Me So Smart

Nevermind Pattar, I have fixed the problem already!

:P

Bwahaha.

Ph34r my L33t Sk1llz!
(More like: Behold the power of learning through trial and error!)

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Lady Luck, Don't Fail Me Now....

It is so scary when your manager hints that there will be a staff movement from the department but does not want to announce (yet) who it will be or where the person will be transferred to...

*sigh*
Wish me luck.
Dunno whether it'll be me who is transferred to some obscure location at the edge of the world.
(Hey, job diversification is a good thing though,... right?)


TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

---//To Melbourne & Back In 15 Photos >>

With the advent of the internet, I bring thee the desktop travelling experience:
1) Away to the KLIA Airport...

"Melbourne, here I come!"

2) Arrive in Melbourne, get on the Skybus to the City...
Budget Travelling in Style

3) Ahhh... Marvel at the Beautiful Autumn Leaves...
"Good job, Mother Nature - you rock my world!"

4,5,6) City Sights By Day and Night...
Lovely sights and pwetty lights....

7,8) A Visit to St Kilda Beach...
"Brrrr... so cold - bloody Melburnian wind"

9) Mmmm.... Temptations Galore at a Greek Cafe...
"*waiiil* Can't make up my mind..."

10) Checking Out Asian Homies at Chinatown...
"Yo, yo, lei ho ma?"

11) Repenting At Church...
Beautiful stained glass at St. Paul's Cathedral

12) Holy Calamari... Look At The Size Of That Squid!
Monsters of the Deep at the Melbourne Aquarium

13) Last 2 Beers Before Going Home... :(
"Cheers, mate... Good on ya'"

14) Back on the Skybus...
Every beginning must have an end

15) Back in M'sia and On the Way Home!
Home, Sweet Home
*sings*
"Negarakuuuuuu,... tanah tumpahnya darahkuuuuuu... "

TAGS: Blog, Australia, Melbourne, Weblog, Malaysia, Travel, Holiday, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

): Sorry, No Comments! :(

Some of you may have noticed that the comments box is missing now.

Well,.. *sigh* ... I noticed that Haloscan was starting to clear some of the comments from my older posts as I was over the allocated space limit....
(and being the cheapo that I am, I didn't want to pay to upgrade the amount of space they would give me)

So, I had to make the very difficult decision of just cutting the losses and moving back to Blogger's comment boxes....
(... losing all your precious comments in the process)

In the meantime though, I am having problems with the coding so there are no comment boxes on the main page.
(dunno why)
If you want to leave any comments, you have to take the scenic route by clicking on the permanent post link and then leave a comment on the pop-up page.
Pat is very kindly taking time out of his busy schedule to help me so this should be fixed soon.
(Right, Pat ? *prod-prod*)

Be patient with me, k?
:)

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

~/\~ Sauna House ~/\~

Hola, people.
I am back from the dead - finally updating (properly) after about 3 weeks.
(Yes, I have been that busy.... sorry)

This time, I bring you the review of a little restaurant in KL called the Coconut House.....

The Dinner

This quaint little eatery is set in an old house on Jalan Pudu Lama, and is situated pretty much behind the Maybank building.....

Coconut House - A Look From the Inside and Out
The restaurant is rustic, cosy and mostly open air. It is also uncomfortably warm. We were all sweating even before the first course arrived, but well, at least they were nice enough to bring in an extra standing fan for us later that night.
(Oh btw, there is a nice open air area in the back with a garden setting - nice place to chill out while sipping on a beer)

Open Air Area at the Back
The menu there is pretty extensive, mostly italian, ranging from antipastos to pastas to their specialty: crisp oven baked pizzas.

We started off the night with a selection of starters - The Grilled Mushrooms, Pate with Bread and Baked Garlic Mussels.

The mushrooms were ok - a bit cheating as they weren't 100% button mushrooms but instead an assortment of local and imported mushrooms fried with garlic and herbs (still, great value for around RM7). The Pate and the Baked Garlic Mussels were also really good though for the price.
I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised.

For the main, I had the Steak Parmagiana....

The Steak Parmagiana
This is definately something I look forward to ordering again.
I know, the idea of battering and deepfrying a good piece of steak may seem like an absolute blasphemy to most meat lovers but it was so good! - tender and tasty, served with a rich tomato based sauce and yummy potato cake.

Next up, the Roasted Pork that Pat had that night.

Oink Oink
The pork was tender and obviously very well marinated as it was bursting with flavour (also a steal for under RM33). There seem to be a strong Chinese influence in this dish though, as the sauce reminded me very much of preserved veggies somehow.

Anyway, something else worth a try is the Chicken with Porcini Sauce that Jo-Lyn tried....


Chicken with Porcini Sauce
This dish, which is basically grilled chicken served with imported mushrooms, was juicy and tasty.

What about the pizzas, you ask?
Well, we couldn't go without trying the specialty of the restaurant now, could we? That night, we tried the house special, the Leonardo Da Vinci pizza....

The Da Vinci Code

A delicious mesh of cheese, onions, olives and ham - the pizza was a good choice as the pizza dough was crispy with a bit of bite to it (oh, and without being starchy too).

For dessert, we ordered the Coffee Mousse, Banana Split and Poached Pear with wine sauce....

Clockwise from top left: Coffee Mousse, Banana Split and Poached Pear

I will just say this: Order it only if you absolutely HAVE to have dessert.
Otherwise, don't waste your time.

So, it's: Quaint and cosy restaurant, extensive menu, nice tasting starters and mains, and great value for money BUT disappointing desserts and uncomfortably hot environment (do go there sexily dressed, or risk having your date/ friends see you sweating profusely)

(And if you're wondering why the rating for service is only 5.5, well... it's a combination of blur but friendly waiter and slightly slow response time. Overall, acceptable but definately room for improvement)

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Coconut House @ Jalan Pudu Lama

Taste: 7
Ambience : 4*
Service : 5.5
Price** : RM 35/++ per person
Parking: Easy to find but dark

* Mouldy walls and horribly stuffy & hot in the back area... the open air area in front of the restaurant seems ok though
** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-2031 2830
Opening Hours: 11am - late

NOT HALAL

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Jalan Pudu Lama, Kuala Lumpur, Coconut House, Italian, KL, Pizza

Isn't it LURVerly

*in full Eliza Doolittle-y accent*

All I want is a room somewhere,
Far away from the cold night air.
With one enormous chair,
Aow, wouldn't it be loverly?

Lots of choc'lates for me to eat,
Lots of coal makin' lots of 'eat.
Warm face, warm 'ands, warm feet,
Aow, wouldn't it be loverly?

*dance-dance*

Aow, so loverly sittin' abso-bloomin'-lutely still.
I would never budge 'till spring
Crept over me windowsill.
Someone's 'ead restin' on my knee,
Warm an' tender as 'e can be. 'ho takes good care of me,
Aow, wouldn't it be loverly?

LURVerly, LURVerly, LURVerly, LURVEEEEEEEEEERLY...............

(Yes - the stress from work is driving me stark raving mad)
(Anyway, hope you're all well)
(Ta)

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

!#!#! Honey,... I'm HoOOOME.....!#!#!

I'm back in Malaysia people!
*yay*

I'm back at work now too!
*waiiil*

Anyway:
1) Sorry to friends in Melb that I did not call up/ meet up with.
(I wish I had had more time + money)
2) Sorry for the lack of updates.... I've been insanely busy catching up on work.
(So, updates will be sparse for the next few weeks or so)

Ok.... so we're cool, right?
:)


Ciao,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

~ Weird Key Word Of The Month ~

"Women who wants to be exhibisionist"

And this time, I'm No.30 out of 29,100!

(Ewwww)
(... and the perv didn't even spell exhibitionist properly)

Anyway, thanks for helping me find a very obvious typo, bud.

Ciao,
J

TAGS: Weblog, Blog, Malaysia, Personal, Weird, Key Word

Greetings From Down Under!

G'day mates!

Melbourne is cold.

.... and the exchange rate is hurting my wallet!

*whine*

I am definately having fun though.

Miss you guys.

See you in a week!
:)

Hugs,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Gaya, Mutu,..... Keunggulan (?)

Last weekend, we decided to venture to Jogoya, a new Japanese buffet restaurant situated in the 3rd floor (aka. the Relish floor) of Star Hill, KL.

The Dinner

Bleergh....
*looks quesy*
... I will never ever ever go for a another buffet again.
(I swear,if I never see another tempura prawn again, it'll still be too soon!)

Erm.
Ok. I suppose the quesiness from the gorging is really, almost totally my fault...
... but seriously, if you paid friggin RM88++ (which comes up to just over 100 bucks FYI), wouldn't you try to get your money's worth too??

*sigh*
(Tis the Penang blood in me stirring again)
Anyway, objectively speaking, the food was good for a buffet.

How does it work?
It is a semi-"a la carte" buffet.
Meaning:
1) There are many items already prepared and served up for your selection in the various buffet lines.
2) There are also many chef stations where you drop in the clip with your table number into a bowl (eg. Bowl labeled "Grilled Salmon Head) - they will then cook what you chose and send it to your table.
Another thing is that they actually have two prices: RM88++ for dinner (5pm to 9.30pm) and RM78++ for supper (9.30am to 1am). Another clause is that you can only stay for a max of 2 hours if they consider it "peak period".

Now, onwards to the food.
First of all, there was excellent variety:

• Sashimi, sushi, hand rolls, shabu-shabu
• Grilled chicken, fish, squid, beef, etc
• Soba, spaghetti, etc.
• Teppanyaki chicken, beef, etc
• Various Tempuras - prawns, vegetables, soft shell crab, etc
• Misc Chinese Food - steamed fish, butter prawns, etc
• Oysters - fresh, fried or grilled with cheese
• Desserts - Movenpick ice cream, variety of cakes, cookies
• Ooh, and the coconut drink was excellent!

Oh btw, this list is in no way, exhaustive.... I might have missed out a few items - there were just soooo many....

The taste of the food was above average for a buffet.... but to me, nothing fantastic (especially if compared to a la carte dining). Generally: The tempura was tasty (but mostly it was just a big ball of batter), the steamed fish was good and the grilled beef+lamb were a bit tough.

I must say tho, the seafood there was very fresh - the oysters were an absolute treat and the sashimi was good too. Oh! And the coconut drink is not to be missed!

Also, the ambience was nice.... rather dark, with very modern lines - hard concrete surfaces matched with warm wooden surfaces used to tone down the harshness.
(One thing tho... although it has a nice effect, the concrete floor is a bit dangerous! Me and Soo Jin almost slipped near the oily tempura section)

Oh, and on account of the insane amount of people there during dinner, the place is very noisy.

So, it's: Excellent variety, above average taste for a buffet, nice ambience but noisy - great value for people who can really pack a lot into their tummies.

Hmmm... I suppose that about sums it up.

Psssst.
Sorry there're no photos this time.
(Long story)

You want photos?
Go HERE or HERE.
:)

Restaurant Review
Summary Sheet:

Jogoya @ Star Hill

Taste: 6
Ambience : 7
Service : 6
Price** : RM 88/++ per person (dinner price)
Parking: OK

** Approximation - 3 course meal, excluding drinks
Telephone No.: 03-2142 1268
Opening Hours: 11am - 2am

HALAL

TAGS: Food, Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Restaurant Review, Restaurant Reviews, Kuala Lumpur, Star Hill, Jogoya, Japanese, Japanese Buffet

A Minor Gripe

To THAT "Wrong Number" Idiot out there,

Look, I'll admit it : I'm not perfect.
*gasp*

Yeah.. that's right *nods* - sometimes I dial in the wrong number into my phone.
However, when I find that the person who picks up the phone is not the person I am looking for, I will just apologise as best I can in a friendly, polite manner and put down the phone promptly....

I will also make it a point to look at the (wrong) phone number that I had just dialed and make sure that I do NOT accidentally redial that particular number.

Some person out there, however, has decided that this is just not his style.

*glare*

Yeah, YOU.
You know who you are.
*gwumble*

It really does NOT help that:

• You were calling (repeatedly) at midnight when I was trying to sleep,
• You kept asking "Hey, what's your name?", "Tell me your name", "Where is this that I am calling?" x10 although I informed you that I did not feel comfortable telling you (look, bub, call me weird but I don't like making small talk and telling personal details to STRANGERS over the phone),
• At first I thought you just didn't understand me because you don't really understand English, but by the fourth call, I was exasperated to find that you speak perfect (but heavily accented) English that the Queen would approve of, and
• You call AGAIN the next morning! - TWICE! - and STILL insisting that I tell you my name and asking for your friend, which I had already explained CANNOT BE CONTACTED AT THIS NUMBER BECAUSE IT IS MINE AND NOT YOUR FRIEND'S!

*blerrrgh*
Did your mother drop you on the head when you were a baby or something??

Have a good life, where ever you are.
... but please do live it far, far away from me and my phone.


Cheers,
J

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal

Proclamation Of Hiatus

I hereby decree that from Friday, 5/5/2006 till Sunday, 14/5/2006 there shall be no updates as I will be away on a much needed holiday.

O' happy day!
(La Porchetta, here I come!)

I will try to do a few Melbourne restaurant reviews, if possible.

No promises tho - with the exchange rate the way it is (RM2.80 for AUD1.00) *eek*, I may be munching on budget sandwiches from the supermarkets during my trip.

TAGS: Blog, Weblog, Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Personal