Sensuous Presents DECKED OUT CHICKS featuring DJs – Anatta, Nikki & EJ – 18 July 2008

Once again, DJ Anatta aka Aunty Sharon is spinning at Bar Club.

More info below!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/event.php?eid=71228275112&ref=nf
P/S DJ Anatta will be spinning at one place by the name Werner’s @ Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur on 25 July 2008.

Kota Kinabalu Part II: KK -> Poring Hot Springs -> Kundasang -> Kinabalu National Park -> KK

The journey to Poring Hot Spring is a long and tedious one. As I’ve said earlier, we had to go narrow and windy 2 lanes roads to get to these places.

We also had to go through

Bad visibility,

Slow lorries,

Accidents,

The road was probably built up on a mountain as most of the time we can see a ravine next to us. Further, throughout the journey, Mount Kinabalu is visible.

Poring Hot Spring, as the name suggest, is a hot spring located 3 hours away from KK. I read from somewhere that it was once a Japanese styled hot tubs during the Second World War.

I was looking forward to it as I’ve never been to a hot spring in Malaysia before. The one I visited in Japan was quite interesting and I presumed that it would be the same in Malaysia.

Throughout our journey, we passed by many local villages. The interesting bit is that almost each corner there is a church serving these villages. And all the signboards are identical – except for the name of the church.


Amitaa…aaa Haleluyaaahh

The other common sight is dogs – they are everywhere! Cats are pretty rare as they are eaten by dogs for breakfast.

We stopped by one place by the name Pekan Nabalu for a break. It’s a small town with stalls lined along the streets and even have a section for local handicrafts. We bought some pineapples and bananas. The pineapples look like hand grenades. Perhaps in the future, those who drop by, please purchase something from them to keep the villagers businesses alive.


Mt Kinabalu in the background!


Banana & “Salak”


Hand grenades

After an hour, we arrived at our first destination, Poring Hot Springs! I got off the car feeling excited – my first visit to a hot spring in Malaysia.

We crossed a river vide a suspension bridge. It was indeed a suspense before I step into the place.

But the place is like a bloody Disneyland! The place was filled with kids running around and many of the hot tubs were filled with kids. I bet they peed into the hot tub!

Fortunately, there are some private hot tubs for hire. Perfect place to do naug…I mean relax.

Other than hot springs, the other attraction of Poring is the Poring Canopy Walk. The walkway is around 40 metres off the ground and it’s identical to the one at Taman Negara Pahang. It turned my legs into jelly.

Perhaps the most acceptable hot springs tub is the tub for feet. My feet are dirty hence it doesn’t matter whether it gets dirtier or not. The temperature of the water is adjustable. All you need to do is to turn on the respective taps.

To be continued..

Kota Kinabalu Part II: Kedai Kopi Fook Yuen

Kedai Kopi Fook Yuen (Fook Yuen Coffeeshop) is located in a centralised hawker centre. Each shop has their own area and this can be seen from the colour of the chairs. Once you step into the centre, you’ll find yourself being tugged (verbally) by waitresses to sit on their area. Nevertheless, you can order food from other restaurants and have it on your table but you’ll find it being packed for takeaway.

After hearing so much about Fook Yuen’s roti kahwin, I finally I got to try this coffee shop. Roti Kahwin is a combination of two toasted bread with cold butter and kaya squeezed in between the toasted bread. It’s commonly available in KK and some parts of Malaysia. Some places plainly call it Roti Bakar (Toasted Bread).

However, I didn’t try their Roti Kahwin. Instead I had their normal bread with a thick slice of cold butter and also kaya squeezed in between. The bread is soft and perfectly moist. I must say it is extremely delicious until I wanted to have it everyday!! YUMMYY!! I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST THAT I’VE TRIED!!

The other main but undiscovered attraction is Teh Madras. When I first heard about it, I thought it was some Indian spice tea. The last time I had a tea which sounded Indian i.e. Masala tea @ Mumbai tasted like curry. But the appearance of Madras Tea is pretty intriguing. It has three layers, the bottom, which is also the substantial part, is white (milk), the layer thereafter is brown (tea) and on top, foam. It’s like latte with tea. I tasted extremely well and not sweet at all! Unfortunately, it’s not widely available at Chinese restaurants.

Fried Dumplings (gyoza) is quite popular in KK. But the one at Damai is so-so.

Map

Damai Plaza PH
4 Jalan Damai
Luyang, Kota Kinabalu
Tel: 088-232.794
Opens 7 a.m. – 1.30 a.m
Closed on Mondays

Related Links:
PRECIOUS PEA: KK Day 1 (Part 1) – Hotel + Afternoon Tea
The Star – Great toast

Sailing Adventure @ Langkawi – Kuah Town

This will be my last entry on Langkawi Sailing Adventure.
On our last day, we dropped by Kuah Town, the district capital of Langkawi, to get some duty free stuff.

In every part of Kuah Town, there is a duty free shop selling all sorts of stuff which includes chocolate, alcohol, electrical items, kitchen appliances and clothing.

Alcohol comes in all sorts of variety. Some colourful and some in weird bottles or packaging.










Berlin, Germany – Last day

I thought I should post all my entries on Germany before I embark on the KK trip post.
On my last day in Berlin, I took the opportunity to visit 2 museums, Checkpoint Charlie Museum and the Jewish Museum. Checkpoint Charlie Museum is dedicated to the Berlin Wall and is located few steps away from the replica of a guardhouse of Checkpoint Charlie, which was a checkpoint for visitors from the West Berlin to East Berlin.






Stuff that you can purchase around Checkpoint Charlie
The museum is easily accessible by bus and train and there is an admission fee of 12.50 Euro. This museum is a must-go for all visitors as it has many stories on escapades by East Berliners to West Berlin. It also contains all sorts of items used by escapees to escape from East Berlin.

Plenty of photographs to see in Checkpoint Charlie Museum

I’ve no idea why they are kissing

Continue reading Berlin, Germany – Last day

Kota Kinabalu Part II: Overview

The last time I visited Kota Kinabalu (fondly known as KK) was February this year. At that time, most of the shops were closed due to Chinese New Year and we were busy with a SW’s wedding preparation. This time round, I was back with a mission – to visit the places that I didn’t manage to visit and to eat at places which were closed during the last visit.
KK’s latest edition would be the One Borneo. It’s a huge shopping centre with numerous hotels adjoined to it (as big as our local One Utama!). The shopping centre is almost identical to those we have in Kuala Lumpur as the brands they have are almost identical. However, the construction of the place is not fully completed. Some parts e.g the park are dusty.


Other than One Borneo, the notable places are the Menara Tun Mustapha, KK City Mosque. Tanjung Aru beach, Bukit Bendera and Gaya Street Sunday Market.
Menara Tun Mustapha is a 30 storey building located next to the beach. Take a lift to the 18th floor to visit @tmosphere, a revolving restaurant to have a panoramic view of KK. The food and drinks are quite pricey though.



@tmosphere


Not a very good place to take picture as the window reflects.
KK City Mosque is only accessible to Muslims. However, visitors can hang out at the compound to take pictures. KK City Mosque looks like a floating above water.

Tanjung Aru Beach on the other hand is just a few minutes drive from the city centre. The water is not in top condition but the sand is acceptable. One can dine at the beach side – at high end restaurants or hawker stalls.


The main attraction of Bukit Bendara is a look out point to enjoy the breathtaking view of KK. The hill is actually called Signal Hill but the signboard that leads me there says Bukit Bendera.



Sounds like..”Anda ko makan ayam..” (Do you eat chicken?)
Gaya Streey Sunday Market, as the name explains, is a market held every Sunday. It features local handicrafts, food, plants and even animals.
The highlight of the trip is probably the time when we had a trip down to Poring Hot Springs, Kundasang and Kinabalu National Park. We had to go narrow and windy 2 lanes roads to get to these places. The road was probably built up on a mountain as most of the time we can see a ravine next to us. Further, throughout the journey, Mount Kinabalu is visible.
Will blog about all these later!

Upcoming Events – July 2008

Global pres. Paul van Dyk @ Zouk KL

Date: 26 July 2008, Saturday
Damage: RM60 (ladies) RM70 (men)
Once again, Paul van Dyk is back in Kuala Lumpur. Catch him on the sardine packed night @ ZOUK KL.
Check out www.redsessions.com.my for more info
First 100 registrants online will enter free – just have to flash SMS (when notified on 21 July) at the door on 26 July.
Source: Kim Ong . Com – Paul Van Dyk in Zouk, 26 July 2008

Are You Confrontational?

I don’t know whether the title is apt for this post, but I can’t think of anything else at the moment.

You know the situation where you’re about to step out of the lift, but the people waiting to step IN blocks your way? And there are some who go as far as getting into the lift BEFORE you even step out?
Oh-my-goodness-it-pisses-the-shit-out-of-me.

I hate it when it happens. Once, I was so irritated, especially when a fat lady with small beady eyes and looked generally rude in nature did it to me. (Ok, I was being judgmental.) I told her off, “HEY! Can’t you wait for people to get out of the lift first, Stupid??”

C’mon, I was the ONLY person in the lift, alright, and was it SO difficult to let me out first? Bloody hell.

Naturally, Stupid being stupid, didn’t hear me. Damn. Unless she pretended not to hear me.

Another time, a young lady (like me) cut the queue and got in front of me at a buffet line. Shooting daggers at her did not help, because she pretended as if there was NO line. Bloody rude, don’t you think?

Especially when there were about 20 other people behind me!

“EXCUSE ME. Aren’t you supposed to be in the back of the line? There is a queue, you know!” I remarked.

She merely turned to look at me, while plopping food on her plate and said, “Oh, sorry!”

“SORRY IS NOT ENOUGH!” I said, irritated.

She just walked away.

I was so tempted to grab some food and through at the back of her head. But all I did was yelled, “STUPID!” at her. Damn.

I don’t know about you. What would or will you do in situations like these? Let them push you around?

A friend once told me that an idiotic makcik (auntie) double parked on an already narrow street. She walked out of her car and walked towards the nearby night market. My friend was so annoyed, as it slowed down traffic, and when he bumped into her in the night market, he told her off.

“Hey, makcik. You shouldn’t have double parked your car there. It’s making the traffic jam worse,” he said in a rather polite manner.
“WHAT DO YOU WANT, STUPID????” she screamed at him. “ARE YOU STUPID OR WHAT???”

He screamed back at her, “YOU’RE THE STUPID ONE WHO’S BLOCKING TRAFFIC, YOU RUDE WOMAN!!!”

I’d probably would have done the same thing if were him!

Berlin, Germany – Taxi

[Note: I cant blog in KK, hence Im posting this entry which I prepared some time back :P]

On our first few days, we had to travel by taxi as we were not familiar with Berlin. Each journey costs us RM50 and after a while, we decided to save by walking or taking public transport. The train system is pretty efficient. However, no one monitors the train stations and one can take the train for free (illegally).

Mercedes cars are used as taxis in Berlin.

It’s quite comfortable and their meters are of state of the art. It’s embedded on their rear mirror!

I found this magazine “Taxi Aktuell” in one of the taxis I took. I wonder if it’s a magazine available only in taxis or it’s a magazine for an association of taxi drivers. It would be extremely cool if it’s a magazine for passengers.

Anyone wants to start one in Malaysia with me?