dDoinkster Speaks

What a big joke! ;) :P This was what my college friends bought for me as my birthday gift. ;) Ok,fine...i have to say that it's pretty cute but i can't and i won't put it in my car! ;) :P They passed it to me while we were at Zaza's place for her open house. Had some really good assam laksa, rendang, sotong...loads of stuffs. :) Think we had too much though cause Oja and I were pretty stuffed ourselves. :D Anyways, thanks for the gift, guys and gals...its cute. :)

Went over to the National Art Gallery today with Raimy, Yanna and Oja to check out the Malaysia Video Awards thing. Bumped into Sun at the forum...didn't realise she was into such stuffs too..interesting. :D Anyways,the gang and i managed to catch the "Idea development & Story Strategies" forum with Ng Ping Ho (TV), Sidney Tan (Animation), Tan Chooi Mui (Short Film), Eugene Foo (Experimental Film). Learnt quite alot of stuffs about how to make short films, storyboards and how to come up with ideas. :) Very very interesting stuffs. :) Wonder where could i get a copy of those short films.

L-R : KL, Kelvin, me.

It's been awhile since i met up with these 2 buggers i met when i was in Informatics,PJ back in 2000. Since then, all of us left Informatics and went on to pursue other stuffs...KL did Hospitality Management at KDU, Kelvin did Mechanical Engineering in Australia and I'm still stuck in LUCT while the both of them are already done with studying and are working already. Didn't realise I became the slowest [read : loser] of the group. Haha. ;) Anyways, went over to Neway in Cheras to spend some time catching up with each other and sing karaoke. Well,they did most of the singing while i did most of the eating..haha. :D I have to say that the food here compared to RedBox, the buffet line-up here is much better. They have sushi, teppanyaki, mussles and a bunch of different varity of food to choose from...but the song list is a little short though compared to RedBox. Oh well,i'm just there to meet up with old friends. :) But the free-flow of food was a good perk. :P

Yes,more of them and this time at KL Plaza's StarBucks. :) And you will see more of them on my blog and also on alldatJazz.com...well,maybe til their concert this coming December. :) More info on that here. Anyways,was down in town for a little shopping for some computer stuffs and a little errand here and there so thought i should pop-over to give the duo some support. :)

It was wonderful as usual. I just love to listen to good guitarist play 'live'. It's just something that i think only guitarist will understand...else it might just be me. haha. :D Wasn't much of a crowd even though they were playing outdoors. But i have to say that they did manage to get quite alot of the passer-bys to turn their heads. :) Even managed to get some of the Tag Heuer saleswomen to stand outside to listen to them. :D Didn't really stay til the end cause i was already around the area for like 5 hours...so left just when the heavy rain turned into a drizzle.

Yes,it rained halfway through their showcase but there were still people turning their heads and looking while walking in the rain. ;) Even got a little guitar lesson from Roger while they were taking their break. :) Yes,Mia...i'm very thankful for all the helpful [read : free] tips. I'm very honoured and thankful to be able to learn from a talented local guitarist. :) Plus,it was really fun just hanging out with the you guys. :)

So it was pretty good. The experience was good, a nice warm/hot cuppa jo...with the rain and good music provided by Double Take. It's just like Christmas in the west, except instead of snow, we have rain. :) Still,it was good. :) That's how i'd like to enjoy my copy of their album...Nice cozy room with the air-conditioner switched on, a warm cup of tea/coffee/chocolate, lights are dimmed with some candles or so. :) Never forgetting the soft and wonderful couch to sit on. ;) Think i'll do that now. :P haha. ;) Seriously,go check out their Christmas album...won't regret it at all!

Had a late dinner with Eugene at SS2's Glutton Street...had to sort out some details for an upcoming event. :) So keep your eyes on alldatJazz.com for more information. :) It was too late for me to get the Bombay Chicken so opted for this cheese coated chicken instead. I think you should be able to see the cheese on the chicken. :) I have to say that this Stall 66 at SS2's Glutton Street is the best that i've tasted so far. :) So if you're there for a meal and you wanna get some western food...check out Stall no.66. You won't go wrong. :)

Yes,i've finally found it. :D The ultimate fried rice in town. Well,to me anyway. :) Went to Chow Yang for lunch today after Christmas practice in church with Christina, Nelson, Wai Yi, Dax and Evelyn. Why do i say this is the ultimate fried rice? If you can see on the dish, they have luncheon meat and chinese sausage. 2 very important ingredient to me to have with your fried rice,apart from the other important ingredient in making a plate of really good fried rice of that using leftover rice from the night before. Supposedly would make the fried rice taste a whole lot better and also plus the other ingredients to add to the dish. For RM4.50,i think its pretty good. :)

If you're interested,go check out this stall at Chow Yang's corner restaurant just behind Kayu Nasi Kandar...the stall is next to the Penang Char Koay Teow stall. :)

Yummy,its been awhile since i had some lobak and particularly some century egg with ginger. :) Delicious. ;) Well,kinda went a little overboard with it cause i ordered 2 eggs, supposedly to be shared with Evelyn but she only took half an egg and i had to finish off the rest. Still,it's all good. :D Yum, yum. ;)

Had to attend some relative's 70th birthday dinner on Saturday night at a Tai Thong restaurant near Jalan Bukit Bintang. He's some uncle or something from my father's side...someone whom i've not met for a very long time. Sigh,it was not a very fun night...prety boring actually except for the food...which came around 8.45pm. As usual like any other chinese dinner parties in Malaysia...they NEVER start on time. We were told to get there by 7pm but guess there was not rush at all since dinner started so late.

Anyways,this dish was pretty interesting considering that they had mussels as part of the 4 seasons. Usually,they give squid or some other seafood but this was nice. :) Very tasty...maybe cause i was almost dying of hunger from waiting so long. I was just thankful that there wasn't any singing involved...just a bunch of drunk old men, happy to celebrate a friend's 70th birthday. Well,can't really call them friends if they left just before the final dish and before the cutting of cake ceremony. :)

Guess we can call those type of people, freeloaders. :) I think for my 70th birthday if i ever live til that age...i would want a big party on the beach on some island on the east coast or somewhere with my bunch of close friends, whom i hope are still alive to party with me...haha. :P that would be erm...around 2052. Wow..thats a long time more. haha. :D

This dish is not healthy at all. This came out around 10pm...the soup was thick because of the coconut milk but the prawns were pretty huge. Definitely not a good idea to be eating this so late at night. So i had to give it up else i might be spending the rest of the weeks ahead thinking of ways to exercise away this dish from my body. :D

Wonder if all the chinese restaurants in town or in Malaysia have the same recipe for the typical dessert to end a 10 course chinese dinner. :) I was pretty tired and sleepy already by this time and i didn't really bother tasting them. I just wanted to go home and sleep! ;) :P

2nd day of my church's VBS. Look at this... ;) the people in-charge of games couldn't find the proper scuba diving flippers to use for their games so they homemade their own. :D Maybe you can still use them when you go scuba diving. haha. :) That should save you some money. Just get some cardboards and a pair of hotel/airplane-provided sandals. :) Man,i can't wait til tomorrow passes and we're done with VBS. I nearly couldn't wake up in time today. I wonder how those people who are involved full-time in taking care of children handle all the work. Sure is one heck of a job. :) Rewarding nonetheless knowing that in a small/big way,you've made a difference in the child's life. :D

Now this is how my video room looks like...well,on the left wall anyways. :) Just wanna say thank you to those who has helped in drawing and cutting out the sea creatures that's on the wall. :) As you can see vaguely,there's like 2 whales, dolphins, turtles, crabs, fishes and other stuffs there..ok,maybe some aren't exactly what you would see when you go scuba diving but we were desperate...so we just drew whatever we could think of and whatever we could copy for a children's picture dictionary. :D It might not look like much now but when the UV lights are switched on...it looks pretty good. :) Quite happy and satisfied with how the room came out. :) Pretty sure most of the kids like this room the most even though they might not like the teacher and the video. ;) :P But i guess the glowing stuffs on the walls are making them happy. haha. :D

This was what i got to use as a stamping tool for the kids when they came to visit my room. :) I'm in-charge of the video room where they kids come in and watch a video and also discuss about some questions that i'll pose to them. Man,i have to say i've got a new level of respect for kindergarten teachers. They manage to spend 6 hours each day, 5 days a week with children and still manage to get enough rest and keep their mind sane.

I'm already pretty tired and drained...and i only had to take care of 10 kids each session. Thankfully,there were some kids which were really interested and willing to learn. So that kinda made up for all the tiredness. :)

Doesn't the main sanctuary of my church look good? :) Took quite alot of people a few days just to get the place in the right mood for SCUBA [Super Cool Undersea Bible Adventure]. Pretty proud of all the work that's been done cause honestly, we were way over our heads on this project. With not enough man-power to handle the project but with God's grace...i think we did quite well on the first day. :) So 2 more days to go before we're done. Til then,i really should be getting more rest now. ;)

Yes,this handmade version trying to duplicate a whale's belly was used in my church's Vacation Bible School [VBS] for kids. :) Interesting little thing,cause all they used to make this was garbage bags and a fan. :) Look fun,ei? :) This was used to tell the story about Jonah being swallowed by a big fish because he didn't obey God. :)

Was in town just now cause Miss Queen of the World needed to scout for a spot in town for her next shoot. Anyways,went to Jalan Alor with her boyfriend to have a later dinner/supper of Ngau Kee beef balls noodles. Was kinda lacking my BBQ chicken drumstick from Jalan Imbi but oh well,wasn't really that hungry anyways. :P Was leaving then this interesting signboard caught my eye. :) Very interesting concept. 8ight GuestHouse seems to have been in operation for quite awhile already. Kinda reminds me of Hotel 1929 in Singapore but then again...there's no comparison cause Hotel 1929 is more expensive and more upscale. :D

Dessert, my favourite part of the meal. ;) If you've not went to Alexis to have a meal before...i suggest u go check it out. Go to the branch in Great Eastern Mall,Jalan Ampang...not very sure about their Bangsar outlet though. :) Anyways, Double Take will still be performing at Alexis tonight, so do check them out. Definitely won't be a waste of time. :) They are also going to have a concert called 'Made In Malaysia' on the 11th of December,8.30pm so do give your support cause this concert will be in aid of MAKNA. You can get your ticket via Axcess now.

Doesn't these hors d'oeuvre look just oh-so-yummy? :D Had this while being given the opportunity to cover Double Take's latest Christmas album launch at Alexis Bistro, Great Eastern Mall, Jalan Ampang before their gig. It was a super packed event, they have a big fan club here,that's for sure. :D Even though i was sitting outside with Roger's wife, Claudina and Mia's boyfriend, Adam...we could still hear the music and it was great. :D Hopefully when i rush there later after Christmas practice,i'll be able to get better seats inside. :D

I stumbled upon this article by chance. I'm not sure who's actually telling the truth so just read the blog and the newspaper write-ups about it and make up your own mind about it. Pretty serious i assume for both sides. Zouk stands by action of security personnel Noises in men's toilet... Making out or throwing up? Couple to take legal action or visit the blog that the couple has set-up to spread news regarding this matter. Zouk Abuse You be the judge of it. Check out this website as well by an ex-manager of Zouk who commented about this matter. This is becoming a very interesting matter...who is actually telling the truth?

Ok,brace yourselves for another long post and this time its about my recent Kota Kinabalu trip i took with Nelson, Yvonne and her family during the Hari Raya weekend. :) It was wonderful even though it was just 3 days. Definitely am going back there soon to conquer Mount Kinabalu. :D That is if i'll be disciplined enough to get myself back into shape. ;) But if you've not been to Kota Kinabalu then it deserves a spot on your vacation list. :) Had this crap-of-a-burger from Burger King in KLIA. Mushroom Swiss is still my favorite burger from Burger King but this was pathetic. AirAsia plane that's taking us to Kota Kinabalu. 2 1/2 hours worth of flying time just to get there. Add another 1/2 hour and i would be in Bali...ah,what a wonderful wishful thought. ;) This one really cracked me up. ;) Think its suppose to be a area where you can keep your luggage. Isn't there a better way to term it? A view from the hotel we were staying in, Kinabalu Daya Hotel. Nice place to bunk in but i think Borneo BackPackers has a pretty good rate for people on a budget. :) Worth checking out. Koay Teow soup with wanton and pork ball for lunch at 2pm. :) Was kinda hoping for some really good food in Kota Kinabalu but didn't find any I'm sorry to have made that remark. :) I've gotten quite a earful from the KKians i've met and it seems there is alot of places with good food in KK town itself. ;) So my fault,should have gotten my facts right first. :) So now i know,i'll make sure i ask the right people about where to find good food. :D Will check with JulieTheBiscuit for her eating haunts before going over or the other wonderful people that was nice enough to point out my mistake. :D The next time i visit Sabah,i'm sure it'll be better. :) Off to Manukan Island after lunch around 3pm with Jonathan and his dad while Nelson and Yvonne went shopping/scouting Kota Kinabalu town. :) Manukan Island is the one on the right, Mamutik in the middle and Sulug on the left i think. :) Manukan was ok, but if you've been to the East Coast islands such as Lang Tengah or Redang...Manukan isn't really that great compared to the other islands i've been to. The water's muddy and visibility isn't that good but then again it's just 20 minutes off the mainland so i guess it's expected. Or maybe i should have visited Sapi Island or Gaya Island instead. Even though that, i think Manukan is quite good for a day trip. :) Went over to SEDCO Square just behind the GSC Cinema for dinner. Was looking for seafood and SEDCO Square came recommended but the price is almost the same like eating in PJ. Was kinda hoping for prices like in Klang or something. But it was an experience. :) Fresh fish in tanks. :D Love coming to seafood restaurants like this..at least you get to choose your meals. :) Maybe that's why the price is at par with the seafood restaurants in Klang Valley. :) Lai Liu Ha...some type of prawn. It was interesting to see them all in individual bottle. :) I wonder why. ;) *slurp* Lobsters but it cost RM200 for one...it was out of the list. Sigh,was kinda hoping for some lobsters. ;) :P A view of the tanks with the fresh seafood in them. :) Yum,yum. :D There were other stalls beside the seafood restaurant so it's pretty good to have more selections. :) Oh by the way,i just found out from the lady that sapi means beef. :) Interesting. :) Kambing = goat/lamb. Ayam = chicken. Pretty cheap, RM0.40 per stick. I think now in Klang Valley it's like RM0.80 per stick. :) Yummy delicious BBQ chicken while waiting for our dinner to arrive. :) But it can't beat the Jalan Imbi BBQ chicken. hehe. :D Had satay too while waiting for dinner. Quite good, not too chewy. But this wasn't the reason we were sitting there. :P Fresh, delicious crab in sweet and sour sauce. If only they provided bread/mantou to go with the dish. :) Doesn't it look so good to eat? ;) :P It wasn't difficult to get pass the shell and to the meat. :) Just nice. :D Steam fish...fresh. It was yummy. :D Tasty sauce to go with the fish. :) The now fried and chopped up Lai Liu Ha [prawns]. Anybody knows the english name for this sea creature? :) It was quite difficult to get to the meat and personally...i didn't really like it. :) The only non seafood item on the table. Marmite pork...or was it chicken...anyways,it was good. :) tasty. :D *slurp* After dinner, we went for a much needed walk to walk off all the food we had for dinner. ;) Walked around town and ended up at the WaterFront Esplanade near the Philippines Handicraft market. Travelled by plane for 2 1/2 hours and where did we go for supper...Coffee Beans. Wow..haha. ;) :P It's quite nice actually, supposed to be the happening spot in Kota Kinabalu town. Guess what i saw in Coffee Beans. ;) Double Take, but why should i be surprised by this...this is their hometown. :D Of course they'll support their own. :D Read all about them at alldatJazz.com, they are playing at Alexis this weekend...so go check them out. :D Seriously good. :) I had this Blueberry cheese cake for dessert. ;) Yummy...if only they had a StarBucks here. :P Jonathan had the Chicago cheese cake. With mango or was it lemon..anyways,it's a cheese cake..what's not to like about it. :D Another view of the hotel we were staying in across the road. :) It's not too bad despite it looking abit shabby. :D So that's the end of Day 1. :) Got quite alot done even though we got to Kota Kinabalu around 12pm, checked into the hotel, unpacked and finished lunch around 2pm. :)

The next morning after the complementary breakfast at the hotel, our rental car arrived. :) Ain't it something? I always wanted to drive a Nissan Serena and guess what...i got my chance while in Kinabalu. :D So off we went towards the Kinabalu Park where you can find Mount Kinabalu. Where to find such bridges in the Peninsular lar. ;) Cool ei. ;) Can you imagine how it'll be like when the river breaks its banks? Sure flood and cover over the bridge. Maybe that's why they need to put the pedestrian bridge that high...but why dont just put this bridge higher? Hmmm.. :) Lovely view on the way to Kundasang where Kinabalu Park is situated. A trip that takes up about 2 1/2 hours ride across Tuaran, Tampluri and Kundasang from Kota Kinabalu. With sceneries like this, no complains from me, that's for sure. :D Finally, we arrived to Kundasang...i gotta say that it's a fairly easy drive even though we had no idea where we were but the locals were so friendly and helpful each time we asked for directions. :) 2 thumbs up to all the locals in Kota Kinabalu, Tuaran, Tampluri, Kundasang and Ranau. :) Much appreciative of the help and direction. :) After unpacking at Zen Garden where we spent the night, went over to Ranau to look for lunch...and just walked into the first packed restaurant we saw. :D I think if you're new in a foreign place and looking for food but don't know which restaurant to choose...just go for the one with the most people. ;) :P Anyways,so we order just simple items to fill our stomachs. Think this was the lemon chicken. :) Sweet and sour pork. Not too bad but think i had better but then again...we're new here so really don't have any clue as to where to find good food in Ranau...if there's any. :) Japanese tofu...Don't think you can get this simple dish wrong, lest of course you're new at cooking. :) Vegetable, a must in order to create a balanced meal. :) Can't remember the name of this type of vegetable. :) Went over to Poring Hot Springs after lunch. Had to pay RM 3 to get into the park area cause it's a World Heritage Site and i guess the money will be used for the upkeeping cost of the entire park. But i have to say that so far,almost each area i've been to in Kota Kinabalu...its been pretty clean, especially the toilets. :) Really good. :D Its like when you go to a shabby petrol station, thinking that the toilet will be just like how it in Klang Valley, you get a surprise cause its the clean. Well,cleaner than what the exterior looks. :) Oh word of advice if you're going to Kinabalu Park, just pay once and keep the ticket with you, it allows you access to the entire park area including the Poring Hot Springs and the other areas unless stated otherwise. We paid twice, once at the Poring entrance and second at the Kinabalu Park entrance. Oh well,as long as they use the money to keep the Park in good condition...i guess there isn't any harm. :) This is part of the Poring Hot Springs...couldn't take much photos cause there was tons of people there...guess as much since it was the Hari Raya weekend but we did take a little stroll up the hill towards the waterfalls but stopped just as we passed the waterfalls and smelt the guano from the bat cave. :D Couldn't post the picture of the cave here cause it was blurred but i can say now that i've found Batman's cave...and it's in Poring Hot Springs. haha. ;) Man,it really stinks...you can actually smell it and the closer you get...the worse it gets. *bleh* After Poring Hot Springs, we swung over to the Kinabalu Park. This is one of the few restaurants in the park itself. Quite nice i have to say. :D L-R : me, Jonathan, Yvonne, Nelson. Taken at another restaurant in the park also. Really nice,we decided to have dinner there. :D Its like being in Cameron Highlands but better. ;) :P Ok ok,so i'm getting fat...gonna try to start back on my kickboxing soon. :P This is the erm,chicken in wine soup...i think. ;) :P Quite nice but i think needs more wine. haha. :P I had this really pathetic so-called minestrone soup. It was basically mushroom soup but they just added the little bread cubes into it. Should have ordered the chicken in wine soup like Nelson. :P Here we have the Thai seafood fried rice. Pretty normal...maybe i should have ordered the grill lamb. ;) Oh well,this round is just the reconnaissance trip...the next round we come again, we'll know where to go and what to do. :P This was really good and just nice for the weather. :D Was kinda hoping for more honey but then if i did, i might as well just drink honey with hot water. :) Sabah tea was pretty tasty but it could have been honey. :) A map of trails in the park. :) I wonder when i'll be able to come back here and climb this mountain. :D Went for a little stroll after dinner and we saw quite alot of insects at the park. :) Quite cool actually. :) But this was crazy. ;) I don't know if this photo can show you how big the spider web was. :) Can you see the small spider in the center of the web? :) Pretty interesting. :) This was under the pine trees around the chalets close-by to the restaurant. Erm,can't really remember the name of this insect but it seems if you catch it,it can get really noisy. :) Can you find it? Cool moth, huh. :) Suppose to carry a scary death look on its back, on the wings to scare off predators. Man,it was a really fun night,just walking around and seeing so many insects. :) When we first arrived at Kundasang around noon this, the mountain was already covered with heavy clouds/mist. This was what the view was in the evening near the reception area of the park. Just imagine with me in the center of the photo is Mount Kinabalu. :) So that kinda ended the 2nd day in Kinabalu for me. :D It got quite cold later that night but thank goodness for the 3 layer blanket provided by the resort. ;) :P