Fred's Online Playlists

OLD FRIENDS REUNITE AFTER 24 YEARS

2011-05-21T23:13:00.000+08:00

A quarter of a decade is a long time. But as fate would have it, I finally got to meet a very dear old friend from high school tonight. We hadn't seen each other since 1987 ! After receving Bormil's text I was initially a bit hesitant, but in the end decided to go meet him. It was a pretty emotional meet-up as we went on yakking about the good old days. Even now as I type this, I still feel overwhelmed and nostalgic at the same time. Haha ! Times have changed but those sweet old memories remain forever in our hearts.

When will I see you again? Hope I don't have to wait another 24 years...

BIOGLO SLIMMING GEL

2011-05-19T21:33:00.000+08:00

Out of desperation to have a trimmer tummy, I went out comparing slimming gel of different brands. This Bioglo BodyLite Thermo-Ative Body Shaping Gel is reasonably priced, and another customer who'd used it before, was full of praises for this product when I chatted with her at the shelves. RM40++.

I've only used it once. But as the name suggests it is really HOT ~~~ !! I mean fiery chilli burning hot! It feels like my tummy is on fire. Ah well, no pain no beauty. Anything for a slimmer tummy *sigh*

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

2011-05-17T23:23:00.004+08:00

Today was one FUN day with Chan at Sentosa's Universal Studios. It wasn't as crowded as we'd expected, today being a public holiday (Wesak day). We were both pleased to find out that Mastercard users get 20% off the $72 ticket. That's only $57.60 for the whole day at the park, less than $10 per hour if you spend at least 6 hours there...woohoo ! Photos to be uploaded soon, when I can find time to do so...

HAKUBI B

2011-05-15T21:47:00.000+08:00

Decided to take a break from collagen and try Hakubi B. I tried Hakubi C (blue bottle, skin whitening pills) like 2-3 years ago, but just discovered this orange bottle which is meant to smoothen the skin. Collagen works great but my pores are still very visible (T_T) Hope Hakubi B can do something about that *fingers crossed*

TATAMI SEATS

2011-05-14T20:54:00.000+08:00

Don't know what got into me today. I just fell in love with these tatami seats while browsing at a furniture store in Nusa Bestari, after violin class. What I love about them is the fact that you can adjust the backrest recline to any angle. RM299 each (I didn't realise another shop in my neighbourhood was selling them at RM259, darn it !!). It'd be nice to share some quality time with that special someone, tatami style :P

NEW HAIR COLOUR

2011-05-08T11:07:00.002+08:00

I wanted semi-blonde but the colour came out a shade of brunette instead. I guess I need to bleach it again next week. After all, it's only RM45 at the saloon nearby (^^) Didn't know hair colouring had gotten so cheap these days. It was so much fun having this new colour. Makes me feel younger. The last time I dyed my hair was probably 6-7 years ago. I used to do it a lot back then up to a point a lot of greyhair started to appear. But now that I have Silkpro herbal shampoo with me, I am no longer worried about hair damage.

IDO'S NOURISHING MASK

2011-05-07T23:07:00.001+08:00

RM10 each. Keeps the skin feeling very soft and rejuvenated for a few days.

FRIDAY LUNCH

2011-05-05T15:52:00.000+08:00

Lunch at Yama as usual ;-0

HADA LABO HYALURONIC CLEANSER

2011-04-25T22:59:00.000+08:00

With all the hype on hyaluronic acid these days, I just couldn't sit still till I got my hands on one of these. Hada Labo's Hyaluronic Acid cleanser delivers what it promises. It really reduces oiliness. My skins stays minimally oily throughout the day, and what's more it feels moisturised even in strong air-conditioning. At RM16.90 for this small tube, I think it's money well spent. I think I'll try their whitening cleanser next (^0^)

TSUBAKI HANAMAI COLLAGEN

2011-04-24T22:48:00.001+08:00

Discovered this product while browsing at a Unity pharmacy today. $56.90 for 10 small bottles of collagen. Since the collagen content is higher than products of other brands, I guess it wouldn't do my any harm to take a bottle every 3 days instead of daily. This Tsubaki Hanamai collagen received glowing reviews in the Women's Weekly - I just haaad to give this a try just to see what the fuss is all about :P

FOOD

2011-04-17T23:26:00.000+08:00

MOONLIGHT CAFE

2011-04-11T23:51:00.000+08:00

NEW GLASSES

2011-04-10T23:15:00.001+08:00

SHOPPING

2011-04-09T22:20:00.000+08:00

BODY FAT ANALYSIS

2011-04-08T23:31:00.001+08:00

Richard & wife came over tonight. He was saying he would do a body fat analysis for me. I wasn't too keen to give it a go but since I was free, I told him to drop by.

Dunno if the scale was faulty or my eyesight was failing, but it registered my body fat at 29.3% !!!! I'm a FATTY slim guy （涙） I seriously need to lose the baby fat around the waist ...

PC FAIR

2011-04-03T23:54:00.000+08:00

MICA, KENO & COUSINS

2011-04-02T21:40:00.000+08:00

Paid Jay & Dominic a visit today, and what a surprise - they have 9 dogs in the household now !!!

YAMA CAFE

2011-04-01T19:08:00.000+08:00

This is Mark's favourite makan place - Yama cafe in Impian Emas, which also happens to be his favourite neighbourhood (^^) We come here almost every Friday. Previously we used to go for Korean food near our office but they recently reduced the portions of the food (costdown?). That made the set meal really not worth the price anymore. So this Yama cafe is our new Friday makan joint. Andrew & Mark always stick to their favourite kimchee noodles. As for me I usually order a bentou set.

DINNER WITH HK TAN

2011-03-27T22:58:00.000+08:00

Had dinner with Tan & SukHuang at Causeway Point today. Just wanted to pass him his EA form. Of course it was nice to catch up with him again :P

NEW FAVES

2011-03-26T23:44:00.001+08:00

EX-QMY STAFF REUNITE

2011-03-26T18:53:00.000+08:00

Korina upstairs. Me & Hadzlina downstairs. The QMY spirit is still very much alive (^^)

OLD FRIEND, ADRIAN

2011-03-20T23:26:00.001+08:00

BYE S3 !

2011-03-18T18:18:00.000+08:00

1.5 years in S3 and we're finally moving to a new our new office building n S1. Yay !!
Be that as it may, I will somehow still miss this old & dillapidated S3 building and its stinking toilets...hahaha

BREKKIE WITH OLD BUDDIES

2011-03-15T09:15:00.004+08:00

Met a couple of old friends while having breakfast near the office.

And this being the last week for us at this office building, I couldn't help taking some snapshots which hopefully will bring 'fond' memories of this old decrepit building and its stinking toilets...hahaha

BYE, BRUCE !

2011-03-06T13:54:00.001+08:00

We are all gonna miss his cute mainland-Chinese accent and cute jokes ;P Have a safe trip back to Doumen.

LAST CELLO LESSON @ MUSIC KAKI

2011-02-26T14:25:00.002+08:00

My cello teacher is resigning, so today is my last class at Music Kaki. Hmm...maybe I will take a break from cello for a while to focus more on flute & violin.

BRUCE & ERNESTO

2011-02-21T09:29:00.011+08:00

Some pix taken with Bruce (from China) & Ernesto (from Mexico) during their 2-week stay here.

BRUCE, OUR DOUMEN COLLEAGUE

2011-02-19T23:33:00.000+08:00

We went to fetch Bruce tonight, our colleague from Doumen, from the airport and sent him to his hotel. We hope you have a pleasant stay here :)

FLUTE REPAIRED

2011-02-18T23:53:00.002+08:00

Had my flute repaired at Accent in Jurong today (the same problem of leaky sounds as before). Cost me SGD16 for a minor alignment & servicing.

THANX TONY

2011-02-14T23:42:00.002+08:00

The multi-pin plug I use for my washing machine got overloaded and the fuse burnt. Thanx Tony for coming to take a look and fix it :) I finally can do my laundry again. The laundry basket has already been filling up and overflowing since 2 weeks ago haha.

ALOE VALLEY COLLAGEN

2011-02-13T23:13:00.002+08:00

Found out about this product recently while browsing at pharmacies. At $79.95, it is a bit pricey. But the testimonials look convincing. So I finally decided to switch from Avalon to this collagen. I did notice the wrinkles around my eyes had diminished significantly with Avalon. But since Aloe Valley has more active ingredients for the overall well-being of the skin, I'm game to give it a try for 3 months :P If I don't see any significant improvements, then I will just switch back to Avalon and probably add Hakubi B to my regime.

KOREAN LUNCH + 'MAKKOLI' 韓国米酒

2011-02-11T14:52:00.001+08:00

Mark, our not-so-expert 'bartender' (see spilt drink on table) hahaha

Makkoli drink (10%) 1 litre @ RM25

Come, come, bottoms up ah !

乾杯！Goodness, 2nd day in a row...aiya who cares! kakakaka

ANDREW'S BIRTHDAY LUNCH

2011-02-10T15:40:00.007+08:00

Mark, Wei Lun & me decided to throw a surprise birthday celebration for our sweet office mate, Andrew. We decided on そば星 at Sofitel and kept this a secret from him till we reached Sofitel , hahaha. All this while he thought we were bringing him to the Korean restaurant nearby...hehehehe.

Here's to Andrew : 乾杯！Happy Birthday & Happy New Year. Sorry it's Japanese food today, no 'lo sang' ok :) hahaha

This sukiyaki saucy is a little too sweet...

...and hence the need to wash it down with some green tea

The yakisoba is a little bit on the salty side...uurrrgh thirsty thirsty....

Shhh, birthday boy is making his wish... 'huat' ah !!!

Rabbit Mark in rabbit year ;P

And our dear old friend Agnes didn't forget to send her wish. Although she could not be with us today, she didn't totally forget. How thoughtful of her :)

ME & MY NEW GLASSES

2011-02-07T20:51:00.030+08:00

Frame : SGD10 (Bugis Village). Multi-coated lens : RM110 (KIP Mart)
Cheap huh? Love these 80s retro glasses *wink*
They make me feel like I'm back in sec school or JC, haha.

Lens fitted within less than half an hour.
And after a double confirmation, my power for both sides has dropped to 150/250. My eyesight is improving...yay !

But my old pair isn't about to take a backseat. I have so many clothes, red would be perfect for some colours ;) Omg, my skin looks really clear and healthy in this pic. Avalon collagen must be working its magic. And also I must thank that new Daiso charcoal cleanser (^^)

CNY WEEKEND

2011-02-05T23:24:00.011+08:00

Me, Siew Leng & Yap went shopping in Sgpore during the CNY weekend. So many sales just about everywhere, how could we not go ? Hehehehehe.

Very cheap guilinggao - $0.90

Yummilicous banana drink !

Not very nice when I first tried it. But the taste is beginning to grow on me...

Sour-ish soup

Breakfast at the office

Freshness Burger is finally in Singapore !! フレッシュネスはシンガポールに登場！！

Would love to go here with friends next time

Dropped by at Synwin to get some violin strings. And ended up buying this rosin as well. SGD45 !!! My G string sounds really scratchy beyond 1st position. Hope this will make a difference :P

NEW PLANTS

2011-02-03T19:36:00.002+08:00

Time to get new plants to spruce things up a bit. Tired of green, so red it is !

HELLO KITTY PENCIL

2011-01-31T09:15:00.002+08:00

Don't think pencils come any cuter than this hahaha ;) Got this from an office mate today ! She bought a whole bunch for her kids, and gave some to her office mates including me :)

CHEAP SKINCARE THAT WORKS

2011-01-29T23:17:00.002+08:00

Was at Bt Indah Jusco today, and saw the charcoal cleanser. It's their best seller cleanser! And I just had to give it a try! After all it's only RM5.
After giving it a try, YES, I find it works really well on my combination skin.

The charcoal mask - I bought it a long time from IMM Daiso. SGD2 of course. There's still plenty to last me a couple of months. Love this mask, coz I can really see many whiteheads stuck on the mask after peeling it off :)

Long live Daiso, 万歳！！！Good skincare doesn't have to cost a bomb :)

PRE-CNY LUNCH

2011-01-28T16:55:00.000+08:00

Pre-CNY Lunch at Pizza Hut, IOI Mall. A couple of faces missing though...

CUTE 'BABY' CAKE

2011-01-24T11:16:00.001+08:00

This must be the cutest "1-month baby" cake I've ever received. I'm sure the whole office agrees with me. Thanks XJ ! (^o^)

Was feeling hungry this morning and finished 1/3 of the cake within minutes...!

JAMES TAN'S WEDDING LUNCH

2011-01-23T17:14:00.008+08:00

Ooopss..I think we're blocking the poster behind us. But luckily James' face can still be seen lah hahaha

'How much angpow you give?'

'You tell me urs 1st lah, then I tell u mine.'

'Oredi 1 hr ++ leh...Weddings in JB are the least punctual'

'Totally agree. Neh mind, u can take half of the angpow back to compensate for the waiting time....kakaka'

'Aiya, I go shopping 1st better.'

Mmm...nice entree

The old gang is back !

Cheers everyone! Here's to the good old times...

Just kaypoh-ing at the next table :-)

BB En En dun like Uncle Fred har..? OK, uncle bring u back to mommy....dun cry dun cry...

Whoooa....Bobby can really drink ;)

Someone is eating quietly....

Group pic with the bride & groom

When old friends meet, there's so much to talk about.

Xia din dong oredi

Photographer, faster take the pic la ! Legs tired oredi to post for this pic...

Hee haa

Whole group + sleeping BB

ANTI TARNISH CLOTH (SILVERWARE)

2011-01-22T23:42:00.000+08:00

Got this from BandWorld in IMM today. Very easy to use and it does what it claims to do :) So glad I found this product. My flute had started becoming rusty (or should I say oxidised?), to the point where I feel embarassed to take it out from the case and play it in class....well that's a thing of the past now. Several minutes of polishing, and my flute's shine is back !

THAIPUSAM DAY OFF

2011-01-20T23:51:00.002+08:00

POST XMAS & CNY SHOPPING

2011-01-16T17:38:00.000+08:00

AVALON COLLAGEN

2011-01-12T16:07:00.000+08:00

After seeing satisfactory results with NH CollaPlus, I decided to continue taking collagen. But NH CollaPlus is really a bit beyond my budget. A friend recommended Avalon, which is a best seller in Japan. RM108 for 30 sachets. Only 2500mg of fish collagen per sachet, but has priobiotics mixed in for better absorption.

After 2 weeks :
A friend who hadn't seen me in months, complemented on my complexion. The skin looks refreshed and the pores are smaller, according to him. Hmm...I think I need to take collagen daily from now on.

NH COLLA-PLUS COLLAGEN

2011-01-06T20:43:00.001+08:00

Needed something for my skin and decided to go with this product. The shop assitant said this is his most sellable collagen. OK, if it's that popular, I'm ready to jump on the bandwagon hahahaha. This pack that I bought is a RM83 trial pack containing only 6 bottles (5000mg of fish collagen in each) which would last me 6 days. Here's to beauty !

6 days later :
My colleague saw some improvement on my skin today. The complexion is fairer and the pores have gotten somewhat less visible. Money well spent after all (^o^)

POST XMAS SHOPPING

2010-12-27T23:20:00.005+08:00

A little post Christmas shopping spree with Andrew & Alice (^0^)// (which started from 9.30am and lasted till 11pm *exhausted*)

Thanks Alice for this cute tote (free gift when she bought her dress)

DINNER @ BANAFEE VILLAGE

2010-12-25T23:19:00.002+08:00

It started to pour heavily during our dinner, we got splashed by the rain even though we were sitting in the middle :S Ah well, merry Xmas everyone !

FOON YEW WOODWIND CONCERT

2010-12-18T23:14:00.003+08:00

Guest eensemble - Sri KL Sec School & bandar Damansara Utama 2 Sec School

Foon Yew ensemble started off the 2nd half of the program with an upbeat number and received a thunderous applause !

The Foon Yew orchestra was clearly much better. The ensemble was so 'together' and looked more experienced.

Having drinks at Eden Hotel lounge after some quick shopping.

WINGS OF YOUTH CONCERT

2010-11-27T22:54:00.007+08:00

SRI LANKA - DAY 7

2010-11-19T19:46:00.012+08:00

Bandarayanake Airport.

I looked everywhere but there was no nameboard that says 'Bandarayanake Airport'. Ah well...

This is good news (^^)

Cute bongos :)

Departure cards

It's almost time to bid farewell to Sri Lanka...

Souvenirs for friends back home.

Good-bye Sri Lanka !

SRI LANKA - DAY 6

2010-11-18T23:18:00.005+08:00

Kandy - Colombo - Negombo

Tooth Relic Dalada Maligawa Temple

There was a international Buddhist convention going on when I was there...

The story behind the name 'Tooth Relic'

Monks and temple clerics

Ablution

Local crisps

A farm tractor in the city?

Kandy's Ulama Mosque

There are many bakeries in Sri Lanka

Everywhere I go, when they see a tourist like me with a camera in hand, people on the street would ask to have their picture taken. Of course I am more than happy to oblige :)

I took a bus from Kandy back to Colombo. This is Colombo's Pettah Bus Terminal.

it's all about bringing advertising a notch higher. How creative !

This was the only McDonald's outlet I came across throughout the whole trip. Lucky me!

Rice & Chicken. Rs230 (Rm7). The rice is oily but more tasty than the KFC buriyani I had yesterday.

The reason I came here was to have a clean place where I could eat comfortably and wash my face. The bus terminal I came from earlier was really dusty!

Batik prints

One might get a little uncomfortable with such a strong military presence in this city. There's a soldier on guard every few yards at crowded places.

Waiting for my bus to Negombo

Despite the fact that Sri Lanka is a Buddhist country, Negombo has a predominantly Christian population.

Another photo request from a noisy bunch of kids (^^) People here love posing for the camera, unlike in India where they usually ask for money if you take their pix. But here, it's the other way around. They WANT their pix taken :)

Negombo is a very touristy place and not for a budget traveller like me. Some of the food and entertainment joints are run by Europeans.

SRI LANKA - DAY 5

2010-11-17T23:28:00.010+08:00

NUWARA ELIYA - KANDY

Surprised to find out the municipal council gives awards to the best kept hedges ;)

Do you think their fence deserves the awards ? *wink*

Sai Baba hairdo ;)

Knock, knock. Is the Prime Minister in? Oops, no answer.

Post Office

Cargill's - biggest supermarket in town

Vegetarian soya meat

St Andrew's Hotel

Leeks

A Japanese lorry in Sri Lanka?

Mosque

Lottery tickets

The staff at the hotel earlier recommended I go to this shop to buy tea.

Mmm...this inhouse tea blend smells good !

This tea pack was recommended by the shop aassistant. 5 for the price of 4. Only Rs400. This will be my souvenir for colleagues & friends back home.

I tried the mushroom roll. Tasty !

I only had tea & some rolls, but the service was first class ;)

Bus ticket to Kandy. The conductor writes the bus fare on each ticket. Must be tiring to work as a bus conductor :S

Welcome to Kandy, the cultural centre of Sri Lanka.

Rainy day in Kandy

Shopping district

Queen's Hotel

Kandy Lake

A university student who's been receiving monkhood training since young

Aha! My camera caught this just in time. Perfect timing...hahaha

The first KFC I saw since I arrived in Sri Lanka. Can't wait to see what's on their menu.

My chicken buriyani. Rs220 (RM6+)

Clock tower

Is this a railroad track or a pedestrian lane? :)

Kandy Railway Station

I reached the Kandy Cultural Centre just in time to catch the last performance of the day.

Male dancers in their peacock-style costume.

The cheapest accomodation I could find. It's like YMCA, except that the B in YMBA stands or 'Buddhist'.

SRI LANKA - DAY 4

2010-11-16T22:53:00.021+08:00

Nuwara Eliya - Kandapola

The lodge owner, who so kindly told us where to wait for the bus to Kandy (500m above sea level), from which we can continue our journey to the highlands.

Banana & palm trees soon gave way to pine trees as we went higher and higher...

Before long the first tea plantations came into view (^^)

Tea plantations on both my left and right....simply breathtaking!

The weather here is very pleasant. 13-25C all year round. A great way to escape the lowland heat. I know this is not Russia, but the 1st movement from Borodin's 2nd String Quartet would make very good background music to match the greeneries *wink*

目の届く限り、茶畑ばかり。感動しちゃいました。

After countless hairpin bends, we are finally in Nuwara Eliya, pheww :) Welcome to tea territory, at elevation 1800m.

Young tea shrubs. This is my first time at a tea plantation!

Wish this was the view from my bedroom window

Workers unloading tea bushels

Nuwara Eliya Bus Terminal

Typical Lankan fare. You use the sheets of newspaper given (think of them as napkins) , to take the food from the plate. That's how the locals do it.

This is 'kottu'! Believe me or not, if you close you eyes, you'd think it's mee goreng hahaha. Thin strips of prata are fried with egg, vege, garlic, onion and a very light sprinkle of spices. Tasty !

Betel leaves & areca nuts

Once could not help but feel the strong colonial heritage in the achitecture of the buildings in this town.

So many liquor stores in this little town, hmm...

Onboard our bus to Kandapola. Food sellers (like this vahdeh seller) who hop from bus to bus are a common sight in Sri Lanka. Some don't just sell food, but even books and prayer booklets.

A short bus ride later and we're in Kandapola, situated at a slightly higher elevation than Nuwara Eliya.

On the way to 'Heritance Tea Factory' Hotel

Tea plantation workers

Trying my hands at tea leaf plucking ;)　

茶収穫初体験　（‘０‘）

This lady worker is such a good sport ;)

Organic tea.
無農薬紅茶はどんな味がするかなぁ・・・

Cul-de-sac leading to hotel

Heritance Tea Factory Hotel. Don't ask me why it's called that, maybe it was a tea factory in the past.

Hotel reception. All the standard rooms are fully booked, what's left are the suites which are USD300+ per night *gulp*, time to find lodging elsewhere...

View from hotel lobby

Back to Nuwara Eliya for the night. The posh hotel earlier was wayyy wayyyyy beyond my budget !

I only asked for vege soup & bread, but they gave me extra bread and even made fried rice for me. That's truly Sri Lankan hospitality.
本当にお世話になりました。
マレーシアからのツアーリストはあんまり見つからないから色々話が・・

SRI LANKA - DAY 3

2010-11-15T22:48:00.021+08:00

Polonnaruwa - Dambulla - Sigiriya

Our tuktuk set out before dawn to give us ample time to explore the ancient ruins in Polonnaruwa, Dambulla & Sirigiya. Oooh, there's so much to see, and here's a nice view to start the day :)

This scenery reminds me of Angkor Wat...so many similarities.

If I remember correctly, this building appears on the Rs50 Sri Lankan banknote.

This is how you stop a tout from following you every corner you go. His moonstone Buddha figurines are undoubtedly beautiful, but I'm no art collector, haha. He tells me he lives only a short walk away from these ruins. What? And I had to fly 3.5 hours to get here ?

Teachers need to wear uniforms as well?

Haha, these kids simply love the camera!

Am I beginning to show signs of temple-sickness syndrome? You know they say people get temple-sick from visiting too many temples.

See that huge Sigiriya Rock behind me? I must to get to the top before sunset.

And the climb starts here.

Halfway through. Catching my breath...it's NOT an easy climb.

No flash allowed during photo taking. This place is even covered with canvas to protect the cave paintings from direct sunglight which will only degrade the already centuries old cave painting.

A famous painting which appears on many souvenir items like fridge magnets.

Another famous painting.

'Mirror' wall

The heart is willing but the body isn't....this climb is way more daunting than I thought

Lion's Paw

Entering Lion's Paw sounds exciting but there's more steps to climb. From here it's another 15 climb to the top

Yesss, I made it to the top !!

With a Russian tourist

Spotted this on the way down.

SRI LANKA - DAY 2

2010-11-14T23:34:00.022+08:00

Annuradhapura - Mihintale

Our little chalet in Annuradhapura.

I wandered into the kitchen to see what's cooking. To my surprise it's green curry again (that was what we had last night). Ah well, when in Rome do as the Romans do.

Upala's nephew and his cute doggie

パンをちぎってグリーンカレーを付けて食べます。

Jan, our tuk tuk driver who is to take us temple hopping today.

No footwear within temple grounds.

Isurumuniya Bihara Temple

Sleeping Buddha.Little pieces of patchwork on the ledge are offerings made by devotees when they wish for something (usually by students who pray for good exam results).

ちょっとネパールって感じ・・・

This really feels like walking in Angkor Wat...

Moonstone artwork

This used to be a pond of some royal palace.

Legend has it that a sapling of the 'enlightenment' bodhi tree in North India was brought to Sri Lanka and planted here.

Prayer flags

The oldest and most sacred bodhi tree in Sri Lanka.

They are not afraid of humans and will snatch anything from you :S

Back in Annuradhapura town.

Looking for the bus to Mihintale

This could very well be the most colourful bus on earth ;)

A Chinese bus in Sri Lanka?

To reach the stupa perched atop the hill, one has to climb these steps. And I can tell you....it's quite a looong climb up !

Sri Lankans are a friendly lot (^^)

Halfway through the climb. This bunch of ultra-friendly locals wouldn't let us go until we take a group photo with them ;)

Met by chance, a local who was used to study at NUS. Small world :) He suggested me to try the kottu from the shop behind, but I wasn't feeling that adventurous that day, culinary-wise.

Was tempted to try the bowl-shaped crepes but was afraid if I couldnt stomach them...

Finally something familiar. Totally no spices at all, yumyum !

SRI LANKA - DAY 1

2010-11-13T23:55:00.000+08:00

Just got back from a wonderful trip to the tropical island nation of Sri Lanka :) My shoulders are still sore from carrying my heavy luggage. Not to mention my face which has turned so dark, I could be easily mistaken for a local hahahaha.

Our Air Asia flight to Colombo.

Flight descent towards Bandarayanake AAirport

Landing cards

'Ayubowan' Sri Lanka (that's hello in Sinhalese)

It's so hard to get hold of Sri Lankan rupees. I managed to buy only Rs300 in JB. At KL LCCT it's readily aavailable so I bought some there, and bought some more at Bandarayanake Airport.

Small worship houses such as this one is everywhere in Sri Lanka.

Our airport bus finally reached Colombo ;)

Malay guy selling coconut drinks. Believe it or not, there is a Malay community in Sri Lanka. His Malay isn't really that comprehensible though because he speaks with a thick Sri Lankan accent.

The waiter usually brings a whole tray of food, but you only pay for what you eat.

13-24 instead of 1-12 ? Does this mean trains dont run before 1pm? Hahaha

This old looking 2nd class carriage is our train (*_`)"

Our destination is Annuradhapura, 190km from Colombo.
The journey took more than 5 hours, due to too many stops along the way. 190km in 5 hours - ridiculously slow, right?

The view of the countryside from my window is breathtaking, the rice fields especially.

Milo in a triangular tetra-pak. Cute huh?

The orange-ish dish is the so called Sri Lankan sambal. Not to be confused with the Malaysian sambal, there's NO chilli in it! It tastes sour, with a bit of sweetness. The one thing about Sri Lankan dishes is, everything is fried in coconut oil. The smell maybe a put off for some (myself included).

Upala (hope I got his name right), the lodge owner.

The lady on the right is a relative of the owner, and works in Italy.

CHARCOAL MASK

2010-11-12T14:40:00.001+08:00

Decided to pamper myself with my charcoal mask tonight. Hadn't done it in ages ..haha. Cheap mask, only SGD2/tub from Daiso. But really good in removing whiteheads & blackheads :)

But the last time I was in Daiso, couldn't find any on the shelves. Maybe they have discontinued this brand ? What a shame :S

KOREAN SOUVENIRS

2010-11-10T09:56:00.001+08:00

Another colleague just came back from a Korean holiday. Looks like Korea is fast becoming everyone's favourite destination after Air Asia started flying to Seoul recently :)

I just tried the tea this morning. No English on the label but I could tell it's roasted brown rice tea (and quite possibly there's roasted barley in the tea bag as well).

DJ HEADPHONES

2010-11-05T21:48:00.006+08:00

Bought this set of ATH-PRO5MS
DJ headphones on impulse at IT Fair (Danga City Mall) today. RM230, marked down from RM370, if the salesman wasn't lying! I figured office work would be more enjoyable with an audiophile headset (^o^). Tired of listening to MP3s through my lousy mobile earphones. Don't know if Audio-Technica is a good brand, but so far so good...If I can clearly hear the cellist softly breathing in the music, then I know this headset is capable in bringing out all the fine detail of the MP3 =.=

With HY Lau at her booth

DINNER WITH POH @ KIM GARY

2010-10-31T22:58:00.006+08:00

Nice to touch base once in a while. Everyone's busy, but everyone still needs to eat, right? Haha (^^)

My Spanish seafood rice turns out to be really spicy. Kind of regretted I ordered it (but then it looked really appetizing on the menu).

Poh wasn't very pleased with his cheese seafood rice either. Too plain-tasting for him.

MONSTA CAFE

2010-10-29T23:53:00.003+08:00

This week it's another newly-opened cute cafe with cute furniture & decor :) We kind of noticed it when we left Haruka Cafe last Friday. There seems to be many new cafes springing up in Nusa Bestari of late. Hmm...I wonder where our next dinner destination will be ?

HARUKA CAFE & ALI CAFE

2010-10-22T23:16:00.003+08:00

This is the newly opened Haruka Cafe in Nusa Bestari, situated just behind Ali Cafe. With so many eateries mushrooming in this area, Nusa Bestari is fast becoming our new hotspot :)

Here's hoping this cat brings not only 人気運　but 金銭運 as well

Meow meowww, the cat is on its way to Haruka Cafe :)

Don't shoot the cute cat, pleeease !

Can I stay a little longer? Looove this oh-so-chic retro chair !!

Sri Lanka trip discussion @ Ali Cafe over cham (coffee+tea). Just next door from Haruka Cafe.

BARISTAS CAFE AGAIN

2010-10-15T23:44:00.003+08:00

We needed someplace with wi-fi access to check out travel tips & ticket prices to Sri Lanka, and ended up here :) Rina, HYLau & me had been talking about a possible trip to Sri Lanka but never got around to discussing it in detail. And after the dinner and lots of discussion, we still couldn't make up our mind, hahaha.

LUCKY, LUCKY ME !!

2010-10-15T16:06:00.003+08:00

My lucky star must be shining upon me today....Won RM80 worth of Jusco vouchers at the office lucky draw during lunchtime (company free lunch). This may not be much, but considering my ticket number was '14' and that I had only won cheap sandwich makers & electric kettles in previous lucky draws, my luck was very good today (^0^).

この先は金運アップ？そうなるといいね。

BARISTAS CAFE

2010-10-08T15:53:00.002+08:00

We are always on the lookout for new makan joints for our Friday long lunch breaks. This newly-opened cafe in Indahpura (Kulai) looked really inviting from outside we just had to give it a try. And our verdict : The lasagne Andrew & I had was so so. But Wei Lun seemed to be enjoying his chicken in BBQ sauce a lot :) Nice cosy ambience and not crowded at all, but this might change once word gets around *wink*

CELLO LESSONS @ MUSICKAKI

2010-10-02T19:49:00.002+08:00

I have switched to a new cello teacher at MusicKaki. Didn't know they teach cello here until I asked a friend who teaches guitar there. Feels good to get back to my cello after being without a teacher for a couple of months. This new teacher seems to be fond of Bach's cello suites :-) I just hope I can catch up （汗）hehehe.