Another nice geeky alternative for me would be:

“You are the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II to my D50″.

:)

Pic credits

Another one bites the Wordpress dust.

In case you didn’t notice, I’ve moved from Serendipity to Wordpress yesterday.  It was a long time coming.  It is painful because of the search engine links I’ve lost which affects my page ranking, etc, etc.

But I’m glad I made the move.  Over the years, Wordpress has evolved into the lean, mean content management machine it is today.  I still can’t get over the awesome feeling of being able to upgrade to higher versions of Wordpress with just a click of the button.

For years I have been resisting moving my main blog to Wordpress and tried other CMS-es.  When it comes to CMS-es, I don’t like going mainstream.  I must have tried between 4 to 5 of them.  Some were good but lacked maintenance.  Others were great but Wordpress soon surpassed them.  Plus Wordpress is free.

To celebrate this move, I’ve changed the look to reflect how I feel and think now.  Reposed, a little more uncluttered and lots of space to grow and do fun stuff.  Oh, and basking in the joys of being a girl.

Welcome to my new home :)

So there we were at our favourite Indian restaurant Gem last Friday, when a waiter approached our table.  Well, made a beeline for Twinnie, more accurately.

"Excuse me, Ms. Taty.  There is a phone call for you from Annie," he said.

The four of us at the table were gobsmacked.  Twinnie blinked in disbelief before following the waiter to the phone.

"Now, isn’t that strange?" the rest of us marvelled.  Why would Annie call the restaurant instead of calling Twinnie directly on the phone?

"If Twinnie couldn’t hear her phone ringing, Annie could have at least called one of us," I said.

"Yeah, there is no need for her to call the restaurant number," Hath agreed.

Soon Twinnie returned from her surprise phone call and said, "Good news, Annie’s able to join us for dinner after all!"

Ecstatic as we were, we still had to satisfy our curiosity, "But why did Annie call the restaurant to get to you???"

"She did try to call me and you girls!" Twinnie replied.

Gobsmacked for the second time, Hath and I hurriedly checked our phones.  True enough, there was not one but two missed calls from poor Annie.

We sent a silent apology to what must have been a frustrated Annie.  Gosh, we really must change our ringtones to something more blaring to avoid such incidences in future.  Sorry, Annie!

Some of you readers may also be wondering – in the sea of people dining at the restaurant, how did the waiter know just who Ms. Taty is?  Mind you, there were 40 tourists from India dining at the same time with us as well as other patrons.  Long story short, Twinnie has visited Gems so often that she’s practically a main fixture there already.  Plus, she makes it a point to chat with the waiters – unlike reserved me.  Which may explain why the waiters don’t ever remember me.  Even on what must have been my hundredth visit.

No matter.  The food’s good.  The company’s even better and like it or not, we sistahs have carved a history for ourselves at Gem’s.  We ain’t going anywhere.

Today’s lunch was special.  It was not the first time we visited this restaurant but every time we sink our teeth into their crispy duck, it truly and verily feels like the first time.  So Restaurant Soon Lok has become a rather special place to us lunch partners.

This is the shop with at least 20 ducks all arranged neatly in a row.

Behold the crispy Roast Duck!

The skin was crispy and covered a layer of translucent fat. As we bit into it, the oil oozes into our mouths just before we hit the tender duck meat. The duck was so good that the whole table fell silent throughout the lunch.  Normally, we chatter quite a lot during meal times.  So this is a big change!  Ed was sighing in contentment and his eyes were glazed as he consumed the duck.

FL happened to be nicely located behind the bowl of spicy and sour vegetables.  I thought it’d make a pretty picture and snapped him.  The acidic and tasty dish was the perfect accompaniment to the rather oily duck.

The total bill was RM31 (the roast duck, the spicy and sour assorted vegetables and tea) for 4 people.  Pretty reasonable for such an amazing meal, I thought.

I walked to the front of the restaurant to key in their coordinates into my GPS when a helpful lady who worked at the restaurant (probably the owner) handed me their business card.  According to Ed, they have another branch just a stone’s throw away from this location.  Business must be really good.

Details:

Restoran Soon Lok
77, Jalan Kenari 20,
Bandar Puchong Jaya,
47100 Puchong, Selangor
Tel: 016-3074960 (Lee Wai Seng) and 016-2903100 (Chloe)

Come lunch time, Celeste had a sudden craving for Bah Kut Teh.  I wasn’t really keen for two reasons – I wasn’t in the mood for something that heavy and for another, I hail from Klang.  As you know, Klang is the nirvana for all things Bah Kut Teh.  Klangites are the most discerning Bah Kut Teh connoiseurs and not many restaurants outside Klang can live up to our lofty expectations.

Unfortunately, since I was the only Klangite around, the six other fellow lunch partners overruled me.  So off to Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Kei Heong we went.

As expected, the restaurant’s Bah Kut Teh fell short of Klang’s glorious offerings.  The soup was not thick enough and lacked a certain oomph.  But the meat was quite tender and the portions were generous. I would give it a 7/10.

We ordered a pot for 5 pax which costs RM50

Yau Char Kuai – The perfect accompaniment to dip into BKT’s broth

The second dish was the Steamed Chicken which Billy mistook for steamed frog legs.  It probably did resemble frog legs from where he was sitting, LOL.  The texture of the meat was a little tough and the gravy was rather bland.  People who like healthy, non-salty food would appreciate this more than I.  I’ll it a 6/10.

The so-so Steamed Chicken

The best of the three dishes would be the Cabbage with Dried Shrimps.  I couldn’t get enough of this tasty, crunchy and oh-so-scrumptious dish!

Yummy cabbages

All in all, it was still a good and filling lunch. The challenge now is keeping ourselves alert in the office after such a hefty meal.

Kedai Makanan dan Minuman Kei Heong (21 Oct 09)
Address: 1-1, Jalan SP2/2, Taman Serdang Perdana, 43300 Seri Kembangan
Tel: +603-8941 5894/019-6607027/012=4518339
Opening hours: 9.30am – 10.30pm (daily)

Cost:
BKT (5 pax) = RM50 (7/10) Soup not as thick but the meat is nice and tender
Steamed Chicken = RM26 (6/10) Bland
Cabbage with shrimps = RM10 (9/10)
Meal cost (including drinks) = RM110 (7 pax)

It’s been a while since I last blogged about food.  I’ve been faithfully updating my Facebook account but there really is nothing like blogging, is there?  So here goes a brief update on what I had for lunch today.  Thanks, Ed for treating me to such a nice meal!  Presenting to you the scrumptious Ying Yong and Beef Hor Fun from Restaurant B. Happiness.

The yummylicious Beef Hor Fun

The Beef Hor Fun’s kuey teow was surprisingly minuscule compared to the extremely generous portions of tender succulent beef.  I would say about 65% of the dish consisted of beef.  It was a tasty treat and for RM8 or 7 per single plate, it’s truly worth it.

Unfortunately, I was happily digging into the Beef Hor Fun by the time the Ying Yong (RM5 or 6) arrived that I quite forgot to take photos of it.  Oh well.  Let me try to paint a picture of it for your benefit – with words, of course.  The gravy was oozing with the goodness of egg white, yolk and just the right amount of salt.  The fried bee hoon was not as crispy as I’d like it to be but the freshness of the chicken meat, chicken liver and prawns more than made up for it.

Service was good and fast, and the teh peng (RM1.50) is a delight to drink, too.

Address:

Restaurant B. Happiness
Jalan 1/127, Taman Gembira,
Kuchai Lama,
58200 Kuala Lumpur

Updates: The event has been postponed to a yet-to-be-announced date!  Woo hoo!!!  I’ve got more time to psych myself up for it, yaay!

I just ended a call from a PR rep who wanted to sign me up for some extreme park media challenge at the end of the month.  The challenge is pretty daunting – paintball (erks!), flying fox (mamma mia!), all-terrain vehicle ride (oooh yeah!) and the list goes on.  I just wanted to give the all-terrain vehicle ride a go to see what it’s like.  The rest of it, I sort of tried before but didn’t like them. But in the spirit of trying new things at least once, I go, I go.

Truth be known, I ain’t no adrenaline junkie.

I don’t need to get my fix by bungee jumping, going for roller coaster rides or getting into the horrifying ship ride.  I am perfectly happy to get my foodie fix every now and then.  I don’t need to watch horror movies every now and then to keep my blood pumping.  I go to the gym or swim instead.

Yet somehow, I look back at the year that is flying furiously fast and marvelled at the stuff I’ve done that I would have shirked from previously.  I participated in my first 10k run.  Did discovery diving in July and became a certified open water diver in Sept.  And currently learning to develop more water confidence and swimming skills.

Perhaps next year, conquering my fear of heights will be next in the menu?  If so, then the theme of next year will be ‘A Year of Overcoming Challenges’.  Well, we shall see.

While my friends were chewing food during dinner recently, I decided to check on my Facebook updates on friends.  Lo and behold I saw a mushy update from a friend.  She declared her love and devotion to her beloved for all to see on his wall. 

To romantics who are sold into public expressions of love and affection, this is a grand and touching gesture indeed.

But to the rest of us (like my friends and I), it was errr… way too mushy for our tastes lar.  I couldn’t resist showing the update to Twinnie who was savouring her grilled fish with relish.

"What the heck??!" she swallowed her fish in a tizzy and scrunched her face in mock agony.  "I just lost my appetite!"

Then I showed FT who went, "Oh man.  Why would people do that??!"

Exactly.

Why would anyone want to subject hundreds upon hundreds of their friends with syrupy sickening sweet messages like these?

We are not alone.

A few weeks ago, Mix FM’s breakfast show had a segment on Facebook status and wall posts that people deem to be inappropriate.  One lady caller said that she nearly threw up when she read a guy friend posting this about his wife:

"I’m all alone on my bed missing my Queen."

Ewwwww…. right?  It’s definitely not something you want to read first thing in the morning while enjoying your cup of coffee.

These messages are private and in my opinion, should be treated as such.  No one (saved for your beloved) is interested to know about the minute romantic details of your life.  So, might as well keep it between just the two of you.

So get a private space or privatise your messages where no prying or disinterested parties can see. That way, both you and your sweetheart get to indulge in all the displays of lurve and affection you want without causing nausea to friends and foes alike.

This is a public service message by Coolcat and gang.

Made a new friend yesterday during McUser’s karaoke birthday outing.  This new friend, whom I shall call F, hails from the USA, looks like Salman Khan, is a kiasu Chinese at heart, and drinks like a German.  The man’s a walking poster child for multi-cultural diversity.

Why the kiasu bit?  Well, we arrived at Red Box few minutes after 9pm.  And the buffet table closes at 10pm.  That gave us less than an hour to heap our plates with the goodies.  After being directed to our karaoke cubicle, F and I rushed to the buffet tables to gather food like there’s no tomorrow.

“You Want Soup?”

For all his multi-cultural diversity, to F, one Chinese girl looks about the same as another.  As he was ladling soup into bowls on his tray, he asked the Chinese girl next to him, “You want soup?” He thought the girl was me.

The girl just froze, gave him a hard stare and walked away.

F was taken aback for a while and then chuckled good-naturedly.

Moral of the story:

1. Verify the identity of the person you are speaking to before opening your mouth.
2. Don’t ever say, “You want soup?” to strange women. They may think it’s the lousiest pick-up line ever.

There’s a beach cleanup the very same weekend that I have a trip to another (not-so-clean) beach.
I promised my friends many moons ago to go for that holiday and it would be akin to a betrayal if I pulled out at the very last minute.

Still.  It doesn’t mean that I’m not tempted to do so.

Isn’t life like this some times? You promise people that you’ll do this and that, or go here and there with them. And when something ‘better’ comes along, you wish you can extricate yourself from the earlier commitment.

I find it especially true in my line of work. So many events come tumbling in at the last possible minute that it’s hard to stick to a seemingly more ‘boring’ event and giving an exciting one a miss.

But God honours those who honours their promises and word. And so, when we give something great a miss because of a prior commitment, I’m sure He has something better in store for us in future. And that’s not really missing out. Not in God-maths.