Princess or GI Joe

As the date draws near for my solo spa resort/jungle trip, I am getting pretty excited. 

The Hubby Bear worries about me disappearing into the bowels of an untamed Jungle. A rainforest lodge in the heart of nowhere. Hubby's worry is my fault really, as I told him that the rhinoceros beetle I saw back in 1990 was bigger than the palm of my hand. I suppose it then led him to think that the cicak (gecko) must be Godzilla-like. And given that Malaysia has lots of cicaks, there must be an impressive gang of Godzillas roaming about on the ceiling of my hotel lodge. 

My only issue is, I am keen to be packing like a princess for my stay in lovely 5-star spa beach side resort, but then, realised I need more ammo than a GI Joe for the rainforest stint. The princess wants to take along a nice handbag, sunglasses, headscarf, colour pencils and a drawing book, alongside the dresses and court shoes. The GI Joe is screaming for mosquito (leech) repellent, Nike sneakers, long pants - fortified if possible (against leeches), linen shirts, tshirts, baseball cap, khaki clothes, thick socks. 

How now? Princess or GI Joe.

A well meaning friend said "GI can go for spa, but princess shouldnt be in the forest".  

KL Msia Makan Guide provided by Siew Fong

Best Food in KL (Non-halal) [Non - Halal Eateries in KL]    Grilled Chicken Wings <image001.jpg> Wong Ah Wah Chicken Wings  This is located at Jalan Alor and has made a really big name for themselves as the best grilled chicken wings in town. The Hong Kong and Taiwanese tourists love this place. They have expanded the operations to cater for seafood enthusiasts by adding deliciously prepared seafood dishes to their list. Wanton Noodles <image002.jpg> Koon Kee Wanton Noodles  This old establishment is a little more than a hole in the wall, on Petaling Street itself. The waiters are a little grumpy and you may have to repeat your order a couple of times but it's worth the hassle. One of those few remaining old coffee shops in the vicinity. Closed in the evenings.  <image003.jpg> Toong Kwoon Chye  Another great place for wanton noodles with barbequed roast pork. Been around for years and is now run by 3rd generation of the family. Also serves up pretty good Herbal Duck Drumstick Noodle soup and yin yang toast. Open 7.30am - 7.30pm Located: At Jalan Bintang, across the road from Century Hotel on Jalan Bukit Bintang. Pork Ball Noodles(Yoke Yuen Fun), Popiah  <image004.jpg> <image005.jpg> Weng Heng Coffee Shop  Serves the best pork ball noodles in town. And not to mention one of the best places to go for a piping hot plate of Penang Kway Teow. If that's not enough, the popiah is superb too! However you'll have to order this dish from the old man who runs his little stall just outside of the shop. It gets really crowded during lunch hour so go early. Located: On Jalan Imbi, opposite the Honda Showroom and round the corner from Sakura Restaurant Prawn Noodle Soup (Mee Yoke) <image006.jpg> Lai Fong Coffee Shop  Another one of those old coffee shops with lots of individual stalls selling all sorts of food. One particular one that sells the Prawn Noodle Soup still remains one of the best choices in town, if you're looking for Prawn Noodle Soup. Closed in the evenings. Located: Jalan Cheng Lock, on the crossroads with Jalan Petaling across from the Jukebox shoe shop Pan Mee (Meen Fun Kueh) <image007.jpg> <image008.jpg> Restoran Kin Kin  This family used to operate under a huge tree nearby but due to developments in the area, they have relocated to a shoplot. A very different style of preparation, one can have it in soup or dry. The dry pan mee topped with egg and is absolutely deeeeelicious! Lunchtime is packed and the crowd is generally made up of accountants. (The big accounting firms are within the vicinity). You'll see what we mean when you get there. Open from 8am to 4pm. Located: Jalan Sultan Salahuddin Lorong 2 <image009.jpg> Adik-Beradik Chua  At the end of a row of prewar terrace houses is this coffee shop selling delicious fish ball noodle soup and pan mee. The chicken rice is quite popular there too and they sell the ever popular White Coffee here! Closed evenings Located: on Tengkat Tong Shin Beef Ball Noodle (Ngau Yoke Meen) Soong Kee Restaurant Try the beef ball with 'loh shi fun' either dry or with soup. It's the best, nothing like it! Open from Dusk till dawn Located: Jalan Tun H.S.Lee, just down the road from Metrojaya at Jalan Silang. Ngau Kee This stall sits on a five foot walkway and opens in the evenings till late The beef ball noodles are good here but hygiene can be improved.(a lot!) Located: Tengkat Tong Shin, just at the bend opposite Corona Inn. Hailam Noodle <image010.jpg> <image011.jpg> Yut Kee Coffee Shop  Great place to go for some hailam noodles(pic). The place has been passed on from one generation to the other so the secret of superb cooking is still very much alive within the family. Closed on Mondays and in the evenings. Also famous for their Lum Meen , Hainanese Chicken Chop(pic) and Roti Babi Located: Jalan Dang Wangi, on the corner just opposite the Wilayah Complex Hainanese Chicken Rice <image012.jpg> Sin Seng Nam Coffee Shop  Noted for its hainanese chicken rice and Chicken Chop. This place has been serving up hainanese dishes for dozens of years and still going strong. If you're in town, try this place. Closed evenings. Located: just to the side of Bangkok Bank close to the central market in town <image013.jpg> Nam Heong Chicken Rice  Most reputable shop serving hainanese chicken rice is the one in chinatown. There are now franchised shops all over town but we still return to this one for a good meal of chicken rice and beef brisket soup! Located: Opposite Furama Hotel and down the road from Swiss-Inn Hotel on Jalan Sultan Fish Ball Noodle Soup <image014.jpg> Adik-Beradik Chua  At the end of a row of prewar terrace houses is this coffee shop selling delicious fish ball noodle soup and pan mee. The chicken rice is quite popular there too and they sell the ever popular White Coffee here! Closed evenings Located: on Tengkat Tong Shin Cantonese Fried Noodles <image015.jpg> <image016.jpg> The Cantonese Fried Noodles behind the lanes - called Tai Shi Tow  This is the best kept secret in KL…the Cantonese Fried Noodles and Hainanese Chicken rice stall. The sang har meen standard has dropped quite a bit however... not worth the RM79 we paid for a plate for 4! Location: On Jalan Silang but closer to the Jalan Tun H.S. Lee junction. If turning into Jalan Silang from Jln Tun H.S.Lee, the alleyway will be on your right. The first lane after the turning. Go thru this alleyway which is also cluttered with stalls selling chinese food, carry on until you get to the end of the alleyway and it's smack there. The lane is directly across the street from Restoran Choon Tian and right beside Hon Ming Textile.  <image017.jpg> <image018.jpg> Soo Kee Mee Stall  Another place that sells Cantonese Fried Noodles, Paper wrapped chicken, and seafood dishes. A favourite is the fried sliced beef and ginger kway teow dish ( Ngau yoke hor) Gets really crowded during lunch and dinner hours so either go before or after the rush hours. The Japanese and Korean expats simply love this place. Opens till early morning hours every day. Closed Mondays. Location: Jalan Khoo Teik Ee, just off Jalan Imbi. Bak Kut Teh Sem Kim Coffee Shop This Bak Kut Teh place that's been around for a long,long time and serves great 'yau fan' or fried onion rice with your choice of pork cuts. Opens till the wee hours of the morning from 5.30pm. Location: Shoplots facing the Tan Chong Motors showroom, on Jalan Ipoh The Old Stall Klang This Bak Kut Teh place has been around for generations and cooks up authentic bak kut teh - the staple diet of the Klang Chinese community. It opens from 5.30am and closes about 11.00am - the early bird catches the worm! This place serves the typical strong chinese tea used to chase down a filling, rich breakfast. My dad's thumbs up anytime. Location: At Lorong Station 1, Klang. As you enter Klang coming from KL, cross the bridge towards Port Klang. Immediately across the bridge as you get to a traffic light junction, take a left and left again and then a right as this is a one way street. Follow this road which shaped in an ellipitical loop which will more or less take to just about where you started but a little further down the road. From here, left and then right into Lorong Station 1. It's the corner shop of a row of old shoplots, right next to a carpark area. Laksa Lemak <image019.jpg> The stall with a blue tin roof  This place serves the best Hakka Laksa Lemak with cockles in town! Open only at night and closed Wednesdays. The wantan and sui kow with its simple preparations, bring back memories of how purity tastes. The ABC or air batu campur is like what we used to have at the canteens in school years ago. Just lots of shaved ice, syrup, evaporated milk, corn and red beans. That's all we need, right?! Location: Taman U Lek, Cheras at Lorong Durian Yong Tow Foo <image020.jpg> Cozy Corner  Right next to the stall with a blue roof top. This place is a really popular place for Yong Tow Foo and is especially busy on weekends. It's open during the day only. Location: Taman U Lek, Cheras at Lorong Durian The mobile stalls at Imbi Corner The car park area here is transformed everynight into an eatery made up of a couple-a-dozen or so mobile(as some will call it: Hawker stalls) stalls. The yong tau foo stall here is one of the best so give it a try. Be sure to turn up early though, the YTF is so popular that it sometimes run out by 8.30pm. However, There are plenty of other things to eat here if you have picky food partners. Location: At the carpark in front of the Honda Kar Showroom in Jalan Imbi corner, facing the Weng Heng Coffee Shop. Restoran Orchard View Yong Tow Foo Good yong tow foo place, Orchard View is now located in a corner shoplot just outside of the congested Ampang viilage area. Try the cheong fun, it's good. Location: It's moved location to shoplots near the Spectrum Complex/Supermarket in the Ampang village area. Yau Char Kwai Stall at the corner This mobile stall is open during the day and fries some great yau char kwai and all the dough sweets that comes with that. Open late afternoons only. Location: At Jalan Alor, just in front of the Restoran Dragon View Penang Fried Kway Teow <image021.jpg> Weng Heng Coffee Shop  Serves the best pork ball noodles in town. And not to mention one of the best places to go for a piping hot plate of Penang Kway Teow. If that's not enough, the popiah is superb too! However you'll have to order this dish from the old man who runs his little stall just outside of the shop (He sets up his stall at around 1pm). It gets really crowded during lunch hour so go early. Located: On Jalan Imbi, opposite the Honda Showroom and round the corner from Sakura Restaurant <image022.jpg> The shack on Jalan Chan Sow Lin  The fried kway teow here is served on banana leaf laced plate. The flavour of a well heated wok and strong fire is one of the key ingredients here as the chef, a lone lady fries up for her patient customers. Be prepared to wait. Open daily from 1.30pm - 6.00pm except on occasional Mondays. Location: Jalan Chan Sow Lin facing the junction of Jalan 3. Congee (Porridge) <image023.jpg> Pudu Back Lane  A Pudu back lane is transformed in the evenings into a food street selling all sorts of chinese street food as we call it. The chinese custard is pretty good here and the Congee stall is one of those must haves with locals. Location: Off Jalan Pudu, at Jalan Sayur Fong Wah Teow Chew Porridge This road is famous for its Teow Chew cuisine, and none more enticing than a bowl of piping hot porridge (this is also known as broth in western countries) and all types of preserved vegetables, curry, briskets and other dishes that you can pick and choose at the counters to your liking. The shops here are open most of the day and right through the early hours of the morning. Location: Changkat Thambi Dollah Chee Cheong Fun Kim Lian Kee This is the traditional chee cheong fun without the fuss of fish balls and yong tau foos - just straight forward chee cheong fun with sesame seeds sprinkled sparingly and flavoured with sweet and spicy sauces. Open only in the day. Night time turns into a hokkien mee stall. Location: At the junction of Petaling Street and Jalan Hang Lekir. If you're unsure, it's the corner stall facing the ever popular Longan drink stall. In the evenings, another batch of chefs take over the premis serving customers the ever popular hokkien noodles at this place called Kim Lian Kee Hokkien Fried Noodles <image024.jpg> Kim Lian Kee  This is the one of the family's favorite dinner venues. Been around forever and still as good according to my father, who has been a regular customer since the 50's - long before petaling street became a tourists' haunt. Nights only. Location: At the junction of Petaling Street and Jalan Hang Lekir. If you're unsure, it's the corner stall facing the ever popular Longan drink stall. Weng Heng Coffee Shop Another place which serves hokkien noodles and cantonese noodles. The hokkien noodles here is sprinkled with fried pork fat (chu yau char) . Open nights only too! Located: On Jalan Imbi, opposite the Honda Showroom and round the corner from Sakura Restaurant Seafood  Mei Keng Fatt Seafood Restaurant Everyone's favorite! Well, almost everyone's except those extremely allergic to it. Not cheap but the food is good. Try the pepper crabs or the sweet and sour crabs, and the steamed prawns. Fresh!Fresh!Fresh!! Expatriate haunt … Opens daily: 11.30am-2.30pm; 4.00pm-1.00am Location:No.1, Lorong Awan 6,Kuala Ampang.(In Ulu Klang area) <image025.jpg> Fatty Crab  Of course, this is indeed the most famous seafood place in town. They even have chairs lining the walls for customers to sit while in wait for a table. That's how crowded it can be. The original Fatty Crab restaurant was located at States Theatre in P.J., then moved on to SS2 and finally relocated to Taman Mayang. What's great here? The sweet, sour and spicy sauced crabs that goes well with toy soldiers (toast) or is it the other way round? Location: Taman Megah. Can't miss it. Roasted Duck Rice <image026.jpg> Siew Ngap Fei  This shop has been passed down to the younger generation but the fine touches of granddad's is still in the taste. If you have a penchant for high fat value….this is it. It's delicious and you'd want more but perhaps conscience may pull you back on getting seconds!. Location: Jalan Landak off Pasar Road . . It's not difficult to find Beef Brisket Noodle Soup (Ngau Lam Meen) The Beef Brisket noodle stall This husband and wife team has been selling their delicious beef brisket noodles for quite some time now and has a steady stream of customers every night. Just at the corner of a little lane off Petaling Street , their set up has only a couple of tables or so but well worth the wait. Location: Petaling Street , close to the Jalan Sultan end of the street , where many beer and food restaurants have emerged. Lai Fong Coffee Shop Another one of those old coffee shops with lots of individual stalls selling all sorts of food. One particular one that sells the Beef brisket noodle Soup still remains one of the best choices in town. Closed evenings. Located: Jalan Cheng Lock, on the crossroads with Jalan Petaling across from the Jukebox shoe shop Fish Head Noodle Soup <image027.jpg> Adai Village Fish Head  This is one of the best places in town for a big, bowl of fish head noodle soup. For about RM7, this must be one of the most satisfying noodle dishes around. Can get pretty busy during lunch so be prepared to wait a bit. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Location: Jalan Landak off Pasar Road . Round the corner from Pudu Plaza .

Travel and humble lemon water

  There are signs that one grows in wisdom. I think mine comes from learning from my travels. 

In the past when I travel, all I seem to care about is what I see. The buildings, the landscape, the souvenir shops. The more I see, the better. And oh, of course, how many photos I take WITH these sights. It also matters the quantity of souvenirs lugged home (the bigger, heavier, more, the better).

Slowly, after becoming more of a seasoned traveller, a curious thing happened. Quality started to take over quantity. Quality mattered more than quantity. It is not how MANY sights, but how MUCH pleasure these sights give me. And how much inner joy I get when I draw them, colour them. Then, it is not just about the buildings, but the food, the sound, the smell. And most of all, the people.  The conversations around the streets, the gesture, the look. The smile. The twinkle in the eye. Suddenly everything comes alive, everything interacts with one another. Everything has meaning.

In fact, funnily enough, once I learnt to appreciate quality during my travel, I started to appreciate other little things in my life. Like the humble Lemon Water. We always had lemon water, I just never appreciated them fully for what they are. Reminds you of the old way which I used to travel. I can only see. But I seldom feel, sense, smell, taste.

Back to lemon water. Waiters in posh restaurants wait upon tables with a glass jug of water, slices of lemon fashionably added - perhaps for colour? I just never thought too much about them, except that the lemon slices looked kind of nice and adds a touch of glamour to what is plain tap water. Then as I grow (wiser, I hope) I see beyond the superficial addition of lemon slices and grasp the underlying goodness of lemon in water. The wholesome health benefits, the alkaline qualities that lemon brings to plain water. That drinking lemon water can be a source to promote good well-being. 

Signs of wisdom? Appreciate more would be mine.

High tea in style

Jennifer Crewes made a score of scones, whipped up clotted cream and produced fruit jam from a jar, and voila, we had Devonshire High Tea at home. Complete with English Porcelain teacups and saucers, and a three tiered plate to hold the tasty scones.

Winter Wonderland in Shanghai

This morning, when I threw open the curtains of my bedroom, I was delighted to find a winter wonderland waiting just outside my window. everything looks like a dream. snowflakes swirling and falling so softly, the streets dusted with a white powder and the cars shivering silent in their shroud of snow. The trees too took on a new set of white clothes and if they were in a costume party, no doubt they are pretending to be Christmas trees!

With a hot cup of tea in hand, I spent a few minutes on the balcony. In the cold, admiring the snow, catching the fresh air, enjoying the tranquility and serenity of the moment. How happy I am in Shanghai, with its array of unfolding beauty.