Unachieved 2008 Goal :(

Due to unforeseeable circumstances and distractions, I had to change my initial aim to sit for the Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWDC) exam by end of this year. Luckily, I still can change the timing of the exam as it will only expire end of May 2008.

Make sure you are gone by Feb 2009

This time, I am going to make sure I will take it in February 2009!

Prince Cafe @ Midvalley Boulevard

Working in a mall, sometimes we run out of places to eat. Not exactly run out of places but more on running out of places to eat that is more affordable. Moreover, only certain eateries are open for breakfast. It's a nice place to sit down as they have the latest magazines for you to browse and it is not crowded.

One of our favourite breakfast place is in Prince Cafe in Boulevard, situated opposite the Boulevard hotel. This is our favourite economical american breakfast set...hehe. With bacon, an egg, toast, sausage and coleslaw. Inclusive of tea/coffee drink. All for RM6.90. You can choose another combination to replace the bacon with ham.

Breakfast Set Menu

The Bacon Set

June Thai @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail

Fancy some Thai? Don't want some place crowded? Want some nice ambiance? Want to bring your guest for dinner? Some place with ample parking (only at night :p)?

June Thai, a nice restaurant situated at the Tun Mohd Fuad commercial shops answers to that. The ambiance is very pretty and it adopts a white washed contemporary interior design.

The food and service here is good. The cat fish mango salad tastes alright. The first few bites are quite good but after a while, you will notice that the fried catfish is a little on the salty side. The bun salad is pretty tasty too and the serving style is special. They actually roll up the bun into balls. The minced chicken in a ball too and serve it in a long serving dish. Just take a portion of bun and a portion of minced chicken to mix and eat! Pretty creative heh?

The prawns wrapped in wantan skin is nice. It has a bits of fresh banana that complements the prawn and rolls well. The tom yam goong is tasty with many pieces of chicken, mushrooms and tomatoes. Fish with basil is nice and fresh (If not mistaken, about RM38). The basil leaves are deep fried and the sauce is tangy. It has bits and pieces of cashew nuts served on top.

Had the June Thai special drink (RM5.90) that has loads of delicious jelly, longan, red bean and many more other things that I cannot really remember. Oh and it does contain a little bit of durian. The durian taste is not too strong. More on the mild side.

Crispy Catfish Green Mango Salad (Yum Pla Dook Foo)

Prawns Wrapped in Wantan Skin

Tomyam with Chicken

Bun Salad?

Fish with Basil (Not sure about the name)

June Thai Special

Currently Citibank offers a 25% off on the total bill until end of this month. I cannot really remember the itemised price of the dinner but after a 25% discount, the total bill is about RM90++. Rice is refillable.

It is situated along Devi's Corner on Jalan Datuk Sulaiman. The block behind Secret Recipe.

Yoshinoya @ Midvalley Megamall

Being bored of the food court in Midvalley, we decided to venture out to Lower Ground floor of the mall to look for other alternatives. Budget is a factor for us when we decide to dine for lunch. We decided to go for Yoshinoya as they were offering set meals that consist of a their rice bowl (with either chicken, beef or salmon) and a choice of miso soup or green tea for RM8.90. There is a 5% government tax. Hehe...we try to keep our budget to less than RM10.

I have their salmon bowl which is pretty tasty. The salmon is minced and made into a patty, coated with breadcrumbs and fried. A little too small for a guy (the fish patty was cut up into four small pieces and topped with mayo - see the white "caterpillar") but it is just nice for me. :) They serve a side of steam vegetables. Healthy healthy! :) According to my friends, the Chicken with Tamago is pretty good too.

Salmon Bowl

Chicken and Tamago

It is situated next to C Jade Express on Lower Ground floor of Midvalley Megamall.

Du Viet @ Damansara Uptown

Had a girlie outing for dinner. We decided to go Damansara Uptown area to have dinner. Somewhere close by because I had to rush elsewhere after dinner. We decided on Du Viet when we saw how crowded Umaiya was. Situated on the first floor, seats are aplenty in Du Viet. At least we can have all the time we want without being rushed out of our seats. The price range for a portion of invidual meal is between RM10-18.

Traditional Beef Pho also known as Pho Bo

Du Viet Special Mixed Beef Noodles aka Pho Bo Dac Biet

Vietnamese Summer Rolls

Dry Style Noodles called Bun with Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and Lamb

I ordered the Dry Style Noodles with Grilled Lemongrass Chicken and Lamb (RM11.90) which is pretty nice. It's like a noodle salad with a tangy sauce. The chicken and lamb skewers are tasty. I had hot ginger lemon tea which was horrid. My friends who ordered the Pho said that it's ok. Not very authentic. The tranditional beef pho and mixed beef noodles is pretty similar except the mixed beef has got more meat like beef balls and tripe.

It's a good place to hang out as it is quiet and you can have all the time you want. The place is pretty comfortable too. There are assorted type of snacks like Vietnamese spring rolls and grilled items that you can have while having that cup of Vietnamese coffee.

This is their website if you need more information http://www.duviet.com.my/

10 Promises to My Dog

I just caught this Japanese movie, 10 Promises to My Dog at GSC 1Utama. It's such a heart warming show and yet very saddening as there are deaths in the show. It is about a 14 year old girl who received a puppy, Socks as a present as she is really lonely most of the time. Her dad is a aspiring surgeon and mother who is sick with cancer. In condition of having a puppy, she promised to live up to the 10 promises.

This movie made me ponder. I have always wanted a dog but I am ready for it? Once I was offered a Shih Tzu but I was worried that I may not be ready. Having a dog, you must always nurture properly it at a young age. If wrongly taught, it is not reversible. It's like a permanent knot. Anyhow, the show taught me that for every happiness that you get, you must be able to accept the pain that comes with it. In this case, the death of her dog. If I am planning to get a dog, I would need to ask myself whether I am able to accept the pain that comes if I ever lose it. Looks like I am really not prepared for it at all.

* DAMNIT, the puppy looks so freaking adorable..huk huk..i want!

Leo's Cafe @ SS2

Had a last minute dinner appointment over at Leo's Cafe in SS2. Wanted to try it for quite some time. It's pretty affordable. can get a meal for like RM10 per person. However, portions are a bit small. For ladies it is just nice, guys umm...a bit too little. They were having this set meal that consists of Butter Yee Mee (quite tasty although it sounds weird) and a cucumber juice drink (which is not bad too). My friend's Bucket Rice is really small. So big eaters gotta order two of it at least to fill up their tummy. The indoor seating area is too small and we had to resort to dining outdoors al fresco style with ciggie smoke.

Ice Lemon Tea

Cucumber Juice

Butter Yee Mee

Bucket Rice

These Hard Times by Matchbox 20

I feel so good listening to this song. :)



Morning falls like rain into the city life
There goes another night
Losing my breath in waves
Knowing that ever crash is bleeding the hourglass
and taking the strife from all our lives

Everyone keeps talking
They promise you everything
But they don't mean anything

We may lose our focus
There's just too many words
We're never meant to learn
And we don't feel so alive

So goodbye, these days are gone
and we can't keep holding on
When all we need is some relief
Through these hard times
Through these hard times

Move your hands in circles
Keeping me hypnotized
The power behind your eyes

Move around your bedroom cursing the naked sky
You should be here tonight
But you stay alone and cry

Say goodbye, these days are gone
and we can't keep holding on
When all we need is some relief
Through these hard times
(whoa) There's something missing
(Oh whoa) You'll never feel it but you
(Oh whoa) You're gonna feel it when it's gone
When it's gone

Say goodbye, these days are gone
and we can't keep holding on
When all we need is some relief
Through these hard times
(hey) these Hard times
(oh no now) Hard times
Hard times

Say goodbye, these days are gone
Say goodbye, these days are gone
These days are gone

Keep This in Mind

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment. ~ Buddha

3JC @ One Utama

I have been wanting to try this pork ball noodle in One Utama Shopping Center (situated opposite Wong Kok Char Chan Teng). I am a pork ball fan :p They have many varieties of pork ball noodle like Curry Pork Ball Noodle, Dry Pork Noodle and a few more that I cannot remember. Price range is about RM7.90 to RM8.50) . First you get to pick the flavour like curry, dry or soup. Then pick the type of noodle.

Dry Pork Ball Spinach Noodle

Tried their signature Dry Pork Ball Noodle with Spinach Noodle. The spinach noodle is different than the ones that you normally get which is thin like Wan Tan noodle. This one is thick. Spinach flavour is too mild to my liking.

Personally, I feel that I rather go get my dosage of Pork Ball Noodle at the stall in Section 17. Near the morning market. Way cheaper and nicer.

To Change or Not To Change

It has been two years that I have been working in my current company. In fact, it is the longest staying company that I have been in.

Speaking to those people who job hopped all their lives, they say if they meet a great boss, they will not change their job. I have met a great boss (a boss who gives us 24" LCD screens when we request for it without questions asked) but if the tasks are becoming too mundane and there is no challenge in my work, I think I should do something about it. Work that is passed over from the US, doesn't really give me the challenge that I need. This doesn't really give value to my CV. I am still at the stage where I can still accept challenge and it serves as a brain stimuli.

Having a nice boss is a factor but a nice boss who has the power and authority to take action is really good. My ex-boss is a good boss but he doesn't have enough authority. The soon-to-come economy crisis is another factor to consider. Recession is inevitable in these times as it is a global phenomena although our dear politicians are still in denial.

My ex-boss taught me how to weigh the pros and cons of switching to another job. This is how you do it. Put in weigh in terms of priority. Each person will have different sets of priority. At the end, total up the number that you set for your priorities and compare between both. I think it works. In fact, quite a number of management people use this way to make decisions by making them quantifiable.

I will need to do my own analysis soon.

I Need an Escapade

So beautiful! I must definitely come here soon. Need some timeout.

Terry Fox Run 2008

This morning I attended the Terry Fox Run. My first time running at such event. I missed out on 2007's event due to a business trip. So the 2007 shirt became one of my comfy home shirts :p Got the 2008 shirt via the booth in One Utama New Wing at a donation cost of RM25. It was held in Lake Gardens and the run is inside Lake Gardens itself.

People..

..and more people!

The host of the event is Yasmin Yusof and Ida Nerina as the guest. It's a fun run and it's only 5 km.
No pressure == leisure :) Managed to finish the run within half an hour ++. I feel like the distance is less than 5 km. Even my friend agreed. Was just joking about maybe we unintentionally used a short cut or something...haha.

Anyhow, this is for a good cause to help fund cancer research. I saw about two runners with artificial legs in the run. My aunt passed away because of this disease. Hopefully they can find a cure for cancer. Will participating in more future fun runs.

Due to requests for pictures of the shirt from certain quarters, here they are! A little crumpled but good enough! :p

TFR Shirt 2007 (Front View)

TFR Shirt 2007 (Back View)

TFR Shirt 2007 (Back Details)

TFR Shirt 2008 (Front View)

TFR Shirt 2008 (Back View)

TFR Shirt 2008 (Front Details)

Hollys Coffee @ Cathay Cineleisure Damansara

Coffee Counter

Nice and Cosy

Korean Coffee? I was a little surprised when I saw Korean words printed all over at Hollys Coffee. It has an English name! Even the back of their receipt is printed in Kimchi language! This place is good for those who count their calories as they have a board of how much calories per drink. They have free wifi too.

Diet Guide

Tried their Milk Latte RM8.50 which was alright. You can add syrup or Hazelnut flavour by adding RM1.50. The ambiance of the place is pretty quiet and decent.

Two Nice Hot Cuppa

Hollys Coffee
6 Ground Floor, Cineleisure Damansara,
2A, Jalan PJU 7/3,
Mutiara damansara,
47800 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7710 0244

Restoran Seri Penang @ Atria Shopping Center

Penang food place has been springing all over the place. One pretty good one is located in Atria Shopping Center, Damansara Jaya. Plenty of parking space at night. Their otak-otak (literal translation to English is brain...hehe..managed to scare some gwailo with that before :p) Rm 9.90 is really nice and flavourful. You can actually taste bits of fish in it unlike some places.

Otak-Otak

Spicy Mango Fish Fillet RM18.90 is nice too. Deep fried fish pieces with nice tangy sauce, shredded green mangoes and really palatable.

Spicy Mango Fish Fillet

Some say that the fish is not fresh but I find it ok. Nyonya Ju Hu Char RM12.90 is just ok compared with my mum's kickass version. Wrap it with lettuce leaves and pop it into your mouth.

Ju Hu Char

Their Nyonya Yam Cake Rm2.90 is good too. The texture of the yam is pretty thick with mashed yam.

Yam Cake

Do note, they charge RM1.50 for a glass of plain water! A bit of a rip off lor for that. I have tried their noodle and rice meals before and I don't really like it. Their dishes are pretty good. I think this is another branch of Seri Penang at Ikano Power Center.

Restoran Seri Penang
Atria Shopping Center,
Lot G-B, B1(a, B, C) G-2 Ground Floor,
Jalan SS22/23, Damansara Jaya
Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-7726 9919

Symphony of the Forest - Kitaro

Such a beautiful song....

Purple Cane @ Gardens Midvalley

Tea leaf concept restaurant. Pretty neat and they cater to vegetarians too! Even strict vegetarian. Recently we had this sort of "team building" makan session over there and ordered dishes.

We ordered some soup and they are individually portioned. One pot for each person. In fact, it can be shared between two to three person. The cute thing about it is that they serve the soup in a chinese tea pot and tea cup. My manager accidently poured chinese tea into my tea cup to refill but in fact, it's my soup. That is how similar it is! The Wine and Chicken soup is really tasty and it is really clear and non-oily. The concept is pretty similar to the Japanese version where they serve soup in a teapot.

Chinese Tea?

We had the aromatic duck where you individually wrap the duck in a small tortilla like wrap. The concept is really similar to Peking duck with all the sweet sauce, wrap and spring onion except that this one has got non-roasted duck meat and lettuce. Kinda nice too.

Aromatic Duck

The vegetarian dishes are good too. The String Bean with Tea mill is excellent. Tastes great with rice. One of my all time favourite. Abalone Mushroom Fried with Dried Chilli is quite good too. Steamed Beancurd is just ok.

Clockwise from left: String Beans with Tea Mill, Abalone Mushroom Fried with Dried Chilli,
Steamed Beancurd, Aromatic Duck

The steam fish teochew style is not recommended as the gravy/sauce is not flavourful enough. Not sour enough and salty enough.

Steamed Fish Teochew Style

Dessert which is Rose Water Chestnut is nice. Taste light and not too sweet.

Rose Water Chestnut

They do serve set lunch for RM12. Worth it in the sense that they serve rice, one poultry (simmered chicken or simmered duck) and one vegetable (tofu or string beans with tea mill) plus chinese tea. They taste pretty good too and value for money.

The rice they serve is actually similar to Furikake with rice. You can see bits of tea in it. The total cost of dish is about RM200++ for 7 of us. Pretty pricy but quality and uniqueness is there. I forgot to add, Jaya Jusco card members get 10% discount. Cool eh! Oh and do remember, they charge RM3 for each plate of appetiser they serve (stewed groundnuts). You can ask them to take it away if you don't want it and they won't charge you for it.

Situated at Lower Ground of Gardens next to the Ding Tai Fung.

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant
Lot LG, Lower Ground Floor,
The Gardens,
Midvalley City,
Lingkaran Syed Putra,
59200 Kuala Lumpur

Tel: +603-22836090

Sushi Zanmai @ Gardens Midvalley

This is my second time at Sushi Zanmai. We were contemplating between Yuzu or Sushi Zanmai. Sushi Zanmai finally won because it has much more variety and it is cheaper too. Compared to the outlet in One Utama, this is a lot less crowded. However, we had to queue for a short while. There are more seats available for just two diners per table. We were led to this tiny little cubicle hidden from the front entrance of the restaurant. It's a little small but there is more privacy in this type of seating area.

The Seating Area for Two

It is situated near Isetan on the second floor. The total cost of the bill is about RM70 for two. It is my first time trying the infamous natto....healthy food mah :p It wasn't really that bad tasting but it is definitely an acquired taste. They serve it with some fresh sliced squid. The avocado roll taste pretty nice with Unagi and avocado.

Natto


Avocado Roll

However, the Gyuniku Enoki Roll did not fare so well. It is basically straw mushrooms wrapped in beef. It is a little too salty especially with the gravy and it has a bitter hint that we do not really like.

Gyuniku Enoki Roll

The Asama sashimi set (about RM30) is really worth it. The fish is thickly sliced, fresh and big.

Asama Sashimi

Definitely make other visits in the future for their sushi and sashimi :)