(The Puzzling World, Wanaka)
(Ohao Canal, near Twizel)Wednesday, December 26, 2007
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 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)
(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)
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)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
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.
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.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
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.
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.
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