I didn't like that the whole restaurant smelled like dog fur. At least here at Kuala Lipis noodle shop, there is no dog smell (I love dogs by the way).

Lai Thai Market @ Happy Mansion, Section 17

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 04:05:00 +0000

Hubby had been telling me about this little quaint Thai outlet in Section 17, and got me intrigued one weekend. So one Sunday we took a leisurely drive to that area and settled down inside this little Thai shop which doubles as a sundry shop, selling all things Thai. Heck even their TV was tuned to Thai channels.

The shop is an intermediate lot, and don't expect anything fancy from them. They can only cater to a small crowd one at the time due to the limited tables and chairs, so be prepared to wait if you come late. On each table were condiments to go with your food, much like you eating in the streets of Bangkok. This place even have their regular Thai customers working/living around the area (probably makes them feel like home too). The workers are Thai, and their supplies are from Thailand. This is as close to a Thai street food experience as you can get.

Pork patties, RM 4 per piece.

First up, we tried some of their side dishes, some pork sausages. The one above is made of minced pork, shaped into an oblong-like patty. The one next to it is also pork, using different marination and spices, as they both had different flavour to them. These would go well with rice, otherwise it's really quite salty eating them on its own.

Basil chicken with red rice and an egg.

I decided to try their basil chicken and red rice. The texture of the red rice is slightly tougher than normal white rice, less gluten I suppose. The minced chicken with basil was tasty too, although after a while I found it a tad salty. What's with Thai food and salt huh?

Dessert!

For dessert, we definitely had to go with the glutinous rice and mango! Love love love the glutinous rice and mango, and that flaky crispy yellow thing you sprinkle on it. I can't eat too much glutinous rice as it gives me indigestion, but heck, just whack only la :P

After lunch, I wanted to explore all the Thai products the sundry shop had to offer, so I started browsing through their products, and everything is off Thai origin. They even sell Thai garlic, which is in loose form and it's much smaller than the ones from China. I bought a small bottle of fish sauce for RM 5, which some folks might consider a little pricey.

The lunch bill for the both of us came to about RM 33, which is considerably a little high for Thai street food I reckon, but I guess it's because of the pork patties we took to try. I can't recall how much our mains cost, but I reckon it's about RM 5-RM 6 (hubby had some spicy kuey teow noodles and a can of Chang beer).

MyTeksi App on iOS

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Tried out this MyTeksi app the other week, and I must say I'm quite impressed by it.

It was actually raining when I decided to give it a go, and was worried that I might not be able to get a cab (and I couldn't walk out to the nearby bus stop). So I gave this app a shot to see if it could be handy during times of emergencies.

The app is easy to use too. Launch the app, and select your current location, and your destination. Once you select your location, the app will start to track the nearby cabs within your area. Then the bidding process starts (this could take a while as the cab drivers who are hooked to the app via the system respond to your request).

It took a few tries before a cab actually responded, possibly because of the rain as well. When a cab driver finally responded, I could see the name of the driver in the user interface, and even his car number plate. Which kinda gave me a sense of relief as well, that way at least I know a cab is on its way. I could also track the cab's whereabouts and which route he was taking to reach my location.

Screenshot of the MyTeksi app.

The app also shows me as estimate cab fair to the location I keyed in to inquire, so that's helpful to inform give me an estimate how much my fare would cost. Bear in mind there is an additional RM 2 top up, much like you calling the cab operator to call for a cab. Except with this app, you don't have to go through the hassle of calling the operator, and then wondering if the operator will call you back.

This app also allows you to share your ride with your friends or family members, and let them track you in real-time, so there's a sense of security and safety as well.

To download the app for iOS, here's the link: http://bit.ly/133pQHK

To downlod the app for Android, here' the link: http://bit.ly/Lfp51f

International Women's Day, 8th March 2013

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 06:47:00 +0000

March 8th was International Women's Day, and boy, was it an eye opener for me. If you don't already know, I've moved a new working environment this year, and the new workplace is a fun place to be. People are great and passionate about what they do, and this step of quitting my job and moving on to something new is in fact, part of my healing process for the year 2013. Gave me a sense of re-focus and just an overall mental and emotional well being (new workplace, new friends, new responsibility).

Enjoying a head massage...

So what did the colleagues at my new workplace planned for International Women's Day? Well for one, the women didn't have to go on air (but they did have to help with all the preps for the men to step in). On top of that, a few masseuse from a massage parlour was brought in to give all the ladies a nice massage.

Look at all the pretty colours...!

The folks from Nails on Wheels are came by to give us ladies a nice manicure/pedicure treatment

Roses and daisies!

The ladies also received flowers from the boss and another colleague, how sweet of them!

Omnomnomnom...!

Lunch was brought in from Fierce Curry House, Bangsar. Awesome briyani is awesome!

And look who is the super star of the day!

BYOB on BFM

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 05:30:00 +0000

The founder of BYOB, Wilson Lai, was recently on BFM 89.9 for an interview on "Open for Business", to talk about what BYOB is and the concept behind it.

To be honest, I've known Wilson via online for a few years already, but we've never formally met face to face. Nor does he know that I'm currently with BFM Media. So when I saw the Damansara Kim outlet's lady boss (Mei Ching) walked in, I approached her to say hi. She didn't recognize me at first because my hair is a lot shorter now haha!

We spoke for a while and then I went back to work. And then Wilson came by my desk and we shook hands, laughing and saying to each other "We finally meet!"

Click here to listen to the podcast:
http://www.bfm.my/open-for-business-wilson-lai-byob-green-concepts.html

Italiannies @ Paradigm Mall

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:40:00 +0000

We had a voucher to use, which allows us to go to either one of Chaswood Resources F&B outlets, namely TGIF, Italiannies and The Apartment. So we decided to use it at Italiannies Paradigm Mall :)

Seafood risotto, tasty but too much MSG/salt used.

After looking at the menu, I decided on their seafood risotto. And when the dish was served. I was pleasantly surprised by the serving. The risotto was at the centre topped with fresh prawns and tomatoes, and surrounded by clams and mussels, drizzled with a nice garlic-key buttery sauce. Pleasing to the eye, but what about the stomach?

I found the dish full of flavour, a very hearty dish. But I think the chefs overdid it with the salt and MSG...! XP Made me thirsty la... Chefs, if you have a good broth, you really don't need to use so much of salt and MSG to flavour your dishes. You want your dishes to be your pride and of the restaurant's pride kan?

Meatball pasta (small), served with one big-ass meatball in your face.

Hubby's meatball pasta was pretty good too, although I still prefer pastas from Dave's at 1Utama. He ordered the small serving which comes with one giant meatball, the regular portions serves two which comes with two meatballs. Again, a tad too much salt.

Oh, we were also offered the Chaswood membership loyalty card "Pinch of Salt", which gives us 10% rebate on our next visit to Chaswood Resources F&B outlets, along with other privileges
.

Dried Scallops and Shredded Chicken Meat Porridge

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:00:00 +0000

Dried Hokkaido scallops :D Beautiful ain't it?

Ingredients:
1 cup rice for two (rinsed)
Water (about 3 big bowls)
Dried scallops (soaked overnight or at least a few hours). Keep the water!
Shredded chicken meat
Ginger and spring onions for garnishing.

This is an important step. As you soak the scallops, the water will turn a little yellowish, which is the essence of the scallops. DON'T THROW THE WATER AWAY! Keep it for the porridge later, it will make the porridge taste absolutely sweeter :D

I used my rice cooker to make the porridge. You can also opt to use a deep pot to make your porridge. If halfway during the process you find you need more water, just add some hot water into the pot.

Place the rice and water into the rice cooker and hit the "Cook" button. Once the water is boiling, lift the lid slightly so that the water doesn't overflow, as it can damage the rice cooker. Stir occasionally to avoid the base from sticking. Add the meat, scallops and the water from soaking the scallops, and let it boil until you get the consistency you desire:

Teo Chew style porridge - watery, the rice hasn't completely broken down.
Cantonese style porridge - thicker, rice has pretty much broken down.

Yummmm....!

Duck and Chicken Meat Porridge (Congee)

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 02:00:00 +0000

My step mother-inlaw had given us some duck and chicken meat before we drove back to KL, and I has been giving it some thoughts about what to do with all that meat. So one fine day while I was having a conversation with my sister, she suggested to make porridge with it. Brilliant idea kan? And the best thing is I don't have to add salt to the porridge because the meat is already seasoned.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice for two (rinsed)
Water (about 3 big bowls)
Duck and chicken meat (shredded)
Ginger and spring onions for garnishing.

I used my rice cooker to make the porridge. You can also opt to use a deep pot to make your porridge. For some folks, they might use chicken broth to make the porridge sweeter, but in my recipe I only used water. If halfway during the process you find you need more water, just add some hot water into the pot.

Place the rice and water into the rice cooker and hit the "Cook" button. Once the water is boiling, lift the lid slightly so that the water doesn't overflow, as it can damage the rice cooker. Stir occasionally to avoid the base from sticking. Add the meat and let it boil until you get the consistency you desire:

Teo Chew style porridge - watery, the rice hasn't completely broken down.
Cantonese style porridge - thicker, rice has pretty much broken down.

CNY 2013

noreply@blogger.com (oliviasy) — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:06:00 +0000

Snippets of our Chinese New Year celebrations this year. Good company, good food, simple fun :)

A little nephew who couldn't wait to grow up.

My favourite CNY snack of all time.

What's CNY without more junk food right?

Pigging out with good friends.

Handsome fella kan?