Month: March 2009

Cameron Highlands: Overview

One of my earliest memories of Cameron Highlands is an image of a huge fly perching on my Dad’s car.

Despite this unpleasant image, I decided to head to Cameron Highlands on 7 March 2009. I had the company of A, Sharon Dilirius, Eric, Jeff, Kiang, Katrina and the Yam sisters. The 9 of us drove in three cars in this 3 hours journey.


Ipoh ala ‘Hollywood’ signboard

Cameron Highlands is a highland region located around 200km from Kuala Lumpur. It is well known for its agriculture and also cool weather which is very popular among tourist. Due to its weather, tea and strawberries, which are rarities in the places under the Equator, are substantially planted here.

Our research on the internet indicated that the fastest way to Cameron Highlands is through the Simpang Pulai toll. The other way namely through Tapah takes a long time notwithstanding the exit to Tapah comes first.

We took the Simpang Pulai way and I must say it was indeed a pleasant drive. The roads weren’t too windy and we were not caught in any traffic congestion. However, there was one part before the road up to Cameron Highland was flooded. Fortunately there was a pile of uneven mud for us to drive through. Eric’s car was too low and ended up scrapping mud from the path.

We booked three room at the Equitorial Hotel. One of our rooms was free due to some membership thingie with Berjaya. The other two rooms i.e. a two bed room apartment came with a good rate through a website. When we arrived, we were informed that the two bed room apartment was not available because its water supply got cut off. In return, we were given two Superior hotel rooms at the same rate as the two bed room apartment!

The meteorologist department forecast that it will be sunny in the morning and rain in the evening on our first day. It was quite accurate. It rained the whole day on the next day as well. I remember Cameron Highlands being cold at night. It didn’t change much, it was still cold at night. In fact, it felt like Autumn!


Ye Olde Smokehouse

Our trip was primarily focus on eating (!!!). A set out an itinerary of the places that we should visit. Many of the places in the itinerary came from blogs. We manage to cover the usual stuff namely strawberries, tea, steamboat, sweet potato balls and sweet corn!
Speaking about strawberries, its a heavily commercialized item in Cameron Highlands. Many shops sells merchandises relating to strawberries. There were pillows, keychains, fridge magnets and umbrellas with a picture of a strawberry or in the shape of a strawberry.


Self plucking Strawberry…keke


All red!


Unfortunately, strawberries doesn’t last long. My strawberries had some white foam growing on it after 3 days.Euw..

It was quite unfortunate that we spent a lot of our time on the roads. Since Monday is a public holiday, many KL-lites came up to Cameron Highlands to clog up the road. But things are much better than last time. The roads now are wider. I remember when I was still a young boy, the road up to Cameron Highland was small and tight. Some parts even had only one lane!


Bloody Bustard…

After eating non stop for a day, we headed home with a full stomach. Eric, Sharon and Jeff continued their journey to Penang and Hatyai for another food fiesta. The rest of us headed home to face reality again. I wish I had more time in Cameron Highlands!

Related Link
joyloh.com » Pahang – Cameron Highlands – Very comprehensive travel guide on Cameron Highlands. Highly recommended!

Maxis iPhone 3G

Finally! Finally!
iPhone 3G is in town! Many thanks to Maxis!

The sleek 3 in 1 phone (phone, widescreen iPod and internet device ) was release some time back in the United States but took a long time to arrive on Malaysia’s shores. The price is a little bit steep but that’s what you pay for a good phone. It around RM4000 for the phone together with a contract. But the price should be acceptable since the RM4000 is inclusive of a phone line + data plan (highest being 3gig!). Further, you can pay by way of installment. You need to fork out RM4000 straight! Its around RM150 per month!
Although its available at the local phone shops (at around RM2.7k), it didn’t come with warranty which is quite important for electronic goods. If your iPhone breaks down halfway, you have no choice but to send it to some dodgy repairman (who may download all your personal information from the phone O_O) or alternatively, throw it into the dustbin.
A friend had his iPhone thrown out from the 1st floor after it slipped off his friend’s hand who was playing some virtual fishing game. If he had the warranty, he wouldn’t have beaten his friend up so badly. But amazingly, the iPhone survived with couple of scratches.
To those doesn’t know, iPhone is one of the most technologically advanced phones. It only has a touch screen and no keypad. Keypad can be summoned through a single click and it will appear on the touch screen. Then you can move the keypad away to do other stuff like playing games, watch videos and even take pictures. Everything is done with your fingers. You can use your fingers to scroll through your photo album and even enlarge the photos using your fingers. It’s like having a small computer in your pocket!
One of the best things about iPhone is their games. You can download games from websites and then install it. I was so hooked to Parking Lot.

Parking Lot! Get your car out!
Some of iPhone’s game work on the motion of the phone. For example, there’s one driving game where you can move your phone left and right to control the car.
Further, with 3G, you can surf the net where ever you are – in the car, in a boring meeting or even in the toilet! There’s also no need for SMS. You can install Google Talk or MSN in your iPhone and be online 24 hours!
The Maxis iPhone 3G launch will be held at 7pm on March 20 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, where customers who have pre-registered for iPhone 3G (you can register at their website) will be invited to the event to collect their phones. Walk-in customers who have not made bookings may also register for iPhone 3G and will be notified for a collection on a subsequent date.
For more information about the Maxis iPhone 3G plan, please visit www.maxis.com.my/iPhone. Maxis customers can also call 1800 821 123 for details on how to book their iPhone 3G devices and plans.
I WAN TO GET ONE TOO!!

Kneeling Man’s Wife


If your wife caught you cheating on her 6 times and she leaves you for it, what will you do to win her back? Will you,
(1) Kneel down in front of a shopping centre and get a spot in the local dailies so that she sees what you have done;
(2) Set up a blog telling how sorry you are;
(3) Go on national radio telling her that you are sorry and you want her back.
Malaysian Kelvin Ng had tried all the above and at print time has yet to be able to win her wife back.


    Monday March 9, 2009
    Desperate hubby pleading for wife to come home
    By KNG ZHENG GUAN
    PETALING JAYA: In a desperate attempt to win back his estranged wife, a man has continued to plead for her forgiveness in public.
    Salesman Kelvin Ng, 29, made his first public attempt a week ago in SS2 here. On Saturday, the distressed husband tried again, kneeling down in front of Amcorp Mall with banners and a poster saying “I Love You Lee Sook Chin”.

    Speaking to reporters as he knelt, Ng swore that if his wife returned to him, he would repent.
    “I want her to be the most admired woman out there and I want her to think that this marriage was never a wrong choice.
    “I am doing my best to rescue this marriage and the whole world will be my witness,” he said.
    Ng said his wife had claimed that he had been caught cheating on her six times.
    However, he said he only cheated on her thrice and vowed not to be “playful” anymore.
    Two weeks ago, his wife left him, leaving behind their two children – a boy, aged three and a girl, aged one.
    One of his friends, Alex Tang, 30, said they were also there to do all they could to help Ng, who had been depressed.
    Ng, who had earlier pledged to kneel for a whole day or until he passed out, remained in his position outside the mall until 10pm.
    However, it was in vain because his wife did not come back.
    When contacted, his wife Crystal Lee, 24, asked to be left alone.
    “I will forgive my husband anyway but I need time to think it over,” she said.
    Source: The Star

This morning, Kelvin Ng was interviewed by Fly FM and pleaded his wife to come home. Listeners were invited to give their comments and my god, ladies can be quite cynical at some times.
He gave out his blog url which I immediately surfed. Initially he had pictures of his wife and children posted on the blog but it was taken down later at night. There was also a poll which stated “Do you think my wife is pretty?”. The choices were “Pretty, Good, Bad and Worst”. LOL. It was taken down later at night as well. Damn! I haven’t vote yet!
Nevertheless, check out the video that was posted on his blog.

Can anyone Forgive and Forget?

Restauran Choy Kei @ Happy Garden, Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur

Sometimes I wonder why so many KL-lites love driving up to Penang to eat. Why drive few hundred kilometers for Chinese hawker food when you can have something equally great at Old Klang Road?

This round’s review will be on Restaurant Choy Kei, located at Happy Garden. The restaurant has great food but doesn’t look appealing. The ventilation isn’t that good and it gets really hot in the afternoon. Bring loads of tissues along. Notwithstanding all these unappealing factors, Restaurant Choy Kei is a treasure trove of great food.

There are three stalls that are worth mentioning in this restaurant namely the stalls that sells pork noodles, chicken rice and fish head noodles.

My personal favourite would be the pork noodles stalll. The pork noodles stall serves excellent dry version of pork noodles. Their noodles come with a generous serving of minced meat also black pepper minced meat underneath the noodles. The soup on the other hand comes with pieces of soft and tender pork meat and also a half boiled egg. The stall closes around 2pm.

The fish head noodles stall is also quite well known. Its somehow related to Win Soon – Restaurant Ah Soon Fish Head Mee. I was told that the taste of this noodles is around the same with Win Soon’s fish head noodles. Thus, I believe it is good. Check out Kuchai Boy’s review at his blog.

RM200

RM200 can buy me shitloads of things.
RM200 can buy me couple of nice tshirts.
RM200 can buy me beer whole night long.
RM200 may save a person’s eyesight.
I contributed RM200 to Yvonne Foong’s Neurofibromatosis (NF) Fund in order assist her in saving her eyesight. Yvonne Foong had a normal childhood and grew up like most of us. But when she reached 13 years old, she began to lose her hearing. She then lost the use of both her legs and her bodily functions kept failing.

She discovered that she had tumours in her brain and along the spinal cord. Many of these tumours were removed but one tumour seems to be affecting her eyesight. If treatment is not given, she may go blind.
Her father is unfit to work after a brain haemorrhage more than ten years ago and her mother’s job is just enough to get them by.
By March 2009, she has to raise RM90,000. It’s February now and the funds she have is RM15,000.
To those who wishes to contribute, you may either purchase her Heart4Hope t-shirt (or cap) or transfer funds to her. I did mine via Maybank Online, which is quite simple. For other methods, please check out Yvonne Foong’s website.

I bought myself a nice black Heart4Hope t-shirt.
I hope everyone can put aside their a week’s worth of their beer money aside to help out a person in need.
Related Links
Yvonne Foong’s Website
Heart4Hope Online Store

Tioman Island: Misc Photos

Just like my Krabi Trip, I will end my entry on Tioman Island with some miscellaneous photos.


While we were having breakfast in Kuchai Lama, an elderly lady came up to us asking us for donation for a ‘charity home’. Most of us ignored her thinking that she’s a fraud. But Umeng, in his usual kind hearted way, gave the elderly lady 10 Ringgit as donation. She issued a receipt to him with his name written as “Hou Sam Yan”…that means Kind Hearted Person..


While driving around Melaka, we saw this van belonging to UMNO Bahagian Tanjong Karang. On the right, you will see a person’s face, probably the Division chief’s face, with a mobile phone on his hand. Can’t they find a better picture?


Picture of an ‘open air’ toilet taken in a petrol station @ Mersing. As you can see, there’s no roof. It was hot so hot that everything in the toilet was dry. I could literally see salt in the drain. Also, it was probably the driest smelling toilet I’ve even been.. Another photo for my throne series!


Kid on the bike..
few minutes later..


Vrooomm.. Underage and no helmet.. perfect recipe for fatal accident!


Picture of an unique postbox taken @ Kluang. It looks like a postbox converted from one of the Chinese altars!

Charity Cup Cake Drive

I am not a big fan of cupcakes. Although it looks pretty most of the time, it’s a little bit too sweet for me. However, I would definitely eat any Doraemon themed cupcake..

Other than Doraemon, I would definitely eat cupcakes for charity.

A friend of mine requested that I help him promote this event. This event is about raising fund for a charity home in Jinjang Utara.
In this event, the activities includes Cup Cake baking classes, held in Sunway University College, 5th Floor, Baking & Pastry Kitchen. The dates are as follows:
* 7th March, 0830hrs – 1230hrs *Baking*
* 14th March, 0830hrs – 1230hrs *Theme decoration*
* 21st March, 0830hrs – 1230hrs (Baking) , 1300hrs – 1600hrs (Theme decoration) *Baking & Theme decoration*
* 28th March, 0830hrs – 12-30hrs (Baking), 1300hrs – 1600hrs (Theme decoration)
(Baking: Participant will learn how to bake cupcake base with different flavours *encourage for those who have no basic in baking, however simple icing method will be still be taught in the class)
(Theme Deco: Participant will learn more and different methods about the decoration done on a cupcake based on theme as of :
14th March – True Love
21st March – Flower Power
28th March – Healthy Lifestyle)
* RM30 Per-session
* RM50 Two session (Participant can choose to come for the date between 7,14,21,18 of March)
Participants will be given a work station & hands on experience, ingredients are provided, and goody bags filled with sponsors’ products. Also after each session participant will be served with a Hi-Tea.
For more information & bookings, do not hesitate to call:
Benjamin Ng – +6012-3122510 or Nurul Ain +6013-3910406
Related Link
Facebook | Cupcake Charity Drive