we rise, we fall...

What a bummer! Barely a few days of reaching the top of the English Premier League, we lost it and are now 2 points behind Arsenal. Arrggh. Hate playing catch up. Damn Arsenal doesn't look like losing speed as well. They tore Everton up and just yesterday beat West Ham. :(

Its ok, I have faith in our boys. Only matter of time before Arsenal slips up. ;)

Glory glory Man United!

year end...

Boy time surely flies! Roughly a week from now and we will be ushering in 2008. It seemed like only months ago we celebrated New Years. As usual towards the end of every year I start to reflect on the resolutions made previously. Sadly though only managed to accomplish one of em'.

1. Buy a house (really need to get one this year!)
Another year gone by and yet to have found a house. Sigh. Not an easy process especially with the budget and requirements I have. Hopefully 2008 will be more fruitful. If possible maybe the prices will drop!

2. Go for a beach holiday (preferably a long one)
This was something easy to do. Hehe. Had a wonderful time with Sunshine in Pangkor. Hope to have another outing this coming year. Maybe overseas. ;)

3. Lose more weight (still wanna reach my goal of 76kgs)
This is like a daily challenge for me. Weight has always been an issue. I did manage to lose quite a bit towards mid year (close to 78kgs) but somehow gained it all back (and then some) during Deepavali. Now I'm 85kgs! Arrggghh. :(

4. Get a better job (work is getting too routine plus i need more money!)
Sadly the money part hasn't happened yet. I have however adopted another account which is interesting but am still hoping for more challenge. Our department is suppose to be growing quite a bit in 2008 so am hoping some changes for me. Wish me luck!

Sigh only a 25% success rate. Bad bad bad. Haven't really thought of any new resolutions for 2008 but am sure something will crop up as we usher 2008 in. Will post about that later on I guess.

You guys have a good New Years aight! :D

merry christmas...

Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!

uncle lim's cafe at ikano power center...

Uncle Lim's Cafe is a new favourite of ours. This modern kopitiam chain has been around for quite some time now and I think most would have tried them before. They have a total of 4 outlets in Malaysia located in major shopping malls. This particular review is from the one at Ikano Power Center, mainly because its the nearest to my home. ;)

Uncle Lim's tagline is 'Homegrown Tastes'. Their concept is to modernize our everyday kopitiam while maintaining its old charm. Very simple decor of old school tables and stools. Its also self service whereby you order, pay, collect your drinks and find a seat. Which is good cos you save up on the 10% service charge. Funny thing is its not entirely self service as most food items get sent to you as they have to make them first.



One of the main reasons why I like Uncle Lim's is their Kopi Susu (RM2.40 hot & RM2.80 cold) accompanied with some Roti Bakar (RM1.80). Whether its hot or cold I have always liked how consistant the coffee is. Very addictive indeed especially with some crisp roti bakar (toasted over charcoal). Their kaya is very rich in coconut flavor and spread rather generously. A definate must when eating at Uncle Lim's.

Been visiting this place quite a bit so have tried everything on the menu except for the Chicken Porridge (RM7.90) and Parang Fish Cake. One of their signature dishes is Uncle Lim's Laksa (RM7.90) which is actually Johor Laksa (using spaghetti noodles). The gravy is very thick, rich and creamy. At times a little too rich as half way through you'll feel sick to your stomach.

Another favourite is their Nasi Lemak (RM7.90). You can choose either chicken or beef rendang. Have tried both and they are rich, tender and delicious but prefer the chicken more. A special thing about their nasi lemak is the sambal is made with squid and is a mix of spicy and sweet. A word of caution though as the sambal and rendang is rather oily. So those that have sensitive stomachs might want to reconsider.

They do offer 2 non local delights which are the Chicken Chop (RM7.90) and Fried Chicken Fillets w/ Fries (RM5.90). Wouldn't really come here for it but it doesn't taste all too bad. As a quick snack they have curry puff (RM1.50) and otak-otak (RM3.50). Both I would rate as average. Think Ikea's curry puff is much better.

All and all I would definately recommend Uncle Lim's Cafe. Only drawback being its always crowded (which means a long queue just to order!) and its priced slightly higher than most kopitiams. Maybe a weekend brunch sorta place. Damn am craving for some coffee and toast now. :(

Uncle Lim's Cafe
Location: LG 15 (P1), IKANO Power Centre, No. 2 Jalan PJU 7/2, Mutiara Damansara, in between Pos Malaysia & Bread Story.

the bakery moments at ikano power center...

Craving for a tasty and healthy meal? Think I have the place for you. Couple of weeks back, Sunshine and I were looking for something light for lunch when we stumbled upon this place, The Bakery Moments at Ikano Power Center. Its located just before entering Ikea and opposite Starbucks.

This particular bakery is a chain from Norway called Bakeryet (pronounced Bakariat). Their breads are all made from imported ingredients to maintain a premium quality as Norwegians are particular about their breads (which by the way is their staple diet). All the sandwiches on offer are made only from wholemeal bread, which is good I guess since its much healthier. ;)

We started off with a cup of Cappucino (RM5.90) & an Iced Caramel Macchiato (RM7.50). Both drinks were really rich and coffeelicious. Love the mix of coffee, vanilla and caramel of my macchiato. Not forgetting the sinful whipped cream topping! :D

If I am not mistaken they have about 14 sandwiches to choose from. They range from vegetarian to meats (chicken or beef) to seafood. They all seemed so delicious so it took awhile before I could decide. I ended up with the Special Beef Salami (RM9.90). All their sandwiches are dressed with a variety of veggies and smothered with a sauce. Mine came with lettuce, onions and mustard aioli which was really good. Suits the sandwich well. Sadly no cheese though. :(

Sunshine had the Jumbo Special (RM9.90) which is actually made from deli chicken sausages. A good choice because the sausages itself was thick and tasty. Mixed with the lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mustard aioli, it was a real treat!

Would definately eat here again. Am curious about their salmon sandwich so might give that a try next time. They also have pastries and buns which look so heavenly. Pricing wise its similar to Subway or Delifrance. I like the ambiance as well as you can choose to dine in or sit outside facing the Curve. Another great spot for yummy sandwiches!

wonderful defending...

Did you guys catch the game last night? A highly anticipated encounter between Manchester United and Liverpool at Anfield. Red Devils in need of a win for a chance at being top while Liverpool needing a win to remain in the race for the Premiership.

The game got off to a pretty decent start but after awhile Man United looked rather pressured. Van Der Sar making a handful of silly mistakes which could have cost us the game if not for some wonderful backing by Anderson, Vidic and Rio Ferdinand. The stars of this game are definately the back four especially during the 2nd half when Liverpool went all out. Got to admit that Liverpool really brought it but just couldn't muster anything special.

Wonderful set piece goal by Tevez. Its amazing sometimes to see how Rooney and Tevez can click without any direct communication. They just naturally know where one another is. If only Rooney managed to convert the slick pass by Ronaldo. It would have definately sealed the game with a kiss!

Liverpool did control most of the match but at the end of the day the better team won. Better luck next time I guess. ;D

Glory glory Man United!

well done lads...

Any of you catch the game this mornin' between Man Utd and A.S. Roma. It was a pretty interesting match especially with the Red Devils fielding mostly youngsters. Am very impressed with how the game ended although I felt we deserved a win. MU dominated almost 75% of the game.

Wonderful showing by the youngsters. Lots of scary moments for Roma and am sure Spalletti didn't expect such a showing by the mostly green squad. The Red Devils had their guns blazing right from the start and kept a very commendable pace throughout the game. Kudos to Rooney for leading the team on all fronts. He was practically everywhere marshalling the field!

Now its time to focus on this Sunday's game against Liverpuds. We definately gonna raise the roof in Anfield. :D

Glory glory Man United!

nasi lemak cikgu, kelana jaya...

Have been reading quite a bit about Nasi Lemak Cikgu located in Kelana Jaya. Everyone seem to be raving that its one of the best nasi lemaks in town. If am not mistaken they were also featured in one of our local dailies. Being a person who has regular nasi lemak cravings, I couldn't give this place a miss so Sunshine and I headed there last week for lunch.

Not really sure about their history but think they started from a stall in front of a field in Kelana Jaya and have since moved to a restaurant along Jalan SS5/2B. I was able to locate the place thanks to geoThrottle (our local online map service). Still took me awhile to locate though as I'm not used to the inner parts of Kelana Jaya.

When we got there around 2ish (on a Friday) it was rather empty. Surprising as I thought being popular, it would be packed. We sat down and decided to have 1 w/ Fried Chicken (RM6) and 1 w/ Squid Sambal (RM4). The plain nasi lemak cost only RM2.

When the food arrived, the smell of santan from the rice was really intoxicating. Have to admit the rice is really good and great to savour on its own. Aromatic and rich in flavor. Sadly though thats as good as it gets. The sambal tasted like chili boh (w/ ikan bilis) and both the squid and fried chicken were rather ordinary. Tasted much better elsewhere.

At the end it was a disappointing lunch. Kinda had high expectations from all the reviews but it just didn't do it for us. Have had very much better nasi lemak from various places. My favourite for now is still Nasi Lemak Kukus FAM located in front of Wisma FAM. Will try to blog about it soon. Cheers.

devils keep marching on...

What a great weekend it was for EPL fans. Actually to be honest its more for Man United fans. LOL. Only 2 teams were unbeaten and they finally got their asses whooped. Liverpool went down 3 - 1 to Reading while Middlesbrough brought down Arsenal 2 - 1. MU on the other hand defeated Derby 4 - 1.

Now the Red Devils are only ONE point behind Arsenal. This coming weekend would be a decider of sorts on who will lead the league for the 1st half of the season or maybe the WHOLE season. Hehe. Manchester United is taking on Liverpool away while Arsenal will be playing Chelsea at home. Both will be played on Sunday. Now thats what I call a Super Sunday!

Can't wait to catch the games especially our boys against Liverpool. They will be playing away but at least we'll have a rested team. The youngsters will be starting tommorrow night against A.S. Roma, which will be a great experience for them. Not bothered much about that game but would be nice if the youngsters can pull a win. Will definately boost the confidence of the club.

Glory glory Man United!

nyonya colors @ 1U, selangor...

I've been meaning to try this place for months. Its located on the 1st floor in the Old Wing of 1 Utama Shopping Center, Bandar Utama. Its always full of patrons chowing down happily. Finally last week I got the chance to head over to Nyonya Colors for lunch.

Unlike most eateries in 1U, this place is located out in the open. The counter is in the middle while the dining tables and stools are located around the side behind it. Which is a nice touch as its out in the open but you have to contend with shoppers walking by and looking at you eat.

This place is famous for their yummy Nyonya kuihs. They have over 30 varieties priced anywhere from 70 to 90 cents. They also have some savoury snacks, hot meals and desserts to choose from. Great place for lunch or just to have a snack.

Sunshine wanted something spicy so she decided on the Dry Curry Mee (RM7.90). This is highly recommended as the gravy is aromatic, creamy and rich in flavor. Not oily as well which is a downfall of many curry mees. Quite a generous portion of yellow noodles, taufoo and chicken pieces. It would have been perfect if not for the lack of cockles or squid. Hehe.

I on the other hand wanted something light. Even before reaching there I was eyeing some Thai Mee Hoon (RM2.50), which I read was a must at Nyonya Colors. I ended up with their new addition which was the Thai Mee Hoon w/ Honey Chicken (RM7.90). Sadly I would advise to give the Honey Chicken a miss. It was just fried chicken drizzled with lots of very sweet Thai chili sauce. The bee hoon however is really good. Full of flavor with yummy onion, lemon grass and dried shrimp bits. Would definately return just for the mee hoon.

Overall the food and ambiance is really nice. Wasn't too excited with the drinks though as its rather overpriced. Would prefer they lower it considering the food is already quite pricy. Next trip am planning to try their Nyonya kuihs. So many to choose from and they all look so sinfully delicious!

sad truth...

A lot has been brought up recently with the HINDRAF movement going strong and our government's appaling reaction towards it. Today the Star daily had an article about Rafidah Aziz being upset over an article printed in Daily News & Analysis (DNA), which is a daily newspaper for Mumbai, India. Below is the whole article in question.

Being a Malaysian Indian, I have to agree with most of what Sharanya has to say. A sad truth in Malaysia that many are just tolerating, ignoring or pretending as if nothing is wrong. Am not asking you to take sides but to just read and understand.

Note: Entire article below was taken from the DNA website dated 28th November 2007.

22-yr-old Sharanya talks about the plight of Indians

HONG KONG: As a celebrated bilingual poet, Sharanya Manivannan, 22, knows the searing power of words. Yet, as an ethnic Indian-Sri Lankan who lived in Malaysia for 17 years — and fled to India last month to escape systematic racial harassment — she finds even the most powerful words hopelessly inadequate to describe the plight of Indians there.

“What is happening [to Indians] in Malaysia,” Sharanya told DNA from her Chennai home, “is nothing less than formal apartheid.”

Strong words, particularly when you consider that Sharanya doesn’t exactly come from the “bottom of the pyramid”. Her grandfather was a former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia.

On Sunday, ethnic Indians’ pent-up anger over Malaysia’s Constitution-sanctioned discrimination spilled over on to the streets.

This drew international attention to the dirty truths that lie beneath picture-postcard images of “multicultural Malaysia”.

To go behind the headline-grabbing news of temple demolitions and rising Islamo-fascism in the country and get a first-hand account of how this discrimination manifests itself in day-to-day life, DNA spoke to Sharanya.


“Article 153 of the Malaysian Constitution explicitly privileges Malay Muslims above all other ethnicities – principally ethnic Indians [of whom Tamils make up the largest number] and Chinese. Indians have drawn the shortest stick owing to a number of historical and economic forces. In the absence of economic clout, which the Chinese arguably possess, ethnic Indians are the most disadvantaged. In the first place, large groups of Indians came to British Malay as coolies, in servitude.

“To this day, the United Malay Nationals Organisation (the largest constituent of the coalition that has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957) upholds the concept of ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ (Malay Supremacy) ostensibly to “uphold racial harmony”. That so absurd a concept as racial supremacy – and the expectation of kowtowing to a certain race to maintain general order – can exist in the modern world is perplexing.

“Then there’s the Bumiputera (literally, ‘prince of the earth’) policy, instituted at independence: it allows Malays a large, race-based quota to enter universities, entitles them to ‘discounts’ on land or property purchases, and other quotas including in civil service jobs, government contracts and private business. Officially, the Bumiputera policy is supposed to protect indigenous minorities too, but in practice non-Muslims cannot actualise this privilege. (Ironically, Bumi (earth) and putera (prince) are Sanskrit words, derived from India!)

“You ask me how this discrimination manifests itself. Where shall I begin? On a day-to-day basis, the derogatory word keling (sort of an ‘n’ word) is still widely used to describe Indians. The Tamil language and Indian accents are mocked so commonly that it’s a part of pop culture. I have ethnic Indian friends who are fifth- or six-generation Malaysian. They are not Indian; Malaysia is their country, and ought to be their home. But they frequently hear bigoted statements along the lines of “Indians should go back to India.”

“But let’s go beyond cultural stereotyping and name-calling. In recent times, there have been several instances of “body-snatching”: the corpses of Hindu men have been taken away from their families by authorities and their last rites performed according to Muslim tradition. Countless temples have been demolished, and idols smashed – oftentimes in the middle of prayer sessions – and devotees have been attacked. It’s not just about reclaiming squatter land, as the authorities claim; it’s to say: the ways of your people are not welcome in this land.

“In April 2006, while still a student in Kuala Lumpur, I wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on my blog (sharanyamanivannan.blogspot.com), calling upon the Indian government to speak out on this issue of clear religious and ethnic discrimination in the same way that it had responded to the Danish cartoons parodying Prophet Mohammed.

“I wrote that letter because what is happening in Malaysia is nothing less than formal apartheid. The fact that its Tourism Board promotes a picture postcard image of multi-culturalism is rather audacious. You have to understand that I say all this as a person who loves Malaysia, but who was forced to leave.

“Last year, my grandfather, a former High Commissioner, had a passport thrown at his face and was shouted at by a Malay officer at the Malaysian Consulate in Chennai! I myself have been harassed at Malaysian immigration checkpoints on countless occasions, while always travelling legally. And after one particularly bad interrogation at immigration, I knew that if I did not make the choice to leave, I would probably be deported. I think I was right, considering the events of the past few days.”

to cane or not to cane...

Recently there have been a lot of debate about caning female students as a punishment. All this because of a proposal passed during an Education Seminar on Discipline. Is this something that should or should not be allowed? Now I personally don't see what is wrong in caning girls.

Firstly I always believed there shouldn't be any bias. Yes many would say its different being a girl or a boy but to be honest, gone were the days that only boys were naughty. Girls are just as bad if not worse. Am sure many of you have seen the multiple videos on You Tube of female violence. On top of that for them to get canned, they would have done something on par with what the boys did. For example bullying, drugs, fighting, extortion, theft and so on. That itself should be enough justification.

There can't be two ways about disciplining. Punishments should be metted out according to the crime done, like our common law. I feel nowadays schools have gone soft and avoid corporal punishment altogether. Sadly that doesn't work when it comes to major discipline issues. If there is no fear in the students, they would definately act out however they want because at the end of the day they would just be 'counselled'.

I'm all for caning female students and I hope the Cabinet passes it when it gets tabled. Crime in Malaysia is already getting out of hand and we have to start somewhere!

futsal...

Finally after god only knows how long we got together for a game of futsal! :D

I know I know, I seem to be saying that a lot. Sadly that is how it has been. We just can't manage to ruffle up 10 boys (or even 8) for a game. We always seem to be short by 1 or 2 and we can't play 3 a side cos its just too freaking tiring. There was once not too long ago where 5 of us waited for 2 hours hoping 3 others would show up. LOL. Now that was a depressing day!

Felt good to run about. Think in the last handful of months I have gained about 2 kilos. My weight now is 85kgs and am getting worried. Not playing any sports does make a difference. My diet hasn't changed much but guess am not burning it like I used to. Previously we used to play regular futsal (weekly). Gotta admit not exercising does make you lethargic as well. :(

Recently we gained a handful of new colleagues and they play futsal. Yippie! Hope they can make it on Saturday mornings. Our biggest issue is that everyone uses the weekend for dating, loitering, church and what not. Sigh. All sorta excuses I tell you. Oh well, time to rest up. Going clubbing with the boys tonight to celebrate Siva's and $1's birthdays. Toodles folks!