Some interesting pics

(The Puzzling World, Wanaka)

(Ohao Canal, near Twizel)

Rose rose i luv u

(Lady Norwood Rose Garden, Wellington)

Wellington Zoo

The Malayan Sun Bears were reali 'entertaining'. Upon hearing the sounds of pails n buckets banging at each other, a sun bear came crawling out of its cave in full throttle, swerved to the left where the food is usually served, looked into the empty dish n dissapointedly goes back into its resting cave. In less than 1 sec, the same bear came crawling out excitedly again, only to find the dish empty still, n again went back with the head hung low. Tis was repeated for 4 times at least! I was laughing my head off n at the same time, trying to snap the funny act. Btw, they eat apples n pears.


The Red Pandas do not look like the normal black n white pandas at all. Yes, they too look cute n cuddly n shy but tat's where the similarity ends. They've got bushy tails tat look like the musangs'.



Wat happened to the kiwis? Their loss of not being snapped cos they're just too shy. Heheh....too tired of waiting for the shy kiwis to come out so i snapped tis pic...

The sheeps n the cows

Our trip to nz last mth generally covered most of nz, except the daring n adventurous stunts tat nz is famous for, eventho we were there to c other people doing them. And thruout the trip tat we were on the road, I took a lot of pic of the sheeps, the cows, the skies, the greens, the sheeps, the cows, the lakes, the sheeps....ahhh, it was so relaxing tat i totally forgot abt work n my life back in msia. Was so used to the comfortable summer chill of the beautiful under-populated country.

(fluffy sheeps, somewehere around Roxburgh)

Then there were the cows. There were the black, brown, white with black patches, black with white patches (i call them the classic beauties in my journal), n the 'masked' (ugly whole-blacks-except-the-face, which is white) ones. There was 1 pic tat i reali wanted to take: a stretch of black cows lining up in the pasture being showered by the water irrigation. They were just standing there in 1 line! It was so cute. Too bad we were in a hurry then n there wasn't anymore scene like tat. sigh.

(cow's droppings..., Mt Eden, Auckland)

Playing in the Sand

We Malaysians are humble people. We r aware of our shortcomings - but yet, tat does not mean tat we'd change our bad qualities. It just mean tat we acknowledge them n we'd try not to flaunt it around, of course; yet at certain times we can't help but to expose them. My uncle, who had been residing in nz eversince i could remember, took us (my mom, bro n i) for clams picking. Now, I was never a sports kinda person. I dun do any sports tat involves a "big" ball (defining "big":tennis ball n beyond). So i was skeptical when i hear tat activity in the first place. No elaboration given just the "u'd know when u get there".
Warrington Seacliff. It was cold n windy n u hav to dig ur fingers into the boggy sand - into the unknown.... Turned out pretty cool. Walking around in gumboots is fun. We were competing with each other, in a way, to dig for the most n also, the biggest. Naturally, us Malaysians digged a whole lot more than wat we could stomach. There were even thoughts abt "tapaoing" (pack) back n stocking them. Other people who plans to go there for a pick as well? Wat abt them?
Fyi, the bright intense PINK jacket is borrowed due to the unfavourable weather.


After cleaning, the clams r poached. Once they crack open, scoop them out n dig in. On the other hand, oysters n mussels r slightly harder to crack open. Pop them into the microwave for a min or so. Tat nite, we had a delightful seafood dinner, fresh from the waters. Plus baked salmon...

(oyster, mussel, clam)

Cheese sold out

I still remember the time when we were to drive to a place before midnight struck just to view a spectacular firecracker show, only to ended up watching it from the car while still on the way. We were stuck in a massive traffic jam, and still were a few hours later. Unmistakably, the episode tis time topped tat:
We tot of having cheese n choc fondue for Christmas Eve dinner and drove eagerly all the way to Desa Sri Hartamas for it. It is the only place tat offers choc and a good selection of cheese fondue. I was eyeing on the creamy veggie cheese one. We left Mid-Val at abt 8.20pm. Upon reaching the place, we discovered to our dismay tat it had 'gulung tikar' (ceased its operation). Ok, never mind, we were yet to be discouraged and so, headed south to another place in Serdang. Shockingly, they had ran out of cheese! Tis, i think, is rather unacceptable, considering the fact tat it was being advertised on Ho-Chak (a local show to recommend good eateries) just the day before, and tat any eatery at all should stock up for festive seasons. I looked at the grinning waitress, and she looked back at me, with my jaw dropped open. 9.50pm.
It was a long way from our third option, which is at Setapak, all the way north again, a place where they dun serve cheese fondue. And i din want to just hav the choc one. Tat's why it's the third option.
By then, it was already getting discouraging. Heck, guess we'd just hav a decent dinner nearby. Forget anything fancy. We managed to find a parking space for Halo at South City Plaza, which they hav tis really minimal and pathetic fun fair going on. And could u believe it. We arrive at 10.15pm, which tis 98.8 FM + Justin (a singer from HK) activity had just begun at 10pm, and created a big hoo-ha at Halo. The place was crazily packed.
The final diversion of dinner plans, in the end, sent us to Wong Kok Char Chan Teng, the only other place tat was still open next to Halo. Yes, we had our Christmas Eve dinner at Wong Kok.
Who could hav squinted thru the menu at a hongkie chain restaurant to look for a fondue, n yet they hav it! Contentment finally came in a small set of a single choice of choc fondue. It was my third visit to Wong Kok and it had been good. We managed to hav smtg cheesy too - baked. So all in all, yes, we had a delightful x'mas eve dinner at Wong Kok, with cheese n choc.


Hav line dancing the first thing on Christmas day. We learned tis Christmas dance recently, nothing to shout about, just an easy pleasant 32 step number. The cool one nowadays is Don't Push Me. The steps are quite awkward to grasp but the choreography is great.

A flat white, please.

Looking at the list of coffee on the menu board in one of the many cafes in New Zealand, I was trying to decide what I was to have. "I'll have a flat white, please." - i blurted out. I din want to embarass myself by asking the girl at the counter to explain to me every single coffee they hav there. Now experimenting wasn't all together that bad - up until I ordered my first - and my last - cup of short black. Oh man, that lethal cup of coffee, served half in a demitasse cup, was a killer. A single gulp. I thought I lost my speech for a good 15mins there. I could have just ordered a plain hot chocolate or a mocha or a cappucino, something tat I know, but no, my sense of adventure just happen to took over.
I hav to say having a cuppa there is such a 'comfort' and a need. Eventho it's summer, it's always cool and windy and there's greeneries everywhere. You're sitting in an open-air cafe overlooking a never-ending stretch of garden. It just feel right to have coffee.
Later I found out the terms they use for coffee in NZ n Australia, n tat some of the terms are different altogether in the states and other countries. Little me, not tat I m an ardent fan of the coffee chains around....
* Short black - 1 shot of espresso in tiny cup
* Long black - short black with hot water added
* Flat white - 1/3 espresso, 1/3 water, 1/3 hot milk
* Macchiato - short black with a spot of milk
* Cappucino - 1/3 espresso, 1/3 hot milk, 1/3 milk froth
* Latte - short black and 2/3 hot milk
* Mocha - latte with chocolate added
A skinny cap - cappucino with skim milk
Americano is a long black served diluted with hot water
(In the states, a "regular" means coffee with milk n 2 sugar)
Oh, and u could even add soy milk, or a variety of flavor shots (I was utterly impressed).

I can't really tell whether the coffees I've tasted there were good. But I could assure tat they dun hav tis burnt taste like some of the Nescafe products. I hav tasted the coffee in some orient countries - they're so mild tat u start to question whether they're coffee? But tat's just me. I'm no Lora Zarubin, who, claims tat she had the best cup of coffee at Monmouth Coffee Company, London. Hmm....

Here kopi means coffee with sweetened milk, kopi o means black coffee, kopi c means coffee with evaporated milk. U add the word kau it means u want them thick. Tat's tat.
Personally, I always hav a thing for the local kopis in KK or Kuching.

Dancing shoes

Unworn dance shoes

A fractured structure of shredded soft lace,
Of fabric torn beyond comprehension;
Bloodied and stained in state of denial,
A smashed reflection of old broken dreams.

Of worn green glass no longer transparent,
Remnants of mottled phlegm upon its edge;
A past cascaded to lie in silence,
Upon the soles of unworn dancing shoes.

Confusion - a rampant player of dusk,
As darkness settles on mornings harsh loss;
And whispers converge into tortured hell,
Delicate hope crushed into nothingness.

Heated tears upon cheeks of disbelief;
Dark pit of loss, a labyrinth of regret.

~Lannet sept 5th 2006~


With this, I herewith bid the posh Latin dancing shoes adieu. May her past rest in peace upon her soles.....

And now, allow me to present the successor, the chic line dance boots

May u bring accomplishments and contentments throughout ur "tenure". Lead ur capacity well and thou shall be valued. Do not fail ur subject but lead her to greater heights...

Ye shalt deliver.

Buon Appetito!!

Today I’ve made a comparison between 3 brands of beef balls: imported, and locally produced from West and East Msia.

Kottbullar Swedish Meatballs (IKEA)
texture: chunky, rough
poached: √√
baked: √√√
price: RM15.90 (±500gms)

Marina Beef Balls (Bangi, Selangor)
texture: slightly rough
poached: √√√
baked: √√
price: RM6.29 (370gms/20pcs)

Beef Balls (Kudat, Sabah)
texture: smooth, springy
poached: √
baked: √
price: RM20 (≈61pcs)

The Swedish meatballs, which I was crazy over, turns out to be slightly dry when compare to the other brands if baked (then again, it could be becos of the quality of my oven, as tis is the recomm cooking method). However I do love the chunkiness as it feels real.
[Here's a trick tat I've learned: For baking by using the conventional oven, u could pour a little amount of water on the tray below ur cooking grill, or put into a little ovenproof bowl beneath ur cooking tray. This is too avoid the overdrying effect on the outer part of the food. Be mindful not to put too much water as it would create a steaming effect.]
My latest discovery is the Marina brand beef balls. To my delight, they are actually very good as the texture is just nice for both wet n dry cooking method. The beefy taste is still there, wat’s more – they are fairly priced. I suppose their qc is well maintained too as both the exact nett weight and quantity are printed on the packet, tho not tat I inspect all the product batches..
As for the beef balls from Kudat, I was somehow disappointed. I find it tad too salty. I always feel tat food tat is too spicy or salty usually kills the taste – and thus, no matter how good the food should taste, it’s simply disastrous. But for those who love ur meatballs to be springy, smooth and strongly flavoured then u would love tis product.
There is tis interesting recipe from the Martha Stewart show recently, which I've yet to try out...

To go with my meatballs, I love the Barilla spaghettini or the bavette, or perhaps Ronzoni’s. M not fond of Bella Italia, San Remo’s, nor Agnesi. They are rather soft and dun offer a good bite. On the contrary, Barilla’s perfect al dente.

Buon Appetito!!

My Heart Is Broken Too...

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and coming Monday mornings are strictly line dancing mornings, if am not working. Today we did Stand By Me Cha and Zjozzys Funk, a repeat. My recent favourites are My Heart Is Broken Too and A Gigolo. Great steps! The former is a great number and one would be so captivated by the mesmerizing song and'll just dance away, while the latter is a fast n fun one. Oh and plus, need the extra practising for the coming line dancing party...heheheh.....must nail the 45 listed songs....(pressure...pressure...)

For My Heart Is Broken Too:





For A Gigolo:




After the class, I did my usual rounds of light workout. M still working on building some body mass especially the upper body part...with a lil help from protein drinks..anyway, m taking it slow n steady while enjoying it - wouldn't want to overdo things...
It's really great - having to sweat it all out. I usually do abt 7mins (never more than 10 as start burning then) on the treadmill for warm up n cardio, n go on with the rest. Then i go for a sauna or steam bath, shower - and i'm ready to face the world! Of course, everything's good when it's done moderately.. n for sauna, do notice some people just do it for the sake of doing it. But if u r to do it, why not do it right?

The Big Fruit

Whenever I go to China or Taiwan during winter time, i'd buy their fruits. Eventho the fruits here are imported from those places, but probably becos of the transportation n the weather change, the fruits will taste differently. I love the cherries n lychees from Beijing - they're very juicy. Recently I just went to Kaohsiung n bought some fruits. Most of the fruits there are bigger in size. Look at the avocados! The fork is of common table fork size. You can either eat it with ice-cream, yogurt, sweetened condensed milk, toss it into ur salad or blend it up for an avocado milkshake. I prefer mine with the sweetened condensed milk. But this fruit prove to be too big for my greed, til I think, my avocado-craze is diminishing....

Eat your greens

Like to share this recipe. I dun reali like eating spinach nor broccoli straight n thus find tis recipe good as can't taste them at all.
Ingredients: 1 medium-sized chopped onion, 2 medium-sized potatoes, 1 head of broccoli cut into florets, 1 bunch of spinach (abt 250gms), 1 tbsp of butter (or 10g, those prepacked ones), abt 500ml of milk (uht packed ones, 2) n water - enough to cover all ingredients.
In a slow cooker, cook the above ingred except the spinach under high for abt 1 hour, then on low for abt 5 to 6 hours. Then you add in the spinach leaves n cont to simmer. When it's done, lift the lid and let the pot cool down. Next pour the soup into the blender, batch by batch, n blend them into smooth texture, say less than 10 sec each time.
After that, pour the blended soup back into the slow cooker, add salt to taste, n put under auto till dinner time. It serves abt 3 person, medium serving per pax as the cream soup is thick n shouldn't be taken too much. Serve it with toasts, or whole-grain breadrolls.

Another way of cooking chinese spinach, is by stir-frying it with chopped garlic before adding some tuna flakes, to make the white sauce for pasta meals. It may sound odd, but it's nice.

Stepping-up...

In today's world, in order to stay competent or to move up the ladder in the corporate world, many people feel that their job has taken too much of their sense of self, time and attention. Of course, this applies to people who does not believe in all work and no play, cos it'll only make Jack a dull boy. I guess this is why I just couldn't sit in my qb n face the pc screen the whole day- I might just die n rot there...which was one of the factors that brought me to my job today. Compare to my life now, then I could only do what I like during the weekends, which is about 6 days a month (those days, it was still a 6-day week on alternate weeks, n when u come in on a working sat, that's it - ur whole sat is gone by clearing the whole week's leftovers). And on sundays, u just have time to unwind n before u could really start to treasure that special day, mondays has rolled out.

Thus, the words "When work no longer works"..yes, we do need to work in order to pay the bills, for everyday's meals, for a roof over our heads, n in order to keep the world going. But surely, u can't devote ur life to the company u work for. If ur working time is 9-6 everyday, it takes up abt 1 third of ur day, not to mention the time going n coming back. N u work most of ur adult years til u're all dried up to give anymore. So u end up giving about 1 third of ur life away....
The golden question would be: wat gives u fulfillment, ur lil daily work accomplishment, or smtg tat is beyond tat.

"My life..My loves" will refer to the loves of my life, which i will go into step by step. Step Up Life will unfold what works - for me.