ThatsSoRon : Photography,Food,Travels,Life and Etc

BrB : Mum is here for a visit

2011-08-23T20:18:00.003+10:00

Mum is around and I'm a little tied up eating her food! and cooking her some food! stay tuned

Chocolate Cheesecake - Goal!!!

2011-08-17T19:03:00.004+10:00

I enjoy playing football(some may refer to it as soccer,but NO it's football) quite a fair bit, ok ok "ALOT" is more like it. I love the excitement, the creativity and of course the feeling of content when a goal is scored. As of recent I'm beginning to enjoy baking a fair bit too, somehow I find the the excitement quite similar to football... especially when the the cake comes out right

So, I decided to try and bake a cheese cake for the first time.

I used lite cream cheese, and later realised it was too healthy for me.

and , out came the melted chocolate to even the playing field.

Tasting time... and GOAL!!! - Bended it like David Beckham

Ingredients

1 x 250g pkt biscuits
140g butter, melted
2 x 250g pkts cream cheese, at room temperature
1 x 300g ctn sour cream
155g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
3 eggs
3 tsp vanilla essence

Extras

chocolate to taste and cream/or milk ( mixed in a bowl over slow boiling water)

How

Place the biscuits in the bowl or a food processor and process until finely crushed( I used a pestle and mortar). Add the butter and process until well combined. Transfer to the lined pan. Use the back of a spoon or a straight-sided glass to spread and press the biscuit mixture firmly over the base and side of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 160°C. Place the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar in the clean bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla, and process until well combined.
Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in oven for 1 hour or until just set in the centre. Turn oven off. Leave the cheesecake in the oven, with the door slightly ajar, until cooled completely (this will prevent the cake from cracking). Let It cool down for an hour or so. 4.Remove the cheesecake from the pan, and pour the chocolate mix on the cake

Hanoi - More of the Old Quarters

2011-08-09T12:36:00.003+10:00

Hanoi is an old rustic looking town, we went there at the end of 2010 which coincided with the town's 1ooo (one thousand) year anniversary. Walking around this city , I felt as though I was transported back into time... seeing and walking though temples, buildings and streets that has been there for centuries was surreal.

Hanoi also many lakes as well, most famous is probably the "Hoan Kiem Lake" . The wonderful sceneries around Hanoi, could "ALMOST" make one forget the constant honking of the motorbikes and cars.

After the wonderful sightseeing, the wonderful feast came in true Vietnamese colours.

Tomato based fried Fish

Herbal pork stew, cooked in coconut

Crabmeat fried with sugarcane shoots

Prawn Rolls

Caramelized Banana and Pineapple

We ate like Kings again, thanks to our guide. Although the meal was gorgeous... the funny thing was the plain white rice was the last dish to arrive ... after we ate all the dishes(including desert) except for two leafs of vegetables. I guess they must have forgot about the rice or the rice was actually the desert ,but no complains... it the whole meal pretty good.

Anything funny happened to you lately?

Buta Kakuni - Success!

2011-08-02T18:09:00.003+10:00

Living away from my parents ain't that bad but it has it's cons. Besides missing them, the other major con is that if I get hungry I can't just go "MUM! is there any food?", furthermore I'm in Australia... not in Malaysia, where there are food stalls everywhere , running most of the time... so I can't just run out and get some food and except for McDonalds( There is only so much McWhatever one can take).

When I moved out, missing both the street stalls and mom's cooking... I had to do something about it. Like a true addict, I started sourcing other means of food... I found a restaurant and began purchasing food. Unfortunately at that time, I was a poor student, so by the 2nd day or so I felt the pinch, then I tried Baked beans and that didn't really cut it as well...

Pork Cracking - Crunch!

So I began to cooking quite a fair bit... trying new things...experimenting and trying to imitate or replicate some of the dishes I loved. There were days, where the dishes I put up just looked like what I wanted it to be but tasted real bad... and times where it tasted and looked bad too... but when the moons are lined and the winds blow in the right direction... Success happens...

Success like this "Buta kakuni" or braised pork. ( punches fist in the air)

Ingredients

most important - Pork belly strips

sliced thick ginger & sliced thin spring onion,2 cloves of garlic crushed,water1/4 cup of mirin,1 tablespoon sugar or to taste,2 tablespoon sake,1/4 cup soy sauce & kombu ( seaweed stock) (if available)

How

Fry pork belly on each of the sides. If you wish, you could cut out the skin to make some cracking. In another pot, boil all the other ingredients. Once the pork belly turns golden. Place it in the pot, make sure the water covers most of the meat. Boil for 2 hours, but make sure you keep an eye on the water level. Let it rest in the pot for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to sip in. All ready to serve...

What is your recent cooking success?

Hanoi - Old Quarters

2011-07-26T21:54:00.001+10:00

Hanoi not only plays host to 7 million - zilian motorbikes , it also has many beautiful & colorful building which are full of Culture and History. Each street back in the old days had merchants and households that specialised in a particular trade, such as silk traders, silver etc. The street names nowadays still reflect these specialisations.

Once you managed to figure out how cross the road safely and avoid the motorbikes, you would be able to take in this pictureous town. Most buildings in the Old Quarters of Hanoi has a french style and mainly painted in Yellow and has green shutters. This is because a large number of French settlers moved to Vietnam from the south of France, especially Marseilles, and made it a point to recreate the architecture of the old country while abroad.

After exploring parts of the town, our guide brought us to this small restaurant called " Minh Anh". As soon as we sat down BAM! One by one food kept coming, from springrolls, to soups to deep fried stuff to fishes. The thing was we haven't actually ordered anything. I started getting worried, something fishy is going on here, is this one of those "lets cheat the foreigner in Vietnam" moment?

So I called our guide, and asked him "Who order this food?" he said "ME", and I was thinking "mmm.. he must be in it too; *@*&#! ". Then I said, "how much is this gonna cost me?" and he said "Nothing, You pay already! you want beer you buy , food you pay already .All included in your package". A smile stretched on my face, and I said "You are a champion" I ordered a beer and gave it to our guide and started digging in.

What a meal, everything was so fresh, cooked and served warm. I thank our guide for the great choice.

Hanoi - full of surprises. Whats have you been surprised with recently?

Triple Cooked Lamb

2011-07-19T19:47:00.005+10:00

A month after Ortiga , I started craving the lamb again. Shaking and shivering… all I was thinking of was that soft lamb…I think I’ve got the lamb munchies.

With the Global Economic Crisis, I thought I’ll save some money and make it myself. Made my way to the "Lamb Dealer" or butcher as some call it, and asked for some lamb shoulder. Surprisingly; it was one of the cheaper cuts of lamb…only about $9/kg.

Firstly fry the lamb shoulder in a pot with some oil and seasoned it with a little salt and pepper. After the lamb gets a little brown and slightly crisp, fill the pot with some boiling water and mix in some Italian herbs, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, spring onion, carrots and chicken stock(to soften the meat). After a few hours, take it out and placed it into the oven at about 170-180 degrees till crisp( so you might want to check on it every 10 mins or so).

With the leftover stock, reduce it further … and season based on preference. White wine could be added for a little extra flavor ;)

Ingredients

Lamb shoulder 600g

Italian herbs

Paprika

Salt & pepper

Garlic

Spring onion & carrots

chicken stock

Optional – Homemade mint sauce

Mint leafs – Finely cut

Vinegar

Sugar

Combine the mint and sugar in a small pan. Add the boiling water and stir till the sugar dissolves. Add the vinegar and mix well. Allow the sauce to rest for 15 minutes for the flavor to develop and all ready to go.

What do you guys get the munchies for?

Have a cuppa - The Hanoi Way

2011-07-13T18:36:00.003+10:00

The current cold winter * (cold for me anyways) reminded me of my trip to Hanoi, Vietnam. Yoshi and I went there last December. Driving out of the airport we could see how skilful the Vietnamese people are in balancing.This guys could drive through traffic with huge items being place on their bikes and motorcycles with ease. In mist of all the chaos, these people kept their balance as steady as can be.

We arrived at out hotel room freshened up and headed out to discover the streets of this old city. He stayed in the Old Quarters, so was heaps to see around this area. But, being a coffee junkie, I needed my caffeine hit.

So the first stop that we made was this small old coffee shop, the lady mending the shop couldn’t speak a word of English nor did they have any menus. So we tried saying coffee in as many languages as we knew...COFFEE ? KOPI? COHEE ? CAFE? ...and she smiled and said ohhh...

Then it came ,"Cafe" made with finely ground Vietnamese-grown dark roast coffee individually brewed with a small metal French drip filter (cà phê phin) into a cup containing about a

quarter to a half as much Condence Milk. You could see how black and thick the dark matter they call coffee was. Then I looked around and everyone had ice as well, I wanted them too... damn, how was I to describe ice to this lady?

I raised my hand and said ice, that didn’t work...and pretended like I was holding an empty glass and said "cling-cling"... she still didn't get it! A few more unsuccessful with my attempts at charade with the shop lady, some else from another table got me! and order Ice for us in Vietnamese . I said thanks and gave them a thumbs up . Had a sip of my coffee... and then SLAP... boy was it strong! I sure woke up that morning...

Anyways if you go to Hanoi wanting to order Ice coffee in Vietnam, It's called "Cafe Da" ;)

Ever got lost in translation?

Pandan Chiffon Cake

2011-07-06T21:56:00.002+10:00

Winter is here in Brisbane and its been one of the coldest since I’ve been here. To warm the house up I’ve started baking quite a fair bit. I used to find baking quite hard and tedious, so I stayed away from It. I remember when I was young, watching my auntie bake; she used to measure everything to the gram, made sure the timing was right and waited in front of the oven till her cake was done. Oh Boy, I loved eating it, but so much hassle.

Whilst browsing through a “Gourmet” food magazine, I saw a fancy looking plate of something that look so familiar, It was a pandan chiffon cake. Then the flashbacks and craving started; my dad used to get us a pandan chiffon cake every time he goes to the Pasar Malam( Night markets in Malaysia), well “us” would be an overstatement...It was mainly for me...cos I would devourer half of it before bedtime.

The chubby boy inside of me was shouting “get this cake!!!”. So that night I looked up the ingredients and started baking..

Ingredients :

5 egg whites
1/3 cup caster sugar
5 egg yolks
5 tbs coconut milk
4 tbs vegetable oil
1/3 cup caster sugar, extra
150g plain flour, sifted
1 3/4 tsp baking powder, sifted
pinch of salt
pandan essence (preferably green for colour)

How?

Preheat oven at 170°C or there abouts
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat thoroughly after each addition until you achieve stiff peaks. Set aside. Almost like a meringue.
In a separate bowl whisk egg yolks with extra caster sugar until thick, pale and fluffy. Add coconut milk, vegetable oil, pandan assents, flour and baking powder, and whisk until combined by folding the egg whites into the yolk mixture three batches.
Pour into baking tray. To make it easy to take the cake out, I covered the tray with baking paper. Bake for half an hour, or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean; personally I like the skewer method.
When cake is out of the oven, leave it to cool down in the tin for a while.

Extra stuff :

- Blended coconut caramel : How?

1. Boil water and sugar(brown/dark sugar if available) till tick and caramelised

2. Mix the caramel and coconut flakes.

3. Let it cool down till harden

4. Then Blend it in a blended(i used a coffee bean blender), It look like sand.

And lastly cut a slice for you

And A slice for me!

Ueno - Tokyo Rewind

2011-06-19T17:48:00.004+10:00

Ueno, a city that houses an insane amount of sneaker & clothing shops... and in between these shops were "Izakaya" style restaurants/bars. The popular food and drink stalls were filled with people who came after work to let out steam with the best cure; food ... well it did look like a lot of alcohol was involve too. The bright neon lights and strong smell of food was your free invitation in to those shops. The hard question was which one?

We took a train down to Ueno, to meet one of Yoshi's old schoolmate. Her schoolmate recommended Watami - a casual chain restaurant. I was pretty disappointed at first, going to a boring chain restaurant, we might as well meet in McDonald's. I had my mind set to get into one of those izakayas, digging into some yakitoris.... However, I was wrong Watami turned out to be alright...

We got some fried rice to start, which wasn't that bad.

Then we got the Oyster Nabe, and I can say they are generous with the Oysters...a nice big pot of warm on a cold winter's night. Definitely the dish that made me like this place.

The last dish we got was this one, raw meat... take a guess... what? beef.. wrong.. Tuna...wrong... mmm... maybe veal? not!!!

It's Horse! or basashi ...

well they say when in Rome...

so what the weirdest thing you have eaten?

Spanglish manglish

2011-05-18T22:46:00.009+10:00

Comer er Ortiga .... Eat at Ortiga ...

Early 2010 a Spanish restaurant opened in Brisbane, located beside a traffic light at a T junction. With a nice looking tapas bar on top and a modern restaurant down below.

Coming up along the street one could get a sneak inside the kitchen from the outside window. I was one of them, I used to pass this restaurant every fortnight... getting stuck at the traffic light, I used to stare inside observing how the chefs prepare for their dinner service... wondering what it would be like to cook in a kitchen like that, so shiny, so modern so... Peeepppp!!! getting horned at and snapped back to reality.

The chances of me cooking there is probably pretty slim , but I thought it may be easier to eat there... Yoshi's birthday came and I thought it would be a great place to take her...so the booking was made and we arrived. We waited in the bar for a while and got ushered to our seats downstairs. The menu had a nice variety of tapas but we knew what we wanted, we wanted the lamb shoulder...slow cooked... and fried at the end for a crispy texture.

Whilst waiting we got some croquettes (deep fried creamy mash potatoes); a few bites later the lamb shoulder came. POW! the waiter arrives and placed the big pile of meat on the table... craves it with the littlest of energy; as it was so tender it the meat almost falls off the bone from gravity. Served with baked potatoes and lemon curd... this was one awesome piece of lamb... crispy on the outside, soft tender and yet still so juicy.

At the end of the meal, we both couldn't walk; my arteries was full of lamb after that night ... but definitely worth it. What a meal...

Where:446 Brunswick St. Fortitute Valley QLD

What was your latest food adventure?

Pray For Japan

2011-04-09T12:42:00.010+10:00

After the delicious Tempura-Don, our kind friends took us to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo; basically the emperor's crib. Although we were not lucky enough to go in,but the view from outside was pretty good. The Palace , surrounded by a beautiful garden of trees and a pond.

After walking around the park, we headed to Tokyo tower. The sun soon fell, and the stomach started to rumble. Our friends gave us a few options for dinner, we narrowed it down to two. a) Iron Chef Kenichi's Restaurant or b) this oldish ramen shop called Taishoken which was famous for tsukemen. Ahh... which one to choose? I was and still am a massive Iron Chef fan, and Tsukemen was the dish that made me fall in love with Japanese cooking.

After contemplating, I said , Taishoken! It is!. Tsukemen translated to English means dipping noodles; basically cold noodles served separate from the soup with lots of dipping and slurping action. This place is said to be the place which invented or the origin of Tsukemen. So I had to try it. When I was younger, I didn't have much exposures to Japanese food. Then I met Yoshi, she introduced me to the wonders of Nihon Yori( Japanese cooking). One of the first dish she got me to try was Tsukemen. Coming from Malaysia, we hardly had cold food... most Malaysian food are served hot; It took a little convincing to get me to try it at first, but now; I have no regrets.

Its been a while since I had Taishoken's Tsukemen. Every other ramen I have had since has not been good enough. It seems rather selfish, talking about indulging in food, when many in Japan do not have much. But this post is a tribute to the people of Japan and a testament to their will power , resilience and dedication to everything that they do including their food

The terrible earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan of recent is the worst I've seen in my lifetime. I pray to never see anything like this again. Japan has been strong , and I hope they will recover.

If you have a spare dollar : RED CROSS

If you don't : Pray For Japan

Hello: North Carolina

2011-03-05T13:48:00.011+10:00

Blue Ridge Mountain

Through blogging I've been all around the world and met so many people from all over. One of which is Rebecca from Chow & Chatter. Shes a dietitian, blogger extraordinaire. A while ago i did a Guest Post on her blog, and I thought I would be nice to have her over at T

hatsSoRon. So an e-mail was sent and here she is... showing us her back yard!

"It was a joy to me when Ron asked me to guest post for him. I always have fond memories of his guest post for chow and chatter about chilly brissy with snaps of his city and statues with scarfs on them.

I smile as we plan to visit Australia this month unfortunately we won't make it to Brisbane. For the guest post I decided to share some snap shots of North Carolina the State where we live in America. I have lived in the US now for 7 years and now live in Winston Salem NC. I am British and my husband is Indian we moved here for his medical residency. I am a dietitian but stay home with our toddler now and blog and offer social media coaching mostly for dietitians.

I highly recommend living in a different country if you have the chance it's fascinating to experience a new culture and explore.North Carolina as a state I would say is quite up and coming with growing cities such and Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro and Winston Salem also Asheville in the mountains. The Raleigh Durham area has great universities and wonderful research. North Carolina has the beautiful blue ridge mountains in the west (see pictures ) and a pretty coastline in the east.

The area where we live reminds me a little of home it has great seasons and green rolling hills. Winston Salem was actually settled around 390 years ago by the Moravians from eastern Europe who bought a tract of land from the British they have a rich culture and food traditions.

With German inspired food and in particular Moravian cookies famous at Christmas time. No visit to Winston Salem the twin city would be complete without a visit to old Salem a beautiful and historic section of town with old buildings and a living Museum about the Moravian people. Next to old Salem is Winston downtown with office buildings art galleries a new ball park and restaurants. The restaurant scene here is so so but we have traveled extensively and have spoilt palates if visiting the state I would say Durham is the up and coming foodie city.

Winston Salem was built on tobacco and has a lot of old money with gorgeous neighborhoods like buena vista lovely tree lined streets mansions and parks. The wake forest university has a gorgeous garden called reynolda gardens with a greenhouse, rose garden and vegetable garden it again reminds me of home and is my favorite place to take a stroll. Two new foodie ventures the state is going into are vineyards complete with goods wine and restaurants and folks planting black truffle orchards !

Jasmine playing at Sci works museum with her British grandparents

The people in the South are warm and friendly and I highly recommend a visit to this pretty state, be sure to sample fried chicken, biscuits, collard greens, cornbread and Southern food. But also the fusion of other cultures as folks from around the world make their home here."

Thanks Rebecca for sneak peak of Winston Salem.

More of Chow & Chatter @ http://www.chowandchatter.com/

My Guest Post @ Chow & Chatter

Hopefully I'll be lucky enough to visit the States.

Gong Xi Fa Chai - Happy New Year

2011-02-12T11:14:00.001+10:00

Chinese New Year has always been my all time favorite season when I was growing up. Ever since I could remember my family has been going to Malacca for our yearly reunion. My uncles, aunties and cousins would come from all over meeting up at grandma's to celebrate this occation. As kids we would help out our aunties; prepare cakes and biscuits. Whilst others would help cook up a feast for the reunion dinner.

The tradition of giving red packetts was and is the best tradition of the Chinese new year; especially if you are on the receiving end. After a day of visiting relatives and collecting the red packets, us kids would sit in the corner counting how much we have received. Gambling is also another tradition of the Chinese new year, this is where we normally blow the red packetts we collected or double it. Being away in Australia for the last few years, I've been unable to celebrate this festive season with my family, but I've always made the best of it. This year, me and Yoshi decided to have a reunion of our on at our place.

Another tradition in the Chinese new year is Yee Sang ; It usually consists of strips of raw fish (most commonly salmon), mixed with shredded vegetables and a variety of sauces and condiments, among other ingredients. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish (鱼)" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance (余)", Yúshēng (鱼生) is interpreted as a homophone for Yúshēng (余升) meaning an increase in abundance. Basically a fish salad. We used shredded cucumber, radish, carrots, shallots, orange slices, homemade crackers and crushed peanuts. Once the ingredients is placed on the plate, all at the table then stand up and on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying various "auspicious wishes" out loud". It is believed that the height of the toss reflects the height of the diner's growth in fortunes, thus diners are expected to toss enthusiastically A small mess on the table usually occurs later.

Well Happy Chinese New Year to you all!!!

So what's your favorite festive season growing up?

Asakusa - Tokyo Rewind

2011-01-29T10:40:00.000+10:00

A while ago, I mentioned in a previous post that I was going to continue posting about my trip to Japan Tokyo . Well here it is, a little late, but as the saying goes...better late then never.

We arrived to Tokyo after our trip to Toyama via train. We couldn't find the hotel that we booked and it was fairly late at night. Dragging our large backpacks and luggage, we gave up looking for our hotel and just got a room at a random hotel near the train station.

In the morning we headed to the Kannon Temple or Senso-ji in Asakusa. Through the big gates of the Senso-Ji we walked under the large 400kg lantern. Instantly you could see the rows of stalls selling souvenirs, crafts and food. The smell of fresh dorayaki's being made and other sweet smells filled the air as we made our way to the main area.

After walking around, admiring the great architecture of the temple; as usual I got hungry. We headed to a hundred year old Tempura shop called Tempura Daikokuya (tendon).

We entered the shop around noon, just before lunch time and we had to wait for a few minutes as there was 3-4 people in front of us waiting to get in. I thought to myself, this place must be pretty good to be this packed at noon. We walked up stairs and the decor was all wooden; sort of Edo period style. Seated on the tatami mat, we ordered their famous tendon. There was a reason the place lasted for 100 years +, this has got to be THE BEST tempura I had. So crispy , not too oily and so fresh...

After devouring the food , we headed out and realised how short the line we had before. As when we got out the line had gone around the shop.

Do you know of any places like this? Do share..

Where: 8-minute walk from Asakusa Station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line,Tobu Isezaki Line and Tsukuba Express(TX).

Restaurant :Tempura Daikokuya

Address;1-38-10 Asakusa, Taito-ku

Phone; 03-3844-1111, (for reservations; 03-3844-2222)

Hours; 11:10am-8:30pm(weekdays & sunday), 11:30am-9:00pm(saturday & national holidays)

Taste: OMG!

When the goings tough the though gets going

2011-01-22T13:32:00.000+10:00

On the 11th of January 2011, Brisbane and many other townships were flooded due to the heavy downpour of rain weeks before the date. The floods came into roads, houses , shops and businesses which was located in lower grounds and which was close to the river and creeks. I was fortunate to not be effected by the floods, but many suburbs close by had gone under.

West End.

Brisbane CBD.

UQ Tennis courts.

The flood had destroyed many belongings of those effected, some only managed to save guard small personal items and had to leave the rest for the mercy of the flood. I could only imagine the grieve they must have gone through leaving all those things they've been collecting for so many years behind.

Although the floods had taken away and destroyed so many things, the people here are tough, they stayed strong. As soon as it was save to go to the properties, the clean up began. We Queenslanders weren't going to let those effected do it alone, people from all around came to help their friends, neighbours and just about anyone who needed help.

And if you want to lend a hand too, or if you have some spare coin; Follow the links below

Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal

Volunteering QLD

Also For the people in Brazil

Brazil Flood Relief

Super Breaky

2010-10-17T17:38:00.001+10:00

A few weekends ago, SunSuper along with the Brisbane Festivals hosted the River Breakfast with a hint of French. It was packed by 9am, main reason = free stuff. We were all treated to a barrel of Apples, yogurt and a hand out of bread, nuts , strawberries and cheese

The area was decorated with knit wear and the colours of France. The Knit wear which has beautifully graced Brisbane city was called "A close Knit". For more pictures do check out a Guest Post I did on "Chow and Chatter".

The free breakfast and the lovely view of Brisbane River, the best things in life are indeed free.

Also treated to some French songs .

This River is on Fire...

2010-09-25T12:48:00.000+10:00

Riverfire marks the start of the Brisbane Festival which started on the 4th September up till the 25th of September 2010. Being one of the most popular events in Brisbane, most vantage points around the river draws big crowds. The bright light in the above picture was the F-111 doing its "dump and burn" which in simple terms , making the aircraft spit out loads of fuel and sticking a lighter behind it. The reason the picture looks like a sunset was mainly caused by the heavy clouds.
This year I decided to go to New Farm at Wilson's Point to catch the fire works along with the wonderful view of the Story Bridge and the City. Those guys in the were probably parked there since 8 am, getting them one of the best seats in town. Armed with their barbecue pitts , chairs , tables and not forgetting beers , they were all ready for the show.I came at 2pm and realised all the prime camera spots were taken. Luckily I met another photography enthusiast and he asked if I would like to park my tripod next to his.

So after adjusting the tripod and camera, we waited patiently for 4 and a half hours for the fireworks to start.

And after 30 minutes of non stop fireworks... the F-111 came by again to signal the end of the show for the Grand Final. A long day, but it was good fun.

Sydney Trotting - Fishmarkets

2010-06-13T08:15:00.000+10:00

A gastronomical icon of Sydney,The Fishmarkets is the place where people flock in for the best seafood in town (even the birds flock in).

This is the place that I crave for when in Sydney, since the first time I came here 5years ago; I have not found any other place like this in Australia. The variety of fresh and cooked seafood is in abundance tagged with a price tag which is quite reasonable for that quality.

The seafood can be found in a raw, boiled ,steam, grilled or deep fried form. Most of which is are cooked with minimal seasoning as to enjoy the freshness.

So even if you are allergic to seafood, there are still other bits that one can enjoy.

Taste : Fresh and Juicy

Location: Pyrmont Bridge Rd, Pyrmont NSW 2009

So how do you like your seafood cooked?

State of Origin - QLD Pies vs NSW Pies

2010-05-28T12:48:00.001+10:00

My apologies for the lack in posts; I've been a little tied up with a whole load of stuff, from boring courses/exams to me and Yoshi's "Save the Date" project and also the new acquisition of my canon Kiss X3.

Our "Save the Date" poster

I've always wanted the 50d but due to the GFC I've made do with one more "0" which is the 500d. But I have no regrets; it is still one piece of awesome technology; can't complaint(because I Love It) ; back to the Pies...

Anyways, I've been longing to try Harry's Cafe' de Wheels for ages; famous for their pies and hot dogs. In my first trip to Sydney a few years ago, we didn't have much time so I had to give the pies a miss. However this time around I had to try it. Many famous celebrities has popped by this Iconic stall for a bite, people from the Colonel of Chicken Sanders to my hero Anthony Bourdain.

Both me and Yoshi ordered the signature dish which was "Harry's Tiger"; the mash potato and peas was just delightful and wonderfully creamy. The pie was alright and was everything a pie should be; however the NSW iconic pie tasted rather commercial, like it came out from a factory.In my view, I think the QLD crew at "Yatala Pies " would give Mr Harry a good fight with their melt in your mouth cheesy pie that leaves you with a chronic sense of wanting more. Being State of Origin Season , ie Rugby League; Its NSW vs QLD.

In my books; Harry's Cafe's Mash potatoes & peas & gravy is unbeatable but the pies at Yatala Pies is at a different level . Being a pie fight, I declare Yatala the winner; thats QLD 1 , NSW Nil.

Harry's Cafe de Wheels

Location : Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo NSW

Yatala Pie

Location: 48 Old Pacific Hwy, Yatala QLD

Which one do you think looks better?

Sydney Trotting - Where East Meets West

2010-05-09T02:04:00.000+10:00

On the second night in Sydney , me and Yoshi decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner at Blancharu a French Japanese restaurant. We both have not had much French food ,the most we had was probably a couple of croissants for breakfast. Blancharu had a reasonably priced menu and also being located in Elizabeth Bay, it was right next to the infamous Kings Cross and pretty close to where we were staying at Potts Point.

Al Alamein Fountain - The famous meeting point in Kings Cross

Only 6621Km from Kuala LUMPUR! not Lumpar!

Due to my prior greediness or having a large pie at Harry's Pie only a couple of hours before dinner; we decided to share between the two of us a 4 course degustation and an extra entree. Instead of a 7 course degustation each we had initially wanted. We were first greeted by a nice warm freshly baked bun each.

We decided to go for Foie gras ‘Chawanmushi’ with Dashi Broth for our entree'. Honestly it was a little too French for my Asian tongue, but it wasn't too bad ... and we did finished everything on the plate.

Next we had the Sushi platter; with cucumber and umeboshi( plum) ,salmon, unagi(eel) and scallop sushis. The winner on the plate was the scallops... which exploded and released a nice charred flavour .

The next dish that came was the black ink squid pasta, which was also another first for us. A dish which I had always wanted to try but never had the chance.For some reason I always had the impression it would be bitter or sour; maybe because it is black and it comes out from a squid, but it was actually tasty and flavourful and was probably my favorite dish of the night.

The twice cooked duck breast came next, which was nicely cooked... tender on the inside with a lightly crisp skin .

Desserts came next, and the kind people at Blancharu gave us one for free as we were celebrating a special occasion. A beautifully fluffy almost sponge like Soufflé, served with lime sorbet was a match made in heaven.

Traditional Crème Brûlée and coffee ice cream was the other dessert we ordered and it was delightful. Great blend of textures and taste, with the crisp of the burned cream and the soft sweat custard inside mixed gracefully with the coffee ice cream.

Location : Shop 1, 21 Elizabeth Bay Road,Elizabeth Bay NSW 2011

Taste: Great blend of flavours and taste from the east and west.

Sydney Trotting - Pastries & Cakes

2010-04-16T07:43:00.000+10:00

One thing that i found really awesome about Sydney is the wide variety of Pastries and Cakes shops. From the famous Lindt chocolate makers to the french cafes they all look irresistible. Just passing by their shops, it made me feel like I was 5 years old again; which made me want to grab everything on display...

On the first day we had a chance to try the Lindt Cafe at Darling Habour, the place was packed so it had to be pretty good.The first thing i saw when i came in here was the Macaroons, the nicely arranged and colourful arrangements caught my eyes, and I couldn't resist .I just had to try the macaroons there and... it was superb, the crisp of the macaroon cracks in your mouth and the cold sweet filling was just a Killer!

Location: 104-105 Cockle Bay Wharf Darling Harbour, Sydney

La Renaissance's Courtyard

Goya

We also tried this small french cafe at the Rocks which YM introduced, called La Renaissance Café Patisserie. Slightly hidden from the main area, with its cosy Parisian style courtyart, I felt like I was in Europe. I paid $9 for a small cake, that one could possibly gobble in one bite, but I couldn't resist; just look at it; Yes I'm a sucker for colourful things. Once we cut into this tiny work of art, we discovered the many layers and taste to this one cake, which blended really well. As they say good things comes in small packages.

Location: 47 Argyle Street The Rocks Sydney NSW

Sydney Trotting - A Taste of Malaysia

2010-04-12T08:39:00.000+10:00

After that intense ramen, we headed to check in to our hotel. As mentioned before we got a pretty good deal; $99 per night at the Holiday Inn thanks to Lastminute.com . Above is the view that we got, not too shabby for that price eh?

Huge Door at Martin Place

We Heart U Boom

Fire Station

We soon freshen up, and set off and headed do the Harbour Bridge and also the Opera House. To be even more adventurous, we walked from our hotel in Potts Point around Kings Cross and headed upwards to the Circular Quay.

For dinner,we met up with some friends who took us to Mamak, an up and coming Malaysian restaurant. For your information,Mamak is refereed to Tamil Muslims who generally runs stalls/shops which sells local road side Indian/Malaysian food;most famous the Roti Canai or Pratha and teh tarik or Pull tea. This kinda stalls has a become very much a part of our Malaysian culture. However one thing is for sure, you'll never find a Chinese man in a mamak flipping a roti in Malaysia.

Having a shop that sells mamak food here in Sydney is great as it allows Australian to have a taste of our culture and also good for Malaysians who just misses home. Price wise, it is very pricey if you compare it to Malaysia; plain roti in Malaysia - RM 0.70 ie Aud 0.25 ; plain roti here is about AUD 5, however for Australian standard its quite reasonable. Although you can't compare the food here to what you can get back in Malaysia, it does ease the cravings.

Location: 15 Goulburn St Haymarket NSW 2000

Taste : Not too bad, our local mamaks would be proud of this chinaman.

So what food do you crave when you are away from home?

Sydney Trotting - Gumshara Ramen

2010-04-06T21:04:00.001+10:00

We had a great trip to Sydney over the Easter break. Me and Yoshi trotted around this town like a couple of mad horses wanting to see, do and eat everything. Sydney is undoubtedly a beautiful city, playing host to iconic old buildings and structures; most famous the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. The madness and chaos of this big city is neutralised by the great scenic views and excellent food.

The first thing we did here was to head down town to China Town, mind you we haven't even checked into our hotel room. Dragging our bags, we headed to a ramen shop called "GUMSHARA". I was told prior to coming here that there he only makes a limit 10 bowls of pork spare rib ramen and I want to be one of that 10 !

The Master Mind behind Gumshara -Chef Mori

This bowl of noodles is Mad! I ordered the Pork Spare Rib Ramen; being the greedy person that I am, I added extra Char Siu, extra eggs and a side of pickled chili cabbage. The soup here is cooked for 7 days, made out of 120kgs of pork bones and soy. It is so thick you could almost chew it!

The first slurp was just magic, you can taste the hard work put into this bowl of ramen. The char siu was soft, full of flavours and just melted like butter. The spare rib was a really juicy, the noodles were nice and firm, and the boiled eggs was marinated and boiled to perfection. My greediness did get the better of me, thanks to all those extra toppings I was struggling to finish this bowl. One other great thing about this bowl of ramen is that after the meal, it leaves you with a free lip gloss made out of collagen

Location: Shop 209, Eating World Food Court25 - 29 Dixon Street, Haymarket

Taste: Intense

West End Markets

2010-03-31T12:59:00.000+10:00

I came to Australia as a poor student, to save money I generally cook most of my meals. The thriftiness in me has not rubbed off much even though I've been out of student hood for a while now. To be save even more money me and Yoshi shop for groceries at West End market when ever we can.

This place opens from 6am ish to about 2pm ish every Saturday , it offers abundance of fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, meat and a great atmosphere. Shaded by giant fig trees, the smell of fresh food , aromas from freshly blended coffee and cooked food and also the occasional live music is just a superb way to spend your Saturday.

Some people say the fresh goods here are sold at prices from the 90's, so with that saving get yourself a German sausage , a cuppa and enjoy your Saturday... while you can...

Location : Davies Park Market West End is located in Davies Park - off Montague Road and at the end of Jane Street. @ Brisbane

Taste : depends on your recipe/ cooking

How do you spend your Saturdays?

Nippon Journey - To be Continued

2010-03-30T01:16:00.000+10:00

We bid farewell to Toyama and headed on to our next destination, Tokyo. This is one huge city, full of interesting places and food. However I'll take a break from our Nippon Journey for a little while,but will promise to continue it soon... stay tuned!

Nippon Journey - Toyama Tranquility

2010-03-23T19:55:00.001+10:00

After spending four days in the Kansai area, we headed toward Yoshi's Hometown; Toyama. We got on to the train, ordered our bentos and three hours later... we had arrived. This place far exceeded my expectations, I thought it was going to be just an ordinary small town but I was blown away with the beautiful temples, great food and great people.

Train Bento

Zuiryu-Ji Temple

Abiko: Fujiko Fujio (A) - One half of the Doraemon authors

Kagechiyo (影千代) from Ninja Hattori-Kun from authors of Doraemon

Toyama is also the birth place of the Doraemon manga authors, an area of Himi City is dedicated to Fujiko- Fujio A and also has a small Ninja Hattori Kun museum. Close by to the musuem is a small fish market by the sea...

Squid - XL size

Long Leg Crabs - XL size

Masuzushi

Fried Buri

In the market , there was a small restaurant serving Buri; Known as the King of Toyama Bay, this fish’s name changes with each stage of its life. “Kan-buri”, the yellowtail caught in the coldest season, having just the right balance of fat and caught just before spawning season is a special delicacy. If you are ever in Toyama, this is a must... as the juices in this fish is mad!

The night before we were treat to a massive meal; comprising of the infamous Fugu fish, crab legs, soba noodles, tempura vegetables and tempura shirako or fish sperm. That was no typo...Yes..I ate FISH SPERM! I do not have any pictures of the shirako as I did not know that is was fish sperm till the next day.

So whats the weirdest thing you have eaten ?

Nippon Journey - Kobe NightLights

2010-03-20T23:12:00.000+10:00

The next leg of our journey was Kobe, we actually stayed in Kobe but commuted to the various places in the Kansai area. Kobe has a slight western flair about it, It is also Brisbane's sister city. Kobe is also a major producer of sake, coincidentally there was a factory behind where we stayed.

The entries to most breweries here are free, and we could sample almost all the sake at this brewery called "Hamafukutsuru" . This man there is one of the brewers, and the bottle beside him is his own recipe. He speaks of his sake like he speaks of his children, with great pride.

Location : 658-0025 Uozakiminami cho 4-4-6, Higashinada-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture

A place which is a must when in Kobe is the Port area, I some how stumbled upon a flock of seagulls standing in a row by the port, the camera quickly came out and SNAP! This is one of my favorite shots of the trip .

We were quite lucky to catch a glimpse of The Kobe Luminarie which is a light festival held in Kobe between mid December till Christmas. The Light festival is to commemorate the Great Hanshin Earthquake which happen back in 1995.

Walking by the port area, we stumbled by a small stall selling snacks and also steamed buns and other small condiments. The smell and aromas coming out from here was quite intense which lead me to get all the three types of buns sold. The best one there for me was the Butakakuni Man i.e Stewed Pork Bun) the juices and melt in your mouth meat was just delightful.

One of Yoshi's friends brought us to a Prison themed restaurant called "The Lockup". The restaurant's policy is that when you come in you would be arrested in Hand cuffs and brought to your prison cell. The Lockup offers a wide variety of cocktails/mocktails which is served in laboratory equipment, the even had one which was called the bomb making kit. The food was not too special but the you come for the experience.

Location : Tokyu Kids Plaza Boomin Kitano B1 1-7-9 Yamamoto Dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 650-0003

Taste : moderate

Atmosphere : Never had so much fun in a prison

Have you been to any interesting restaurants like this?

Nippon Journey - Kyoto Daze

2010-03-17T20:45:00.000+10:00

We only had a day to go around Kyoto due to our tight schedule and our ambition to see as much as we could in 2 weeks. This leg of the journey although short was my favorite; Kyoto has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is crazy how breathtaking these places are, no wonder it has 17 UNESCO world heritage sites. (picture above is at Kiyomizu-dera)

Shoren-In Temple

The ever so beautiful maple trees

Arashiyama - a place where mothernature and a little help from gardeners blend really well. Above is at the bamboo forest. This place is defanately worth a visit, at night the colourful lighing highlights the bamboo growth and also mountains. Day or night this place is magical.

Gion - Most famous for the Geishas

Stepping into the Kyoto, makes you fall into a daze, the beautiful architecture of the traditional shrine and temples; the peaceful arrangements of the garden blends in like a was still in the 1800. Then suddenly you will smell food... which will make you hungry... and wake you up from that daze...

Pickle shop - in Gion

The Candy Man - Hand made candy

After a long and tiring day of sight seeing our stomachs started rumbling,we step into Kyousuishin , a small and almost posh looking restaurant specializing in Kyoto ryori or Kyoto Cooking.

Squid and Tuna Sushi

Sliced Beef Nabe - Beef Stew

Kyoto Beef - Not quite Kobe Beef but still delicious

Kyoto is one of my favourite places I've been to.What is your favourite place?

Sydney Here We Come

2010-03-15T15:26:00.001+10:00

It has been nearly 5 years since I've been to Sydney. Thanks to lastminute.com 's "secret deals" , I scored HOLIDAY INN for a really really cheap price, considering its Easter weekend. The only set back on this secret deals are that they don't tell you, which hotel it is ; just the price and location.

Any recommendations for Sydney?

The Nippon Journey - Osaka Strut

2010-03-12T12:01:00.000+10:00

A while ago, both me and Yoshi did a mad trip to Japan. We went from Osaka to Kobe to Kyoto to Toyama to Tokyo and back to Osaka. Although we rushed around like headless chooks...It was the best travel experience I had. Let me show you our Osaka leg of our Journey.

Osaka - Jo - Osaka Castle

Somewhere out site the Osaka Castle grounds

AmerikaMura - is where the cool cats of Osaka hangs out

Dotonbori - is where all the hungry cats hang out. This place is MAD!!! the variety of food here is intense. As Osaka is well known for their food, here would be THE best place to start.

Being born and bred in Malaysia, I was lucky enough to enjoy the diversity of culture and food of the local scene. Malaysia is well known for the great mix of cultures like the Chinese, Malay and Indian. When I was younger, I hardly was exposed to Japanese food, mainly because it was quite expensive and it was not as common as it is now. When I met my fiance, she introduced me to the magic of the Japanese cuisine and their wonderful culture.

Takoyaki (octopus balls)- This place, is a DIY takoyaki joint. Place the octopus, then the spring onion , then the flour mix, then the pickled ginger.... then wait... then roll them balls...

Taste : Superb;If you find it not tasty, its your fault,because you made it!!!

Location : Takontetsu (Pizza Ball House)1-9-20 Maru Bldg Umeda 1 Chome

P.s : Look for the red octopus squeezing its face.

Dango - A mochi-ish Dumpling (rice balls)

Ramen - My favourite Japanese meal!!! from top left - shoyu ramen , top right - tonkotstu ramen with tempura , at the bottom - tonkotsu ramen

Okonomiyaki - Japanese savory pancakes/pizza.

Location : Somewhere in Dotonbori ; near a karaoke place. (sorry for the poor info)

Set menu - Katsudon Set (deep fried chicken with rice)
Location : Again I'm not sure...

Deep Fried Anything!!!! - from asparagus with bacon to zucchini with livers

Location : Dotonbori... this one is a hard one... Just use your nose to smell out the deep fried stuff

Well that is just some of the places that we went in Osaka... Whats your Osaka spots?

Malacca - My food paradise

2010-03-09T00:17:00.000+10:00

My parents are from Malacca; besides Subang this place is considered to be my second hometown. I have spent every Chinese New year here of the first 20 years of my life and often visit my grandparents during holidays. Malacca is a World Heritage Site and the gastronomical experience that comes along for with the trip is unforgettable.

The harmonious and wonderful blend of History,Culture,Food,People and Lifestyle is the reason why this place is so special. Below are some of my many favorite spots to fill my tummy, it may not have a Michelin Star, but taste wise it'll give a fight.

Nyonya Laksa - Price RM 3.50 @ Museum Cafe

Taste : Freaking Awesome

Location : Jonker Dessert 88 (Museum Cafe),88, Jonker Walk, Melaka.

Pork Satay - @ Sun May Hiong

Taste : Mouth Watering

Location : Jalan Kota Laksamana; Off Jonker Street, Malacca

Nasi Lemak with Prawn Sambal, Fried Egg, Kankung , Anchovies and Nuts

Taste: Simply Simple but Simply Delicious

Location :Kelebang Squash Club (Look for the 100plus Logo), Malacca

Fish ball Noodles(with 3 types of fish balls and crispy prawn crackers) @ T S Mee

Taste: One of the best Bowl of Noodles, But to be honest it has been enhanced by Ajinomoto(MSG)

Location : Jalan Tengkera (opposite the Wesley Methodist Church) Malacca

p/s where is your best bowl of noodles?

Ribbetts

2010-03-07T12:38:00.000+10:00

Ribbetts is the place to be.... when one gets cravings for beef,lamb or pork ribs... All you can eat for the one low fabulous price of $27.00 including corkage (alcohol only) includes any ribs, pizzas and pastas. Basically eat till you drop. Or order and pay for individual for dishes .

If you can eat , then go for the $27... get a sit... and start ordering. Ribs comes with a variety of marinates ... Word of advice... take it slow... don't drink too much water... save the carbs for last... so you can get more of those juicy ribs in ya!

So if you have the strength, agility and precision; you might be able to achieve a mountain of rib bones!

Location : 167 Annerley Road, Dutton park, Queensland, Australia, 4102

GOMA - QLD Gallery of Modern Art

2010-03-05T16:00:00.000+10:00

Brisbane has always been the younger and less cool brother of Sydney and Melbourne. Although we can be proud of our nice weather and great outdoors, we still lack in modern hype buildings,restaurants locations and decors..

However GOMA is something that I believe betters the two older brothers... One of my favorite places in the Brisbane. It sleek building overlooks the river and the city, gives a vibrant and relaxing atmosphere. All of a sudden.. you become Artsy Fartsy

Picasso

Andy Warhol

The art gallery constantly feature artists from all around the world, some world famous. GoMA also has all sort of activities which makes this place always interesting. Basically, if you have an eye for art or even if you just like nice things, this place will keep you entertained for hours.

They have even been screening Takeshi Kitano's movies for FREE every Friday night. So take that Melbourne and Sydney ...We are COOL too!!!

Location : Stanley Place, South Bank, Queensland, Australia

Chesty's Home Improvements

2010-03-05T14:12:00.000+10:00

Hi Guys! Let me introduce you to Chesty. I found him unloved, worn out and tired. A year back , I decided to adopt him. After approvals from Yoshi and Mr. Bank ; Chesty was mine and Yoshi's to be called Home. We packed our bags ... and moved in. We knew that there were many things to be fix to make Chesty feel better.

Before

After

After Paint Job

A little computer editing to see what i pictured would turnout like. If you are thinking of renovation , i would recomend this method. IKEA also provides on their website a free software to help with furniture arrangement , which has help.

What it turned out like, End Result

First thing we did was to give Chesty a new coat, to brighten up the place .... and also new solid timber floors ... then new Bright lights. It was hard work, both me and Yoshi spend hours painting. We had to get contractors to work on the floors, as there were manythings to do inregards to floor preparation and installing. To save more money, we purchased our lights discounted at IKEA during a sale, and installed it ourselves. Mean while ... In the garden...

Before

After

Before

After

To fix up Chesty's Garden, I decided to make it a Japanese Garden to make Yoshi feel more at home.Got0 some new white stones from a Landscapes Supplier at Kelvin Grove, Brisbane only about $9 per bag of like 30Kg. Bamboo sticks , plants and the temple lantern from good old Bunnings . Not forgetting the stepping stones from Nuway for really cheap, about $3 per stone.

Chesty now is almost back to full health , although there is still some more painting to do and a few more touch ups here and there... but he is now fit and loved. Will show the rest of the house once done...So stay tuned

Gong Xi Fatt Chai!!!

2010-02-17T22:25:00.000+10:00

Happy Chinese New Year & Valentines Day... (above two lions frenching = CNY + Valentines Day?!?)

Its been 6 Years since i've been back in my hometown Malacca for CNY.. Every year around this time i get a lil home sick, wish i was back in malaysia eating , gaining weight and gambling...

This year Brissy... we got together and we did all that. Thanks Guys!!!

Me n Yoshi even made our own Yee Sang! Which tasted MAD(super awesome!!!), recipe on demand :)

Althought there is no place like home (please note that above is not my home... it is someone elses home but it is in Malacca)

Surfers Paradise

2010-02-07T23:00:00.000+10:00

Surfers Paradise , located south of Brisbane roughly about 70Km from City. It is probably one of the most popular beaches in Australia. When you come here you can except... most of the time; good weather , great waves , surfers as the name says , seagulls , life guards and other beachy things.

Nice ain't it... But sometimes you will come across some funny things like...

Gold Hunters...

Failed attempt of a beach umbrella...but great back to back action..

and a sunbathing european...

STEVE AOKI

2010-01-28T21:47:00.000+10:00

Steve Aoki the world famous mad sick crazy DJ came to Malaysia n my home town Subang.. well more like sunway...pretty close by .. anyways... my friends Koshy,Jason n Shanky manage to get me in to the show...thanks guys!!!

How mad was Steve Aoki , Ron? how mad? 2 times!!!

He was Spraying champane on the crowd... like a pysco!!!

And he tot everyone was finger liking good!

Food!!

2010-01-28T21:39:00.000+10:00

Thats was the pork noodles that i had again...the same one that i was talking about a year ago!!

and thats the pork sausages that comes with it... pretty exy but once a year... i'm sure that there is drugs in it... and a high posibility that it is blood too

Me and the family went to a place in PJ to try this place my dad's friend recomended us. It was quite nice, they had this bread n curry thing which was addictive and the best thing was it was dirt cheap...9 people and a RM 170 later all left happy and full

I can smell Freedom!!!

2009-11-30T23:59:00.000+10:00

Its been a while since i last posted anything... almost a year. Anyway tomorrow comes December, which means Christmas and that means holiday...2009 has been tough, everything has gone up in price , rate rise .... ahhhh!!!!

Will post a couple of pictures later on what happened so far in 2009, that can be pretty much summarised in a few lines, that is how crap 2009 was... above is me at Mt Tamborine....

Kuala Lumpur

2009-01-22T22:56:00.000+10:00

Malaysia is my home, the place is was born and raised. This country is hot & humid, it rains whenever it wants too and the trafic.. oh my god! But as they say there is no place like home. Eventhough all the above is kinda SHIT... Malaysia has lots of perks...shopping centres closes at 10 pm at earliest... "mamak"(indian muslim restaurants) and kedai kopi ah chongs(chinese hawkers stalls) are always open...Food is good!!!... Futsal till 2am.. and the company is always great! Above.. Station Keretapi !!! the old train station in Kuala Lumpur- posted this picture.. as the road had no trafic... and it was lunch time..how come?

Opposite the place above...sells the best dry black noodle thing with some black sausages and fish balls... Its some where in KL near KLCC... sorry guys.. i donno whats the place called or what the dish is called but will post the pics soon.

This is KL.. near "Lot 10"... From the picture you can tell.. how blended we are as a country... We've got the Malays.. the Chinese... the Indians... and so on...or as they say in malaysia ..."dan lain lain lagi". Everyone has a bad joke to tell about each different race...but end of the day... we live in harmony... and still are buddies!

Krabi - Thailand

2008-12-30T22:05:00.000+10:00

Krabi, is one of Thailand's many islands. This is my 1st trip to Thailand, we stayed in Ao Nang Beach. There i realised the amount of mat sallehs or White people out numbered the asians, most of the tourist were from europe.

Ao Nang beach is where most people stayed and used it as a point to get on the boats to see the other islands, pretty similar to when i was at airlie beach is australia. Me and my family of 4, paid about 4000 Thai Batt, to hitch a speed boat to a few islands and snorkeling sites.

Maya Bay was one of the spots we stopped at, this was the same place and island where the movie "The Beach" was shot. Apparently alot of coconut treas was added to make the place look nicer in the movie, and then later taken out again when the movie was finished.

One of the days that we were there, we hired a taxi driver for 1800 Thai batt , to drive us around from about 9am till 4 pm. He took us to "Emerald Pool" some small hotspring place/ waterfall , shopping and lunch. Above is emerald pool.

Krabi, used to be a fishermans village. This guys were doing it old school, in their Undies!!

This being my first trip to Thailand, there was a few things i found rather weird. The main thing was Thai girls- are they even girls? tiger or thai boy. And what the hell is that guy there? I was taking a picture of that blue truck, and this dude/??? came up in his/her high heels and said "u like my trak" "u wan my pikture? commeee take my pikture!!"

The one thing in Ao Nang Beach that i loved the most is the sunset... picture perfect

Peace & Harmony

2008-11-20T22:35:00.000+10:00

Whenever I see this picture, there is a sense of harmony. I took this picture in osaka, right below osaka castle, it was the first day in Japan for me. Being in japan for the first time, i was snaping everything and anything there was to snap. Whilst walking towards osaka-jo,there was a nice breaze blowing and i saw this old man feeding the birds. He wasn't worried about anything he just wanted to see the birds. Sometimes i believe one needs to stop worring about things , even if it was for a few minutes and enjoy the peace and harmony.

Kobe Luminarie

2008-10-19T11:31:00.000+10:00

When we were in Kobe, we were taken around by Yoshi's friend Saori. We were lucky as , at that time the'kobe illumination' was on. It is some sort of show case of lightings on buildings and on the roads which is normally held in december ie christmass time.

It began in 1995 and commemorates the Great Hanshin Earthquake of that year. They were donated by the Italian Goverment. The lights are kept up for about two weeks and only turned on for a few hours each evening. Each light is individually hand-painted. It was really beautiful and touching.. I know that sounded gay..but it really was a great sight

The Beach...

2008-09-28T22:02:00.000+10:00

As I've mentioned before, one of my most favorite beach is Byron Bay(NSW;Australia). Its just 2 and a half hours from Brisbane. A few years ago, I went there with Yoshi, David my old house mate, his gf and this indo guy. We stayed overnight and i woke up like at 5am, and couldn't go back to sleep... I decided to go for a walk and ... man... superb views....

Port of Kobe

2008-09-28T09:57:00.000+10:00

Port of Kobe is such a scenic area; they've got awesome building structures around, the sea, kobe tower and awesome food. I has this sence of relaxation, a whole different world. It's located in the kansai area, which is my favorite area among the 3 places that i passed through(chubu and kanto) . The kansai area has a good blend of culture and modern buildings ... not as busy as the kanto area, where tokyo is located. I saw some of the most beautiful temples and castles here. If you are into culture and scenic views... kanto it the place... osaka,kobe and kyoto are about an hour away from each other...

Under The sea

2008-09-06T23:02:00.000+10:00

A while back... me and yoshi went to Whitsundays... this place is breath taking... we paid like AUD 160 or something like that to take us to the Outer great barrier reef. I was really keen on diving in to the sea ... and its the GREAT BARRIER REEF. The boat ride took about 1 and half hour to get there... all that wait was worth it. Why? because when you dive in , its a different world... a little scary ,because you can't see the ground but otherwise... nature is beautiful.Above is yoshi...

Shibuya Scooters

2008-09-03T19:26:00.000+10:00

I saw this bike parking place in front of a shopping complex in Shibuya... An amazing thing about the bikes is that all of them are really unique. All of them are different, none looks the same, each has its individual touch on it, may it be the paint job or some sort of add on. I myself drive or should i say used to drive a scooter. Driving is scooter is really awesome... of any of you who had driven a 2 wheel automobile... you would know what i'm talking about... the wind that blows in your face... the ease of passing thru traffic... and the cheap fuel . I used to pay AUD 5 which is a full tank and it last a week on my scooter ... now i fill so much in the car i use... full tank at least AUD45. I love my Zuma...!!! i miss you

Nuggee beach

2008-08-28T21:51:00.000+10:00

Nuggee Beach is located about 15 to 20km from the city, not too far... its not the kind of you would bring your surfboards to... Its a dog friendly beach and its full of mangroves. In low tide, you could walk about 100 meters from the beachside to the water. Seashells and other weird worm looking things are a plenty on the sands...

This place gives you a sense of relaxation.... nice breeze... cool and fresh air.... and nice views....

There is a nature walk... as well... which goes along the beach, it takes you along a walk path which shows you how the mangrove forest blends in with the beach and the sea...

If you ever come to brisbane... and you are tired of the Gold coast...come here to Nuggee Beach...

Welcome to Shibuya

2008-08-07T21:47:00.000+10:00

This is shibuya, a japanese friend from tokyo told me that this is an evil place... might look all nice and decent in the day time but at night... XXX... I didn't get to move around here at night... what a waste.

In Japan, they advertise promotions, new shops and other products via giving out tissues with adverts in the packet. Walking around Japan i got alot of tissues... but in shibuya... i got one with pictures of half naked girls... so it is evil.

Kobe Earthquake

2008-08-04T21:48:00.000+10:00

The Great Hanshin Earthquake, or Kobe earthquake as it is more commonly known outside of Japan, was an earthquake in Japan that occurred on Tuesday January 17, 1995 at 5:46 a.m. JST in the southern part of Hyōgo Prefecture.

Kobe was rebuilted, and they left this ...to remember...

Wine tour

2008-07-30T23:02:00.000+10:00

We went for a wine tour once... we paid AUD 90 something. This includes the bas ride to some port and a ferry ride to some island, ferry ride back to the port and then bus ride to this wine yard. Please don't go for this tour. Rent a car and go on your own, cos to get into this place... is actually free... if you want to taste the wine... only AUD 5.... ferry ride... is like AUD 4-5 . Add up AUD 10... if you rent a car AUD 90. AUD 10 more... will get you alot more freedom and time... share the car rental with a friend or two... even cheaper... damn you wine tour!!!

Surfers Paradise

2008-07-29T21:14:00.000+10:00

This is @ Surfers paradise or surfers as they call it here. The Building there with the pointy thing on the top , is Q1. Q1 is apparently the tallest building in Gold Coast. Lovely place to visit in the summer... but i wouldn't want to stay there... Even though it's called surfers paradise... the waves aren't that awesome at this parts of gold coast... The Spit is probably a better place to surf.

Stripes...

2008-07-27T12:00:00.000+10:00

The stripes... one fine evening... the weather was rather windy, cloudy and the sun was about to fall asleep. I looked out the window and the sky was beautiful. It had three stripes, and the colours... wow. Its amazing how the world and it's elements works.

Port of Kobe

2008-07-25T22:26:00.000+10:00

Port of Kobe, Kobe. We here last december from day till night... its such a work of art... the place is full of good food... good shops... great views... I really really really recommend any one to go there... not something you guys would wanna miss

St. Lucia - Oval 7

2008-07-24T21:13:00.000+10:00

Here is where i spend 2-3 hrs of my Sundays,playing football...Not AFL but FOOTBALL , soccer , fusball... get my drift. Above is a picture of my team mate's car parked beside Oval 7. Its bright yellow... Its good that he has this car... cos everytime i pass by the field i know there are people there... and I'm not the first to arrive... Football makes me happy... because all i need to think of and do is to chase the ball... no calculations on my calculator... all i have to do is chasing the ball... that is what it balls down to.

Hot Sexy Sun

2008-07-23T21:24:00.000+10:00

Took In front of my neighbours house... it was a hot summery day. Was a bit cloudy but still nice and warm. Now its cold and raining almost everyday... winter here in Brisbane sucks... cold in the shade hot in the sun.. what the hell man... but in a few more months.. it'll be warm again.. so its cool... i mean warm.. i mean its cool... ahhh...

A Letter ...

2008-07-22T21:43:00.000+10:00

@ Brisbane art gallery... This man is writing a letter to someone and everyone... Its a very good piece of art.. at first glance i thought it was quite boring ... but looking on... it was brilliant... Imagine strangers reading about your life, hopes and dreams... I didn't write much, but spend alot of time reading letters of others... interesting...

COPS : Shibuya

2008-07-21T19:25:00.000+10:00

Police mali... lali.... I took this in shibuya, tokyo. The cops was some sort of thing happening at the back me. Wanted to take a picture of the cops... but they looked stress and pissed of... so i tot maybe not... Apprently the day i was in shibuya... a cop killed himself ...due to stress.. could be here... jeng jeng jeng...

Mate! Mate! Mate!

2008-07-20T21:34:00.000+10:00

Seagull say hello to thatssoron... @ the spit one fine and cold day

Music...

2008-07-20T15:12:00.000+10:00

Powerhouse @ brisbane.... Steinway Piano demo.. Music is just a beautiful thing... It shows and tells so much just with a tune... At this Piano demo, a 60++ or maybe even 70++ year old husband and wife was playing ... for ppl that age.. or even any age... they were quite good.

As Far as the eye can see

2008-07-19T18:27:00.000+10:00

On a mountain looking towards Byron Bay

Fire in the Sky

2008-07-18T22:40:00.000+10:00

The sky is on fire... she cries.. the sky is on fire...

Teng teng teng ten theng... Toyota

2008-07-18T22:25:00.000+10:00

Say hello to my former car... the 1983 toyota corolla... this car is older then me!!! But it surved me well... aligato kozaimas... Corrola- San. Hontoni Aligato..

Sunday

2008-07-17T21:26:00.000+10:00

Sunday at the moment is the only weekend I have.. at least for the next 3 months... This picture, reminds me alot of Sundays... laundry need do be done.. but most of us couldn't be bothered.. We just want to do stuff we like... not stuff thats needs to be done ... This post is dedicated to the day that i have alot of love for and alot of hate for... Hate because the next day is Monday and because there are not enough hours in this day...

Stradbroke

2008-07-17T21:18:00.000+10:00

Strady as they call it here in australia....

Splash!!!

OOoouuu...cantik nye(so pretty)

2008-07-16T20:56:00.000+10:00

Not the bridge ... but that chiq there.

Last Samurai

2008-07-16T20:48:00.000+10:00

Hey hey... i did this like 4 years back. Used my all the samurais are my friends and neighbours in st lucia.. yoshi is there too...

Tokyo Tower

2008-07-14T22:25:00.000+10:00

A hint of paris in Tokyo.

Tokyo tower...

a sea of buildings

Picasso

2008-07-13T20:27:00.000+10:00

Ha Ha.. Picasso is in town...

This is one of the few pictures I managed to take .. and the place was a full house.

Osaka-Jo

2008-07-13T06:55:00.000+10:00

Osaka Jo, is Osaka's Castle. Built in 1598, the walls you see there are the same walls since the 1620s. The actual castle though has been rebuilt many times, due to wars, fires,bombs and and a conversion to a barracks. The castle you are looking at was reonstructed in 1997.

Andy Warhol

2008-07-12T23:37:00.000+10:00

Brisbane Art Gallery played host to Andy Warhol in April this year... Tomorrow.. we are going there again to check out PICASSO. Will try to sneak and take some photos again... The Art gallery ppl actually warned me to stop taking photos like 3-4 times. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Mooloolaba..

2008-07-12T23:33:00.000+10:00

Somewhere up in sunshine coast... Moolloolaba..
Sunshine ... sunshine..

Brisbane

2008-07-11T00:27:00.000+10:00

Brissy .. Bris Vegas.. or Brisbane... The city that never sleeps late... everything closes at 5pm.

Batu Caves

2008-07-10T22:40:00.000+10:00

Batu caves... Batu means stone in malay... therefore stone caves. This place is an india temple... Up this stairs is an indian temple...

Along the stairs , you'll see these monkeys ... hold on to your stuff tight... or they'll grab it away from you

They grab everything.... kids beware

Toyama

2008-07-10T18:52:00.000+10:00

This is... the Zuiryuji Temple. It a world heritage temple, its located in toyama, japan. Yoshi's Grandad and Aunt took us there.... What you are looking at is only the enterence

This is the inside... We had to pay like 500-900 yen to get in, but it was worth it.
This place .. breathtaking... Thanks alot for taking us there yoshi's grandad n auntie

Tongkat Ali

2008-07-09T22:11:00.000+10:00

Tongkat ALi Gold.... Tongkat ali, translated into english is Ali's kane or known as "longjack. It's scientific name is Eurycoma longifolia and has become popular for its alleged testosterone-enhancing properties ie "Natural Viagra".This funny names all not so creative..... so the company "SUPER" came out with this for creativity... skinny guy no power... wife not happy... big green guy (genie) gave him SUPER POWER ... Wife Happy!!! AKU NAK POWER!!!

tHe WhitSundays

2008-07-09T21:50:00.000+10:00

In December 2006, me and yoshi went to the whitsundays. WoW.. if you like fishes and the beach.. this is the place to be. Above is Whitehaven Beach, Whitehaven... because... the sand is white like clouds... and its almost like being in heaven. This is actually the most beautiful beach you will ever see in your life. This place ... population ZERO. No rubbish ... no nothing .. but peace and nature and some tourist.

Airlie beach.. the word beach is misleading, It just looks like a beach... its more like a lagoon. Just hop on one of them boats and you will see the Whitsunday Islands...

Sunsets...into the sea

Ants with wings!!!

2008-07-07T20:10:00.000+10:00

Shinny Shinny!!!
moth? butterfly?
aarrrhhh... love...

Ramen...

2008-07-06T21:52:00.000+10:00

I've been attempting to make ramen alot this year... i love ramen so much yums... Above i used pork belly... and tried to make a pork based soup... can't compare to the ones in japan, will post pics of them later...

Ramen attempt again... with proper char siu... and bamboo shoot..
Yoshi, helping me cut the char siu

Edward Scissorhand

2008-07-06T20:54:00.000+10:00

Edward TanganGunting, we went to see this play a couple of weeks ago... We weren't allowed to take photos.... but haha... i tooked some...

Please don't sue me... I have no money!!! if you do insist ...my name is ah chong from Gombak

Things I've scratched off the to do list

2008-07-06T13:26:00.001+10:00

Japan- Kobe,Osaka,Kyoto, Tokyo & Toyama.

Eric Clapton aka GOD... LIVE in Brisbane

Manchester United Live @ Stadium Bukit Jalil

Kyoto... i love u

2008-07-06T12:20:00.000+10:00

Oh man... Japan...is so beautiful...and Kyoto is just a class of it's own... Me and Yoshi went there in December 2007 and paid Saori a visit. Above.. Kiyomizu-Dera... The temple that overlooks... Kyoto city...

Some jap chiqs... pretending to be geishas...

Rain Rain Went away...

2008-07-06T12:11:00.000+10:00

and this came out.there was not pot of gold... liars!!!

Mt. Tamberine

2008-07-06T11:59:00.001+10:00

Ho Ho, this place... me, yoshi and David my awesome former housemate paid like AUD 20 to get a ride, food and accomodation for 2 days or so at mt tamberine. Thats so cheap rite!!! mad!!! There was a catch 22... it was a chistian camp... we knew it was a christian camp... but we tot we could just whatever we wanted... but no... we had to join in the bible studies... and plays and stuff.. The thing is... me n david are buddist... and were dying to run away... hahaha ... but good things came out of this... we met some nice ppl..

We snuck out from the camp... walked 2 hrs to this pie shop... hitched a ride back with a car where the back seats were taken out... all 3 of us... Above...Yoshi n david enjoyind their pies

2008-07-06T11:44:00.000+10:00

Yoshi's Bestest of Bestie friend Saori came all the way from Kobe, Japan to visit her... So we said we'll take you to the best place we know... accessable by car... where else but Byron Bay. Our car broke down in on top of some mountant where there was no street lights... Called RACQ they came there and couldn't repair our car... to we had to say overnight in a place called lismore.. we stayed in a motel... and walked the streets like a bunch of crazy ppl looking for food... The picture on top... is the view whilst sitting on the car waiting for the tow car. From left, Saori, the dissapointed Yoshi and Andy my football Kaki

New South Wales...

2008-07-06T11:27:00.000+10:00

This was at the port in newcastle, not the one in england. It the one in Australia... can't afford Europe yet..but one day.I Got a free flight there , all paid for from good all UQ... they sent us there as delegates to discuss the wellfare of international students... i did't really care... but free trip... ho ho ho... at least i got something from the freaking expensive fees i've been paying them.

Sydney... hobour bridge... went there for the NCG games... with the Qld malaysian boys... to play football(soccer) none of the AFL or NRL shit. There was 3 football teams there. NSW,VIC and QLD. Every team won 1 , lost 1 and drew 1. So the NSW ppl decided to split the medals ... each team got 5 gold, 5 silvers and 5...etc... how dumb...

Sydney opera house... Truth be told... it looks really awesome...

Byron Bay....ooohhh yeah

2008-07-06T11:05:00.004+10:00

Byron Bay, this is one of the most beautiful beaches i have been. The water is so clear, the forest at the back .... Up on that mountain, is the famous light house, if you are going to byron bay you have to check it out.

This is what you see from the look out at the light house.

@ the main beach, over looking the moon and the sea.

At the other side of the mountain, this place is freaking awesome. However please remember to pay for your parking. We got FINED for parking in the forest, AUD50 . Only one thing to say about it. Mother Fucker. I was a student back then, AUD 50 is food for 2 weeks....

This was taken with my old Canon Power Shot, given by my sister. Freaking awesome camera it was. However being so near the water...having sand flying to you and geting stuck in the lence is not good for the camera. The camera started showing signs of retirement, 1st the display was purple... then it was blank ...just black... then it turned off when ever it wanted and then later down it's career... it could turn on anymore... my trusty canon... RIP. But Hello to The new Canon Powershot SX100IS ... with 10 times optical zoom, 6.0-60mm lence and 8mega pixels.

Point Danger!!! the point where its dangerous?

2008-07-06T10:40:00.000+10:00

Point Danger, at the border of Qld and NSW. I'm not too sure what which state owns this place but QLD beat NSW in the state of origin for 3 years running, so i'll sayt it belongs to QLD.

Wouldn't mind going there again, its just on the way to Byron Bay... trust me you won't be disapointed with the view. We even saw dolphins...

Miami Beach

2008-07-06T10:37:00.000+10:00

Welcome to Miami beach, not the one in the U.S of the A, but its just a couple of minutes from Gold Coast. How creative...with the naming of this place...

Mt.Cootta

2008-07-06T10:21:00.000+10:00

The look out point at mt. Cootta. This place is where locals bring their tourist friends. The main reason is not because the view is freaking macnicifant, but to save time in 5 mins you can check out the whole of brisbane. If you bring that tourist friend to each and every place you'll waste so much time as most of brisbane is really boring. I'm Serious... thats the main reason i started this blog...

The Spit

2008-07-06T10:04:00.000+10:00

The Spit, thats the name of this place. Why would you call this place the spit? I didn't know why till today, when i checked wikipedia out, Mr. wekipedia said "It is a permanent sand spit that separates the Southport Broadwater from the Pacific Ocean. As a product of longshore drift, its growth and establishment as a landform saw demand for private leasehold title of land, along with applications for dredging rights of mineral sands." So know you know!

Well, this part of Gold Coast is not as pack as Surfers Paradice. Nice and relaxing...arrrhhh...

P.S: That person walking topless, is a man(an old man)

Halo Halo...

2008-07-06T09:56:00.000+10:00

Hello all... I finaly got my lazy ass working and started this blog, anyways this blog is basically going to be about the pictures i have taken along road. Anyways, this picture was something i did really long time ago, this was like when i 1st arrived in Brisbane 4 years plus ago. The hot triplets there are my girlfriends... its rather hard to get them in the same pic at the same time, not even when they were born. This was the only time.