in search of the best mango sticky rice in KL

mango sticky rice, originally uploaded by nadi0.

I first saw this Thai dish on Jamie Oliver a few years ago on TV. Or was it Anthony Bourdain? Ah i can't exactly remember who now. So, on a work trip to Bangkok several years ago, I tried it for the first time at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar. Verdict: Absolutely delicious! especially when paired with some Thai iced tea.

So in my recent trip to Phi Phi last year, while on an overnight transit in Phuket, Lan and me walked the streets for some late supper (after the delayed Air Asia flight, of course..haha). There was a little stall on the main road that sells mango sticky rice, so we greedily grabbed the opportunity. It was only 50 bahts, but it tasted like heaven. Naturally, it became our obsession throughout the trip, but unfortunately you couldn't get any in Phi Phi.

The obsession continued long after our return from the trip. We googled to find Thai restaurants in KL and drooled over the pictures we found. Food-Porn! hahaha...! We tried:

1. Thai Express @ the Curve - ~RM10, green pandan sticky rice, mango tak sedap, and the portion was really really small. urgh.

2. Absolute Thai @ Ikano - ~RM10, ok-ok only. they tried their best, but still tak sedap.

3. Dessert Bar @ Mont Kiara - it was so horrible that we told them to take it out of the menu, so I won't bother with the price because we didn't even pay for it. kekekee...

Then came the Thai Food Festival at the Giant Mall in KJ. Woohooo!! Imagine the excitement when i saw them setting up the stall last week. As in the picture above, it's simple, cheap and delicious. I cannot understand why these restaurants need to put in too much creativity and end up spoiling the dish...there's no need! This is by far the best sticky mango rice i've ever had in KL.

I guess I'm good Thai-food wise up till the end of the month. yay! The kerabu mango is also very nice, as well as the tom yam. But there's rarely enough space in the stomach after you've downed a whole plate of the mango sticky rice. hehee.

Wakenabeb TV9

I somehow came across Wakenabeb on TV9 a few minutes ago. The skit involves Farid Kamil and his friends getting caught by the police for some made up crime. this thing is bloody wrong in so many ways!

1. Poor farid Kamil has an exam the next day
2. they actually got REAL police involved, wtf? takde kerja lain ke?

the neverending story - my mba thesis.

Have i been talking about this since 2004? Hahaha...yes I have.

This will probably the 2nd last time I will mention this bloody thing. Watch out for April 15th, I will either announce that my thesis is finally complete, or that I have decided to abandon it, thus throwing my excellent GPA and my 20 grand down the drain.

It's seriously difficult to focus on this thing. First I got ill, that put back the thesis for 2 years. Then i got busy with work, and it got put back for another 2 years. Then I started traveling; Bali, Italy, Thailand, 2008 passed by in a whiz, and I missed my December 2008 submission date.

I now have until April 15th, where if i don't submit it by then, I get thrown out of the program. My reward, Greece. So I better get down to it now.

....

Hmm, i'll get down to it tomorrow night. I'm going to watch Role Models first.

kah kah kah. wouldn't it be nice if there is such thing as a Professional Procrastinator? I'd be damn good at it, i guarantee.

chilli crabs

chilli crabs, originally uploaded by nadi0.

the Japanese globetrotter friend i met in Florence is now in KL for a short stay. So we decided to take her for some Fatty Crab last night. yummy yummy! i'm still feeling bloated from all the food from last night's dinner.

My friend Sachiko has been all over since we parted ways in Florence in April 2008. Listening to her travel experiences, i envy her greatly. I wish i could muster the courage to just drop everything and be free, while also making just enough to allow myself to see the world.

But then again, i love this country, and I'm quite happy with my life here. i don't think i could leave it for too long. :-)

Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah (Hidupku)

after five years, today i finally paid off my loan for banana boat. the car is now officially MINE.

yay! it feels good to have some degree of financial freedom.

Sangat Penat

I'm not one to complain about work, but lemme tell you this; after a month of thinking about nothing else other than that thing i have to deliver, i now feel like i don't have a life, and i'm just freaking tired.

need a break (again). hhahaha

Cikgu Zul, the math rock star

When I started high school some 15 years ago, I remember being pretty bad at math. I was averaging a C for the most part of Form 1, until one school holiday, my mom took me to this math tutor. Cikgu Zul, in Uptown. He had a rundown tuition center called Pusat Tuisyen Farabi, on the same row as where The Ship is (or was?). So i attended his sessions, and next thing i know, i was scoring above 95% in my tests. I don't really understand how his magic works, for all he did was tell us the exercises to work on, then he just sits there reading his newspaper, or sometimes, fixing his watches. We went up to him whenever we got stuck with a problem, and he showed us how it is done. So I continued seeing him for 5 years, and while most people find Additional Maths impossible, that subject sort of became a hobby for me. A hobby that i was really good at. When i felt unsettled or worried, I solved add maths problems. I say was, because i have no idea how to solve a differential problem if you give one to me right now, though i did get back into it while i was bored in the hospital a few years ago. hehe.

Because my mom saw results in me, she started sending my brothers to him. Then my aunties started to send my cousins to him, until all my cousins who were in KL/PJ had Cikgu Zul as their math tutor. Even the one in Penang joined the club. So, at my cousin's wedding last weekend, it was quite the sight to see 15 people, age ranging from 14 to 31, fussing over him as he walked the red carpet towards the hall. And then again, at the end of the wedding, when half of us ganged up on him to make sure he doesn't leave before we got a group photo, and the other half stopped the crowd for a bit while said photo was being taken.

Talk about red carpet treatment, eh?

The Office (US) - A Marathon

I've been spending my nights watching The Office U.S. since last weekend. After covering almost 3 seasons, I've realized that...

1. My biggest work-related fear is to become like Michael Scott
   
2. if i talk and bitch too much about work-related-personal things, I will in about 5 years' time be exactly like Michael Scott. touch wood.
   
3. John Krasinski is hot
4. a Malaysian version of the show would be totally awesome! so many skits i could think of right now. muahahah.

Aight. back to the tv. ciao.

Phi Phi 2008 - food, water and tonnes of fun.

I never did write about my holiday in Phi Phi, did i? It was almost 2 months ago, came back, got ill, went through a bout of post holiday blues, then it was Christmas and New Year holidays. Then I was ill again, and got totally consumed with work up to now. So today is Sunday, and as I was chilling out reading A Backpack and a Bit of Luck by Zhang Su Li, I thought about my trip to Phi Phi at the end of last November.

With Lan on the trip, half of our enjoyment came from trying out the various Thai food offered. We became the food testers for Gemma, trying out the food to see if it would be too spicy for her British tastebuds. hehe. I cannot forget the taste of the barbecued corn, loads of salt and butter rubbed on it. The 50 baht sticky mango rice we got on the streets of Patong was the best i've had ever - I don't understand why the Thai restaurants in KL need to be too creative with the bloody expensive sticky mango rice. Why can't they do it exactly like the Thai do? It's not very difficult, some sticky rice, coconut sauce concoction, and really good mango. I tell you it's very frustrating when you pay a premium and you don't even get close to the authentic thing.


Sticky mango rice in Phuket


See how juicy that prawn is? Seafood salad in Phuket


Lan and Gemma in conversation after dinner in Phi Phi

Phi Phi is awesome. Nice little village, but full of convenience. The locals were nice, except for the receptionist at the hotel we were staying at - she was just plain rude and lazy. hehe. There's free wi-fi if you know where to find it, cheap food and lovely beaches all round the island.

First day, Gemma and I decided to climb up the Phi Phi Viewpoint. It's actually the Tsunami escape route, but i don't know how many people would be able to make the climb if they had to. It starts of with some steps, then the steps got steeper and steeper. After the steps, we walked up a steep path to the first viewpoint. My mistake, i had my slr bag (with all the lenses) throughout the 186m climb. ugh. Gemma was a star, she encouraged me all the way up. And when we finally got there, wow...! The view was so beautiful, no wonder the place is called the Viewpoint. hehe...Lan came to join us about an hour later, and we sat there and enjoyed the view for as long as we could.


Phi Phi from the Viewpoint

Obviously, after that strenuous hike, the three of us were too tired to do anything else. So we packed our swimsuits and headed to the beach. Unfortunately the weather wasn't to kind on us that day, it started pouring shortly after we got into the water, forcing us to seek shelter at a resort restaurant nearby.

I can't really remember what we did all week. We rented a longtail boat one day, went to Phi Phi Lay (where they shot the Beach), then we headed off to Bamboo Island and spent most of the afternoon there. The water was choppy as hell, but the drama came as we were halfway back from Bamboo Island to Phi Phi Don, and suddenly the boat just died in the middle of the ocean. Kan, our boat guy did everything he could to start the boat. Another boat carrying some Spanish tourists stopped to see if they could help, but shortly after they went back on their way. I was hungry and scared, and the boat rocked as if it was going to turn over. After about 40 minutes (which felt like 3 hours to me), Kan managed to start the engine and we slowly treaded the water back to Phi Phi. Thank God.

I stopped carrying my SLR around, which was a huge relief. We spent two afternoons sleeping, snorkeling and swimming on Long Beach, a nice quiet beach on the south east side of the island. We took night strolls by the beach and watched the stars. One night Lan and Gemma had food poisoning, so we rented a DVD player, bought some DVDs and stayed in.


Sunset at Long Beach, Phi Phi

I didn't shop much. There's nothing there that you can't get in Krabi, Phuket, Bali or Bangkok, or even at the Flea Market at The Curve. The weather was mostly cloudy all week, bad for pictures, but absolutely perfect for swimming and snorkeling for someone who can't stand the hot sun like me.

The morning i was leaving back to Phuket, the weather turned out beautiful and sunny, as is always the case whenever i travel anywhere. I want to stay really badly, just one more day, but that was the end of my holiday, and i had to get back to work the next day. So i took whatever pictures I could from the ferry, took my shuttle to the airport, and flew home. :-(


The last and only beautiful morning in Phi Phi

Phi Phi is wonderful, and I will definitely come back here again whenever I need to chill out without losing the convenience of the city life when i need it (that means Internet to me, hehe).

Local Tourist in KL..my very first active Christmas

I didn't think i would be doing so many physical activities in practically 8 hours!

Merry Christmas, by the way.

A college friend Suman is here in KL, from the States, as part of his Asian holiday tour for this long weekend. So, on his first day, we went to do touristy stuff in KL.

Started off with a late breakfast at Pelita Nasi Kandar in KL, introduction to the typical Malaysian breakfast, yes you guessed it, roti canai and teh tarik! haha. Well, by the time i arrived the only roti available was roti naan, so that's what i had. Serves me right for playing computer games until 7 am.

Next stop, the Malaysian Handicraft Complex on Jalan Conlay. Reez and me got some congkak action while Suman looked around for souvenirs. Didn't take any pictures here. I was going around taking pictures with my camera phone since i was too lazy to carry my DSLR around town, so please forgive me if the pictures are not as pretty. Plus this wasn't a photo outing for me. (alasan kena bagi dulu, heheh).

After that, off we went to Batu Caves. I just don't know why i decided to wear jeans today! So slowly we went up the 272 steps...stopping frequently along the way. Got to the top, dang, you have come down a set of steps, go through the main cave, and climb up yet another set of steps!


the temple at the top


Lord Murugan's backside

We stayed up there for a bit, Suman got obsessed taking photos of the monkeys, then we each lit a candle at the temple. The candles looked pretty delicious, more like an egg tart than a prayer candle i almost wanted to bite into it. hehe. The climb back down was less tiring, but my knees felt like they were going to fall apart as we got back at the bottom. The ice-lolly we had on the way down certainly contributed to the fun factor.

Right, so as if climbing the Batu Caves steps wasn't enough for us, we drove over to FRIM in Kepong. FRIM is awesome, man! It was my first time there, and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was in there. So close to town, yet i found myself immersed in such a different atmosphere - fresh air and all that. We first parked at the picnic area and asked around where the canopy walk is. The first bunch of people showed us to some steps (arghh) with a waterfall next to it, and up we went. It was quite a climb, considering we had just gone up Batu Caves a half hour earlier! And 10 minutes later, when we got to the top, there was no canopy walk. Only a couple of bridges that lead to the other side of the waterfall. We asked a dude up there, and he told us, "No this is not it, the canopy walk is nearer to the FRIM mosque, so you have to walk back down and drive to the mosque and park your car there."

Bugger. hahaha.

So we walked back down, and asked the ice cream man at the end of the stream. He said the canopy walk closes at 2.30PM, and we were too late since it was already 4.30pm by the time. We decided not to listen to him, found the entrance to the canopy walk, and started our hike up.


up to the canopy walk: the spot where i almost gave up

Goddamn, the hike to the canopy walk made the Batu Caves steps feel a whole lot easier!! I gave up at some point, while reez and suman carried on. I decided to text reez a few minutes later to ask how far more, he said 3 more minutes of climbing. So i decided to continue the climb. I noticed numbered poles going 7, 8...and i guessed that must be the marker to tell you how much further to the end. I pushed myself, thinking i've climbed 80% and it would be a waste to give up at that point. Reez was a total liar...! It took me a good 10-15 minutes to complete the last 20% of the climb...and quite embarassing as well as the elderly practically whizzed up and down past me while i very slowly forced myself up the trail.

Well, slow as i was, i completed my goal, and that felt pretty awesome! Arrived at the canopy walk, and true to the ice-cream man's words, the walk was already closed for the day. After chilling for about 10 minutes we heard thunder, so we started our hike back down. I haven't exercised for weeks, and that made me feel quite good, though my thighs and calves were already starting to feel sore.

Next stop, lunch! Right, lunch at 6pm. Wangsa Maju, Bangi Kopitiam. One of the best Nasi lemak rendang ayam i've had in a while! We cleaned our plates within 20 minutes, and ordered a couple of butter kaya buns to top it up. After our stomachs were happily filled, we went to the massage parlor next door, and i had my very first foot reflexology. It was good, but painful still, i don't know if i will engage in it as a regular thing to do. I just have a very low pain threshold, what can i say? :-(

An hour later, we were off to Thean Hou Temple in Seputeh. I lived in Taman Seputeh for 2 years and i only discovered the temple today, from Suman's Lonely Planet for KL, Malacca and Penang. An awesome book by the way. I didn't think i could climb another flight of stairs, but there they were at the temple, two more floors to the top, and the book promised a really nice view of the KL Tower and the Petronas Twin Towers. So up we went. The view was quite breathtaking, and the temple was beautiful! How i wish i had a proper camera on me at the time. but this was all i could manage on my phone camera. It's okay, at least the temple is more accessible than the canopy walk..i'll be back.


the temple's roof


lotus-shaped prayer candles

The three of us were pretty beat after the temple, so we went to Bangsar to find a place to drink. Bangsar was pretty dead tonight, so we headed back into town to Al-Rawsha for some Lebanese food to snack on to end the day. We didn't get to take Suman to Low Yatt, but we can always do that tomorrow. We all had great fun, and through Suman's appreciation of the city, i found that KL has a lot to offer, that i really can't get anywhere else in this world.

My legs are hurting now, and i have to work tomorrow. Ouch.

Gnite for now lah.

Blues Akhir Tahun

Another 18 days to the end of the year now. Where oh where did all the time go?

My sense of time and space is all screwy now. My January trip to Bali seems like it was only a couple of months back, while my last conversation with the asshole who wasted my time feels like it was a million years ago. The memory of the cold April in London with my darling nephew and the taste of Italy still linger in my mind, while it felt like it was years ago that I left my previous workplace. I am still missing my ex-colleagues and the variety of lunch options, but i never once missed the traffic i had to endure while working in the city.

It's been a year of changes, new friends, travel and enjoyment. But somehow, right now all i feel is emptiness. All i want to do is laze in front of the TV and watch one travel show after another.

Maybe it's post-holiday depression...oh yeah. I haven't posted anything on the Phi Phi trip yet! Perhaps I'll do it this weekend. I can't even be bothered to take the pictures out of the camera.

Wouldn't it be nice if i could just fly and see places and not have to worry about money or the lack of vacation days?

on top of that, my thesis is still not yet done. urgh.

another holiday..yay!

i'm a geek yes.can't live without the internet. but that's just how it is these days.

will be in thailand for a week..i'm in phuket now, which i don't really like. i wish i was in Phi Phi already.

Phuket is hot....!!! like KL hot...and sweaty. yucks.

It's felt like a long long journey, but i will get to my destination soon.

the only good thing about this place was the sticky rice with mango and the delicious steamed fish and seafood salad i had late last night. Yes, at 2AM malaysian time.

woohoo!

what did i do this entire month?

Kuala Lumpur, originally uploaded by nadi0.

i just realized i haven't written anything in a very long time. time flies so fast these days, it only felt like yesterday that i posted my last entry.

i had a great weekend last week. went to the first Hematology Open Day in Ampang Hospital. Seeing my doctors and fellow survivors again was excellent! Though i went by myself, i felt absolutely at home. Dr Ong, if you're reading this, I will send you some photos soon yeah!

After the open day me and my buddy went off to the zoo, and drove around KL taking pictures of historical sites. This shot of the KL Railway Headquarters here was taken from the Majestic Hotel area, which is now closed as YTL has taken over the building to restore it into another hotel.

Sunday was a traumatizing day for me. I had a job to photograph the Sunathon Perdana 2008, where 300 kids participated in a circumcision ceremony. The event was easy peasy for me until i was asked to document the whole circumcision procedure. Ouch! Ouch! OUCH!!

I'm off to Phuket/Phi-Phi next week. I can't wait! ciao

sad day

lots of work to do today.
mid morning, somebody said something to me that hit a sensitive nerve, made me cry.
maybe i'm overreacting, because i don't usually shed tears for something so small.
where is my sense of humor? i need you! it's monday and i need you!

buck up, me. i am stronger than this.

My few hours at the PJ Magistrate Court

i think at some point i must have told the story about how i was accused of committing a traffic offense, the police tried to issue me a ticket which i didn't sign, they let me go, but the ticket somehow ended up in the traffic summons system, along with an arrest warrant. see here for the old posting.

so somewhere mid-year when i was renewing my road tax, i found that i had an arrest warrant for a crime i didn't commit, so i decided to take the matter to court. the first round was waiting for about 3 hours, then a five minute hearing where i said, "saya tidak mengaku bersalah" and they postponed the case to, yeap, u guessed it, today.

took a half day leave, waited around for another 3 hours, then stood in front of the judge for 5 friggin' minutes to hear the police telling the judge that their witness did not come today, and the officer who is in charge of case is still on holiday, and that he suggests the case to be postponed again until another date.

i said my piece of mind, about how the police has wasted my time over something i did not do. and if possible i'd like the case to be settled today. the judge, however, decided that she will give the police another chance, and my case is now postponed to April next year.

bosan betul. but i'll keep you posted. next post, April 2009. keep checking the blog! hahahaa

dreading the raya

i hope this does not make me a lesser person, but throughout my entire life, i have always dreaded raya. the having to salam-salam, the food, the having to sleep with lots of other people in a tiny room, and especially, the ziarah-menziarahi. i just don't get why, when i have already met the relatives at my grandparents' home, i still have to go visit them at their homes. why?? hehe.

i remember as a kid, i would pretend to be sleeping so my parents would leave me in the car while they went visiting. hehehe..

selamat hari raya, maaf zahir batin, anyway. travel safely, and eat well.

i'm bitten by the travel bug...

redang at night, originally uploaded by nadi0.

...yet again. argh!

so many places i want to see, too little money, too little time. i seem to be getting this itch to see the world a little too often these days.

must find way to resolve this.

nadio the apathetic...

just came back from the assembly at the KJ Stadium. funny how meeting an interesting person made me interested in something i have widely claimed to be uninterested in. interesting, yes?

oh...i still am apathetic. i have progressed from fully ignorant apathetic to mildly knowledgeable apathetic. hahaha.

there's nothing wrong about having a reason to learn something new, i say.

as long as it doesn't consume you.

no pics as of yet.  will post when i get my sd card back.

teh tarik & roti

teh tarik & roti, originally uploaded by nadi0.

for your viewing pleasure, in case you get thirsty in the afternoons of Ramadan.

Scientists say that you should look at food before buka puasa. It will get your enzymes going, so your body doesn't go into a shock by suddenly stuffing food down your throat right after azan Maghrib.

hehe.

My Krabi Adventures

I went to Krabi last wednesday, which started off smoothly, and ended up as a struggle to get back home, when all the Thai airports closed down as all the workers went on strike. They were protesting against police using force to control the protesters who were protesting against the government. it ended up being quite an enjoyable adventure in the end, however.

anyway, it was low season in Krabi this time of the year. things were reasonably priced, e.g. my snorkeling trip the first day only cost me 40 ringgit! since it was so cheap, i went and bought my own prescripted mask. hahaa. it rained the first day, so the water was a bit murky. though i must say, after having been to the Redang Marine Park, my snorkeling experience around the Krabi islands was a bit of a bore..lovely waters though!



on the second day, despite the news forecasting rain, i went on a day trip around phi phi island anyway. the weather turned out to be superb, and we went around on a speedboat to snorkel somemore and swim. best gila!



the hotel was one of the best hotels i've stayed in. It was called Pakasai Resort, and it claims to be environmentally friendly. The pool was lovely, the staff were helpful and friendly.

The drama started as i checked out on Saturday, and the receptionist said that all the Thai airports were not operating that day. Goddamnit. But where was Air Asia's notification sms? Decided to take the taxi to the airport to check it out anyway...but on the way, the sms finally came. The flight was cancelled, but there was no other information. So i headed to the bus station, met up with a couple of friends who were there as well, and we decided to take the bus to Hat Yai. Long story cut short, we then travelled from Hat Yai to Alor Setar by minivan, and then hopped on one of the express buses back to KL. I left my hotel at 12noon on Saturday, and arrived home at 7am on Sunday. Am tired as hell now.

more photos on my flickr.

Selamat berpuasa!