Friday, June 11
Was back in Kuching for less than two weeks, but due to some accreditation issues with my university, here I am now back in Melaka, reluctantly if I may add. Still trying to hold on to every shred of optimism that I can find so far. Anyway, hope you guys won't mind this blog post being overdue.
I guess it's been 11 months since May last year the last time I was in Kuching adding on to the fact that I skipped Chinese New Year for the first time this year. Although it was only a week plus, I vowed to spend each and everyday to the fullest and fulfill my undying ever craving for Kuching food! Do note that I'm saying this while totally being unaware of the excess weight I gained. That's me being in denial.
Anyway, back to this entry.. been so long since the last time I was at LCCT terminal and I'd not know about the one-hand-carry-bag-not-exceeding-7kg-policy till I checked in my luggage. Fortunately enough I bought my plane ticket that time with a check-in baggage of 20KG at that time assuming that there would be a load full of stuff to bring back to Kuching for good, at the end I checked-in a luggage and a hand-carry item before going into the departure hall. To my surprise, I saw this right at the Departure Hall entrance.
what is this!?
Why can't AirAsia use a proper weighing scale that is more presentable? I refuse to believe that with the profit revenue that AirAsia currently generates in a year they can't afford a decent digital weighing scale that's more easier on the eyes and less pathetic. LCCT would look lesser of a Malaysian night market as it already is.
The first thing I did when I landed in Kuching was going for mixed grill with Ken at petanak and got addressed by the title "Uncle", first time I felt so old being called an uncle. Snapped photos of most of my food quest around Kuching and these are the few of my favourite eating spots in Kuching that I love so badly.
Song Hin porridge at open air, my favourite pork liver porridge. Cooked to perfection, slightly medium rare and not over-cooked, just how I like it.
not your ordinary squishy over-cooked pork liver
Chin Seng, best Fried Oyster at open air next to Song Hin porridge. You can actually see and taste the oysters, unlike the ones at the Peninsular where the oysters were small, over-cooked till it was too dry, and too heavy on the tapioca flour.
for RM12, to me it's really worth it.
Of course not forgetting the Fried Chicken Kolo Mee at Da Wan Gong @ 大碗公 at Jalan Ang Cheng Ho, the reason why this particular dish of kolo mee was special to me and my most favourite other than the taste is somewhat personal for me. When I was in primary school, I remembered that my mom brought me there every sunday morning for breakfast before sending me off to my mental arithmetic class and no matter how many times the store was relocated (three times), my mom would eventually find it and bring me there and I would order Fried Chicken Kolo Mee every single time and my mom would always give some comments about me doing so, just one of the little things that me and my mom shared together.
my favourite variant of Kuching Kolo Mee
Another favourite hometown dish of mine is definitely the Sarawak Laksa at Chuan Choon Cafe! this stall is situated in the middle of town and during morning weekends, the place would be ridiculously packed like crazy and I swear there would be moments you thought as if you were in KL. Personally, to me this particular sarawak laksa didn't really have an impression on me, I just went simply because it was near my place and I had a hard craving for Sarawak Laksa for breakfast.
love the 3-layer teh c peng with the laksa
There's this place that I went during secondary when I remembered going to 7th mile for 3-layer teh C peng occasionally at night situated somewhere near the airport, back then I still remembered the first time we heard "3-layer teh C peng" in Kuching was at this very place at 7th mile where I dare say it all started. The 3-layer teh C pengs of all 3-layer teh C pengs! One thing about the teh C peng in Kuching and the ones at peninsular is the layer of brown sugar at the bottom, they used thick syrup instead of brown sugar and some of them used some sweetening green-ish liquid! Don't even get me started on the tea layer.
7th Mile, forgot the kopitiam's name, best 3-layer Teh C Peng in Kuching
This famous ice kacang stall called Yeo Ah Seng has been there since I was born I think, back then I still remembered the worn out tables and stools with the poorly cemented platforms, worst of all the stalls were situated near an actual drain. Now, the local government built a small hawker center nearby for the stalls to relocate to the new location, but the ice kacang is still good as ever, they even built a recreational park just on top of the old location. One thing I missed so much is the cendol! I never knew what to call the green chewy thingy up till when I was at Melaka where they called it "cendol". The major difference between the particular cendol in Melaka and Kuching is the texture. In Kuching, the cendol has a more chewy texture but the cendol in Melaka is agar-agar like (yucks). Personally, I prefer the chewy one better of course.
behind Chung Hua No. 3, one of the best tasting ice-kacangs in Kuching
chewy green cendol!
Aside from the quest for local Kuching food, Nurul exposed me to a new sensation with ShiSha at Little Lebanon which I never had the balls to try up till now, I really have no idea why was it even called that anyway. I just remembered the next morning I woke up with a sore throat from the excessive inhaling I think. Nurul, we've got to do this more often sometime! Might I also add that the fishkebab is divine!
Shisha
Aside from my slow death in my attempt of trying to lose weigh with Kuching food, most of the times were spent with my Kuching buddies since most of them had already finished their degree (well sort of) and had came back for their holidays.. it was the breakfasts, lunches, dinners, the movies, the rants during supper with them that made coming back to Kuching worth it. Being away from the familiarity of friends and my hometown and having to deal with Melaka for almost 11 months really took a toll on myself, and I guess all I needed was a place where I could be myself and really smile for once.
something that I've missed out for so long...
Took me a while to finish this entry as I was in the middle of interviews and tests and just only this week I could finally breathe because this week's lecture week and without exams, but I won't be saying the same for the coming weeks ahead.. gosh, I wish I get offered a job soon and everything would just end...
I guess it's been 11 months since May last year the last time I was in Kuching adding on to the fact that I skipped Chinese New Year for the first time this year. Although it was only a week plus, I vowed to spend each and everyday to the fullest and fulfill my undying ever craving for Kuching food! Do note that I'm saying this while totally being unaware of the excess weight I gained. That's me being in denial.
Anyway, back to this entry.. been so long since the last time I was at LCCT terminal and I'd not know about the one-hand-carry-bag-not-exceeding-7kg-policy till I checked in my luggage. Fortunately enough I bought my plane ticket that time with a check-in baggage of 20KG at that time assuming that there would be a load full of stuff to bring back to Kuching for good, at the end I checked-in a luggage and a hand-carry item before going into the departure hall. To my surprise, I saw this right at the Departure Hall entrance.
what is this!?Why can't AirAsia use a proper weighing scale that is more presentable? I refuse to believe that with the profit revenue that AirAsia currently generates in a year they can't afford a decent digital weighing scale that's more easier on the eyes and less pathetic. LCCT would look lesser of a Malaysian night market as it already is.
The first thing I did when I landed in Kuching was going for mixed grill with Ken at petanak and got addressed by the title "Uncle", first time I felt so old being called an uncle. Snapped photos of most of my food quest around Kuching and these are the few of my favourite eating spots in Kuching that I love so badly.
Song Hin porridge at open air, my favourite pork liver porridge. Cooked to perfection, slightly medium rare and not over-cooked, just how I like it.
not your ordinary squishy over-cooked pork liverChin Seng, best Fried Oyster at open air next to Song Hin porridge. You can actually see and taste the oysters, unlike the ones at the Peninsular where the oysters were small, over-cooked till it was too dry, and too heavy on the tapioca flour.
for RM12, to me it's really worth it.Of course not forgetting the Fried Chicken Kolo Mee at Da Wan Gong @ 大碗公 at Jalan Ang Cheng Ho, the reason why this particular dish of kolo mee was special to me and my most favourite other than the taste is somewhat personal for me. When I was in primary school, I remembered that my mom brought me there every sunday morning for breakfast before sending me off to my mental arithmetic class and no matter how many times the store was relocated (three times), my mom would eventually find it and bring me there and I would order Fried Chicken Kolo Mee every single time and my mom would always give some comments about me doing so, just one of the little things that me and my mom shared together.
my favourite variant of Kuching Kolo MeeAnother favourite hometown dish of mine is definitely the Sarawak Laksa at Chuan Choon Cafe! this stall is situated in the middle of town and during morning weekends, the place would be ridiculously packed like crazy and I swear there would be moments you thought as if you were in KL. Personally, to me this particular sarawak laksa didn't really have an impression on me, I just went simply because it was near my place and I had a hard craving for Sarawak Laksa for breakfast.
love the 3-layer teh c peng with the laksaThere's this place that I went during secondary when I remembered going to 7th mile for 3-layer teh C peng occasionally at night situated somewhere near the airport, back then I still remembered the first time we heard "3-layer teh C peng" in Kuching was at this very place at 7th mile where I dare say it all started. The 3-layer teh C pengs of all 3-layer teh C pengs! One thing about the teh C peng in Kuching and the ones at peninsular is the layer of brown sugar at the bottom, they used thick syrup instead of brown sugar and some of them used some sweetening green-ish liquid! Don't even get me started on the tea layer.
7th Mile, forgot the kopitiam's name, best 3-layer Teh C Peng in KuchingThis famous ice kacang stall called Yeo Ah Seng has been there since I was born I think, back then I still remembered the worn out tables and stools with the poorly cemented platforms, worst of all the stalls were situated near an actual drain. Now, the local government built a small hawker center nearby for the stalls to relocate to the new location, but the ice kacang is still good as ever, they even built a recreational park just on top of the old location. One thing I missed so much is the cendol! I never knew what to call the green chewy thingy up till when I was at Melaka where they called it "cendol". The major difference between the particular cendol in Melaka and Kuching is the texture. In Kuching, the cendol has a more chewy texture but the cendol in Melaka is agar-agar like (yucks). Personally, I prefer the chewy one better of course.
behind Chung Hua No. 3, one of the best tasting ice-kacangs in Kuching
chewy green cendol!Aside from the quest for local Kuching food, Nurul exposed me to a new sensation with ShiSha at Little Lebanon which I never had the balls to try up till now, I really have no idea why was it even called that anyway. I just remembered the next morning I woke up with a sore throat from the excessive inhaling I think. Nurul, we've got to do this more often sometime! Might I also add that the fishkebab is divine!
Shisha
something that I've missed out for so long...Took me a while to finish this entry as I was in the middle of interviews and tests and just only this week I could finally breathe because this week's lecture week and without exams, but I won't be saying the same for the coming weeks ahead.. gosh, I wish I get offered a job soon and everything would just end...
Labels: food, friends, kolo mee, Kuching, laughs, Malaysia, photos, sarawak, thoughts
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Saturday, May 22
two months ago I bought the flight back to Kuching on 1st May (naively) thinking that it would be the one final flight that I'll be looking forward in leaving Melaka and my degree life for good. I were somewhat mentally prepared and it was going to be a turning point in my life to start making decisions and implementing some major changes to move on in life.
Then came the accreditation issue with the Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) for my university with the preliminary reports from EAC stating that the degree course for my university would probably not be recognized due to the current emphasis on practical hands on education system not complying with the Washington Accord under the International Engineering Alliance.
accreditation certified or not??So what actually is Washington Accord u might wonder? Sourced from the website, it's a signed mutual agreement made between the bodies responsible for accrediting engineering degree programs in each country which (unfortunately) includes the EAC in Malaysia, and ultimately involves my university. Basically it's an agreement made to ensure that Malaysian engineering degree programs would be recognized worldwide and Malaysian engineers are able to practice engineering abroad, which we have already successfully recognized through the EAC during the 4th quarter of 2009 last year.
Who'd know that in barely less than two weeks in Kuching, an abrupt decision was made by myself to fly back to Melaka for 2 months to attend a 3 subject course given by my university as a contingency plan in case the actual EAC accreditation for my university (to be disclosed during august this year) falls apart. Hopefully I won't regret my voluntary decision to continue on with the studies since the course is not compulsory for my batch.
For the sake of optimism, at the same time other than East Malaysia, I'll also be doing some job-hunting in the Peninsular and hopefully I'm able to land myself a prospective job in Malaysia as a fresh graduate.
Wish me luck!
Labels: degree, EAC, Engineering, Malaysia, rants, UTeM, Washington Accord
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Sunday, May 9
23rd of April marks the final paper for my 4 years of degree (at least that's what we thought) and 24th is the day I could finally turn the pages of my life to a new chapter and looking forward to our Redang trip on the 27th.
In the meantime, after my finals Tinq with Derek and Heruey came over to Melaka for a trip and meet Derek for the first time,
Meet Tinq, best gal friend since pre-school
since primary, Steffi (counter-snapping me with her Iphone)
since primary, Her Ruey (on the left) and since last week, Derek
fortunately some of my housemates went back to their hometown for a few days before our Redang trip so there won't be any cuddling or spooning going on, thanks to Kam Wah for being so gracious enough for lending me his car and his room for them to bunk in for the night..
Picked them up at Melaka Sentral and then picked up Steffi from Manipal as well! our primary schoolmates and boy she hasn't changed much though.. brought them to my favourite place with the best melaka chicken rice balls ever! and best of all it's damn ridiculously cheap! Can u imagine 5 people eating a full sized chicken and inclusive of drinks all for just less than 30 bucks?
fav!
While bringing them around the town area, it was like a recollection of the places in Melaka that I've had the chance to visit during the course of my 4 years at UTeM, wish I could snap a shot of it and lock it in my memory..
I remembered during my 1st year on my first outing when I actually saw the fort and the red house (christ church) right in front of my own eyes, it was like a surreal experience of seeing it in the flesh right from the history books. After four years, now it seemed to me like any regular monuments or buildings, absence makes the heart grow fonder indeed.
A Famosa fort
Christ Church a.k.a Red House
just couldn't help myself
And of course the landmark of Melaka, Jonker Street. In mandarin it was called, "鸡场街". First when one of my seniors brought us on the outing, my terrible lack of the cantonese language back then translated it from mandarin as the infamous Petaling Street in KL(which till now I've never been to) and I had the idea that the the two places had the same name for almost one year! my bad..
Jonker Walk a.k.a Jonker Street
But what I think Melaka gave me the best treasure was the cake restaurant called Nadeje that specializes in mille crêpe and served the best heavenly layered crêpe cake ever! FYI, mille means "a thousand" in french and crêpe stands for "very very thin sliced layered pancake", which implies the many many layers of crêpe of the cake. Tinq was so in love with it that we went again the day after for the second time with Kam Wah. I met up with Derek again in Kuching and he still can't get his mind off the Nadeje cakes. A definite must try.
heavenly~
Me and Tinq at Nadeje - round two!
Tinq insisted that the bear must be in each photo. Girls.
Kindly ignore the bear.
Introducing one of my close buddies in Melaka who wished not to be named in this photo *cough cough*
But what I think Melaka gave me the best treasure was a restaurant called Nadeje that specializes in mille crêpe and served the best heavenly layered crêpe cake ever! FYI, mille means "a thousand" in french and crêpe stands for "very very thin sliced layered pancake", which implies the many many layers of crêpe of the cake. Tinq was so in love with it that we went again the day after for the second time with Kam Wah. I met up with Derek again in Kuching and he still can't get his mind off the Nadeje cakes. A definite must-try.
After the heavenly delight, Satay Celup is definitely not to be missed. I just realized that I've only had the chance to actually try out Satay Celup only after a year in Melaka. Tinq was pretty particular about the hygiene of Satay Celup and a little paranoid about the gravy being celup-ed. From what I heard, they (being the general public) said that the boiled gravy sauce were never exchanged between each round of customers. Coming to think of it, it did start to get into my head after my imagination begins to wander off when the previous customers and their salivas began to play in my head.. UGH~
Satay Celup~
In the meantime, after my finals Tinq with Derek and Heruey came over to Melaka for a trip and meet Derek for the first time,
Meet Tinq, best gal friend since pre-school
since primary, Steffi (counter-snapping me with her Iphone)
since primary, Her Ruey (on the left) and since last week, Derekfortunately some of my housemates went back to their hometown for a few days before our Redang trip so there won't be any cuddling or spooning going on, thanks to Kam Wah for being so gracious enough for lending me his car and his room for them to bunk in for the night..
Picked them up at Melaka Sentral and then picked up Steffi from Manipal as well! our primary schoolmates and boy she hasn't changed much though.. brought them to my favourite place with the best melaka chicken rice balls ever! and best of all it's damn ridiculously cheap! Can u imagine 5 people eating a full sized chicken and inclusive of drinks all for just less than 30 bucks?
fav!
I remembered during my 1st year on my first outing when I actually saw the fort and the red house (christ church) right in front of my own eyes, it was like a surreal experience of seeing it in the flesh right from the history books. After four years, now it seemed to me like any regular monuments or buildings, absence makes the heart grow fonder indeed.
A Famosa fort
Christ Church a.k.a Red House
just couldn't help myselfAnd of course the landmark of Melaka, Jonker Street. In mandarin it was called, "鸡场街". First when one of my seniors brought us on the outing, my terrible lack of the cantonese language back then translated it from mandarin as the infamous Petaling Street in KL(which till now I've never been to) and I had the idea that the the two places had the same name for almost one year! my bad..
Jonker Walk a.k.a Jonker Street
heavenly~
Me and Tinq at Nadeje - round two!Tinq insisted that the bear must be in each photo. Girls.
Kindly ignore the bear.
But what I think Melaka gave me the best treasure was a restaurant called Nadeje that specializes in mille crêpe and served the best heavenly layered crêpe cake ever! FYI, mille means "a thousand" in french and crêpe stands for "very very thin sliced layered pancake", which implies the many many layers of crêpe of the cake. Tinq was so in love with it that we went again the day after for the second time with Kam Wah. I met up with Derek again in Kuching and he still can't get his mind off the Nadeje cakes. A definite must-try.
After the heavenly delight, Satay Celup is definitely not to be missed. I just realized that I've only had the chance to actually try out Satay Celup only after a year in Melaka. Tinq was pretty particular about the hygiene of Satay Celup and a little paranoid about the gravy being celup-ed. From what I heard, they (being the general public) said that the boiled gravy sauce were never exchanged between each round of customers. Coming to think of it, it did start to get into my head after my imagination begins to wander off when the previous customers and their salivas began to play in my head.. UGH~
Satay Celup~Will be flying off back to Melaka tomorrow for a 2 months extension course, something to do with the accreditation issues and stuff. I'll get into more details about it during my next post hopefully.
I'll be blogging again soon after I reach Melaka, that is IF I have internet connection at the new place.
Labels: A Famosa, cheesecakes, Christ Church, food, Jonker, Malaysia, Melaka, Mille Crepe, Nadeje, Red House, Satay Celup, trip, UTeM
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Sunday, August 30
Been missing in action from the blogging world for almost 4 months now with heaps of entry drafts that I could never find myself to complete and expired chatterbox sessions due to it's long due inactivity.
In the mood of Independence and thanksgiving, today I shall blog...
Happy Independence Day and Selamat Hari Merdeka.
p/s: pun not intended in photo
In the mood of Independence and thanksgiving, today I shall blog...
Happy Independence Day and Selamat Hari Merdeka.
p/s: pun not intended in photo
Labels: Independence, Malaysia, photos, thoughts, updates
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