First CNY Low Sang

We decided to have it early before everyone starts to busy preparing Chinese New Year. Pru suggested the restaurant this time at QuiZin at Aman Suria. So we had our first CNY Low Sang of the year with our lovely wine kakis.

this is the yee sang. obviously right? :p

The food there is not too bad. We had a room for 7 of us but I think our laughter made the whole restaurant so noisy. If you were just a passer-by, you would think the restaurant is having a 100-pax dinner that night. kekeke... we were just enjoying ourselves.

With our wine kakis around, of course, a variety of wines is a MUST!! With LA moving to France now, we get to taste French wines on top of our regular Australian and New Zealand wines. We are so lucky, aren't we.

We had 7 bottles for the night, from Australian Rosemount GSM to sparkling Brut Cuvee for the Yee Sang, French Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Castello Di Pomino's Pomino Bianco, Chateau Hyot, New Zealand Clifford Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, and the finale Italian Zonin Ripasso. I can't remember the sequence correctly. Anyway, how could you expect me to still remain sober after so many bottles of wines? :p

Beside than the fanstastic wine we had, the food they served were good too. We had Yee Sang, cold dish, shark's fin soup, steamed Patin, prawns, brocolli with sea cucumber, rice and dessert. Tell me how can I solve my high cholestrol problem??? And how can I loss weight??? But I really can't resist to the great wine and food!

my lovely wine and dine kakis :)

It was a good dinner altogether and I hope there are more to come. Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous 2007!!!

Tokyo Shopping Spree

Today is a free day for us. As it's a business trip, we gotta do something, at least we gotta pretend that we're doing. kekeke... So we went to Amlux to collect some catalogues for cars and accessories. BTW, Amlux is a showroom displaying all Toyota cars in Ikebukuro. It's a one-stop showroom for all the Toyotas but no test drive here. If not, I will request to test the super expensive but old-man-looking Century. :p

And that's all the business for the day and shopping for the rest of the day. Actually, it's just 4 hours loh... didn't manage to shop much also. Burberry Blue Label in Japan is a must-buy if you like handbags. Reasonable price and you can't get in other countries outside of Japan, not even in London!! I bought 5 altogether. Don't misunderstand, only 2 for myself. I think I am having problems chucking them into my luggage. kekeke... it's normal! :p

Didn't even have time for lunch, we shopped till dinner time and went straight for dinner at Tsukiji fish market. Let me introduce the menu to you. kekeke...

As we did not have lunch, we didn't wait for all to arrive and ordered something to fill our stomach. We saw somebody eating fish head with radish and we pointed to the waiter that we wanna have one too. We ended up had two portions. So you know how nice it's huh. :p

The radish is fantastic!!

And starving for the whole day, the fish head is definitely not enough for four of us. So we had some Yasai Tempura and Seafood Salad too.

We had the Salmon Fish Roe Roll as well. It's called Ikura Maki in Nihon-go.

Just so little?? Of course not! These are just appertizer. For those who love sashimi, look at this one.

Salmon, Hamachi, Ebi, pink one i can't remember the name, scallop in the bowl and the maroon colour one is Tuna. And the fish is Tai. Super delicious! Just melts in my mouth... yummy...

The Tai is alive when it's served. So I don't need to explain on the freshness. It's called Ikezukuri if you wanna try. The shop is at Tsukiji opposite the Tsukiji Fish Market. Must try if you visit Tokyo next time.

And Nabe (steamboat) is good for cold weather now in Japan. It's hot. We ordered a seafood nabe with different type of fishes, oysters, clams, prawns and lotsa vege. In miso soup of course.

I am so full and still blotted. How can I forget to mention the sake and Kirin beer I had? :) They're also a must-have when you visit Japan.

Tokyo Autosalon 2007 ~ 120107

Second day in Japan. As planned, we went to Tokyo Autosalon at Makahari Messe. I am not sure whether I don't appreciate much on the cars and accessories or it's just a truth that the show doesn't really excite me. But as usual, this autosalon is full with modified cars and beautiful gals :)

I love this Honda Civic particularly. Not sure about you.

And this new Skyline caught my eyes too! This is the new model according to the intro. Please don't ask me what's the difference. :p

Look at this!! Familiar?! kekeke.... it's the handbrake for Toyota Blade. Just make sure you don't pull the wrong one during emergency! :p

This year's show showcases a lot of the latest LS460. Body kit, 21" wheels, air suspension, I am loving it!!

Look at the rims!!

And please don't think you can only drift on the road. For those who love to drift but venue and marnee is a problem, try the remote control cars. I never know the remote control cars can drift as real as those on the road. And ya.. talking about drifting, I should also mention that the Sales Manager is pretty good at drifting too. And changed my impression of auto-transmission-car-cannot-drift. The new IS350 works as good!! It's as exciting ride afterall. An U-turn on Japanese road, no joke!!

The autosalon was just ok only but the dinner tonight was great. High Cholestrol?? WTF!! Don't bother, eat first!

From right : Tuna, Yellow Tail n Ebi. Good or not?? Where else can you find better sashimi than Japan??

Here comes the appertizer. Clockwise from left : Some Sushi, Fish grilled in Teriyaki sauce, Japanese Shell and of course Kani (crab). Middle one is prawn wrapped with dunno what but it tastes good too.

What's our maincourse??? of course, KANI!!

A portion for everyone of us. Just Shabu-shabu, dip in the sesame sauce (left) or soya sauce. Eat it plain is as good as it brings out the freshness of the crab. No matter how you eat it, it's fantastic!! Frankly, I have never tasted such nice crab back in Malaysia! And needless to say when you don't even have to fight with the crab! You know I don't lie when it comes to food, don't you!

That's not all. After the main course, we had some vege and noodles too. And macha ice-cream as dessert.

Haha... I am just looking forward for another dinner!!

Tokyo ~ Osaka 110107

We arrived at Narita International Airport this morning about 7:30am local time. The weather is cold. It's 0 degree celcius when we landed this morning. I was freezing just because the clever me put the jacket in my check-in luggage. And I was freezing throughout the 7 hours flight. :(

We managed to check-in earlier as we book the executive floor this time. Dumped our luggage in the room and we left for our shopping spree. As usual, the two-storey GAP outlet is something not to be missed. :) And the Takashimaya too! Just for the Burberry Blue Label. As requested by friends, I bought 4 altogether this time. :p Just hope that they will like the handbag.

Merely two hours of shopping is surely insufficient. But hoh... since this is a business trip, we try to control ourselves. Went to the principal office and had meeting till 7pm. (Please bear in mind, this consider late for us. We normally leave about 5pm for dinner. :p) And we were invited to Red Lobster for dinner and to celebrate the Sales Manager's birthday too. :)

I expected lobster but it came out with crab. Big huge snow crab. Just sweet and juicy. Yummy yummy yummy!! And the seafood pizza and seafood paella were just as great! I am still full with seafood in my stomach now. Too full and I can't sleep. That's why I am now writing my blog :p. F*#k the high cholestrol. I will deal with it when I come back from the trip. :)

Sorry guys for no photos today. My camera was left in the hotel to recharge. I promise I will show you more tomorrow. Those who love cars please beware!! The Tokyo Autosalon gonna roar!!

Lepok Waterfall Hulu Langat 070107

Ayah Lau a.k.a. dugong, we bet, definitely I am gonna win this time. Just don't tell me you are also uploading the photos. But tell you something, you're too late!! I have uploaded them all. Is it because you have spent some time to update your friendster. Wahahaha... :D

(are you wondering who's ayah lau and why dugong?? buy me a guiness draft and i will tell you more :p)

Six of us this time. Weather is nice. Looked like gonna rain but it didn't. Cold wind is bleezing. It's even cooler than Sungai Chilling. About 1 hour hike and we reached the waterfall. I think there must be rain for the past few days and the track is muddy and slippery but we managed to reach the peak less than what stated on the website. :)

Water is freezing cold. It will be great to have some whisky with mineral water to warm ourselves. Or even whisky on the rock!! (dude, i am talking the real rock k!! don't play play!) We had some biscuits and 'dog food' before dipping into the water and also to avoid those f*&^%ng leeches. We got bitten all over. I am not joking!

Ha... our lunch was good! We had turkey breast, salmon, mackerel, chicken curry, beef curry and .... .... .... roti 'kan ni nia' :p ya... also not to forget our 100 plus and DUNHILL!! (ray, i am really a bro right?!)

I thought coming down will be faster but we took about the same amount of time as we hiked up. I guess it's all due to the slippery and muddy track. Ayah slided down at certain stretch but nobody saw bcos he was simply taking his sweet time looking at the natural beauty. (yah, i am kind hoh?)

On our way back, we decided to stop at hulu langat town to have a tea break. Supposed to have some snacks but we ended up had full course meal. We had clay pot 'sang yee', curry wild boal, black pepper mutton, kailan with fish paste and noodles. Guess how much we paid for the bill?? RM68.50 to be exact including a big bottle of Tiger and a pot of chinese tea. Isn't that super cheap?? Don't ask me why. This one I won't tell you. (i think negotiable if you buy me two pints of guiness.... kekekeee...)

And throughout the whole journey we were talking about ayah. Yah, wanna know what we were talking about??? come bribe me!! hehehehee....

It's another good trekking experience and more to come!!

越南 ~~ 西贡

越南是个很漂亮的国家。

国土上有很亲切的人民，有富裕的资源，长长的海岸线，有被湄公河照料的土地。开放后，外资大量涌入，便宜的劳工和物资让它占有上上的优势。

这里的公路系统也不错。每条街头巷尾，十字路口，都有路牌清晰可见。这就比我们马来西亚有过之而无不及了。有份地图在手，要迷路也不容易。

虽然高楼林立，但小巷里的市场和住家有别有一番风味。我们走在小巷中就好像要往别人家里占一样。窄窄的巷子中摆满了各式各样的货品。有干货，也有新鲜的海产与蔬果。还有挑担子，骑单车的流动小贩也处处可见。

这里的人参果是我们的3倍大，就好像富士大苹果一样大颗。不信吗！就让你瞧瞧！

大不大颗呢?

火龙果和牛奶果也是越南本地的特产。他们说，吃牛奶果之前，要帮它揸一揸，让它的奶汁流出才会好吃哦！我们都在想，是不是这里的女生都吃多了揸过的牛奶果才会个个发育的波涛汹涌呢？没喝牛奶，吃牛奶果也一样。如果我不是发育了，我也想试试。:p 还是这里的男生从小就从揸牛奶果中训练出一付好身手呢？这我应该就能亲身试验咯！哇哈哈哈。。。

真的没骗你哦！这里的女生个个皮肤白白嫩嫩，滑溜溜的，加上那超低V领，真的是养眼。连卖面的阿姨都露半奶，别说是年轻漂亮的小姐咯！那你有没有蠢蠢欲动，想飞去越南看看呢？

越南的食物也是一级棒哦！从牛肉河粉（Pho Bo)，到法国面包，越南春卷，道地的火锅，市场里的螃蟹濑粉，挑担小贩卖的鱼露河粉和米果，样样都别有一番特色，样样都美味。

值得一提得是这里的越南咖啡，用特制的容器让咖啡一滴一滴的流下。虽然要喝一杯咖啡要等上一会儿，但是值得一等哦！

还有不能错过的水果冰沙（Sinh To)。我就特别喜欢人参果冰沙。浓浓滑滑的，非常香。餐厅里卖18000越币，路边只卖6000哦！一天来个一两杯，补充维他命C也很好噢！

我说了那么多，那你有没有被我说动了心，想去西贡走一走呢？别犹豫了，赶快行动吧！

想要看更多的照片，那就去我的flickr照片簿吧！http://www.flickr.com/photos/beck918/sets

i am busy...

i am busy, really busy...
i need to get my japan visa done.
i need to reserve the room for my japan trip.
i need to get ready documents for MITI.
i need to get the Sony VAIO laptop from Low Yatt Plaza.
i need to pay all my bills.
i need to edit photos.
i need to update my blog.
and i forever can't finish writing about the angkor ~ saigon trip.
i am tired.
give me this weekend and i will update all of them before i forget.
afterall, i am just lazy and giving myself stupid excuses.
WAHAHAHA..... :D

越南西贡之美

说真的，用英文我真的是没办法了。写来写去也不知自己写了些什么。所以就决定写完吴哥后，就用中文继续写西贡之美。只希望能写快些，在我去日本之前把这趟背包之旅纪录下来。

想起那12小时的长途巴士，我到现在还心有余悸。那真不是开玩笑的，尤其是在那么炎热的柬埔寨，汗流浃背是我唯一能用来形容的。试想想，我们坐在冷气巴士内竟然还是会流汗？我的老天，我以为这是只有回麻坡maharani的巴士才有的状况。不过比起一开始的那台小巴，我们坐的就还算不错了。

试想想，如果是这样坐到西贡？我肯定晕！！

到金边的途中，在Kampong Thom休息15分钟。速战速决的吃了本地餐，烤肉饭，赞！ 而我就比较有挑战心。走去了旁边的市集买了盘炒面。就像我们的老鼠粉一样。RM1还有颗蛋，够便宜了吧！吃过了就继续上路。


差不多下午2点到金边，休息个20分钟又继续上路。我的老天，就这样坐了差不多十个小时才到越南的关卡。

我们还笑得出，还不错吧！

被折腾了一整天，check-in了guesthouse过后，吃了晚餐我们又出去遛达咯！厉害吧！最重要的是我们要出去‘补充水分’~~ 喝啤酒去咯。。。:p

it's the Saigon beer

it's another day... :)

the last day at angkor

this is our last day at Angkor Archaeological Park. we're tired of temples and just wanna have an easy day.

we did ask our driver on the venue for another sunrise. our driver replied us spontaneously "NO"!! we all wondered this NO means there isn't any other site or he's just reluctant to wake up at 4am to pick us up. and we all reckon it's the later one :p

so without sunrise today, we started the day at the Srah Srang, a multi-tiered platform opposite the east entrance of Banteay Kdei. it's believed as the royal bathing pool for the King Jayavarman VII. Just look at the sun shining through the layer of clouds, I love it!! One of our friends calls this the "fairy's stairway" ~~ a stairway for fairy to go back to heaven. :) what a creative thought!


i am tired of writing. please check out my photo albums to see the beauty of these temples by your own eyes.

and last day we went Banteay Kdei - East Mebon - Ta Som - Neak Pean and Preah Khan.

the only thing i could remembered clearly now is we almost got lost at Preah Khan. it's huge and full of trees and ruins. not properly restored and it's full with corridors from all corners. and worst thing is we forgot which exit our driver wanted to wait for us. we ended up walking out to two exits trying to look for our driver. :p