Project-κ 21: Dry Bak Kut Teh @ Terminal 2

Seremban may not be so famous for its Bak Kut Teh as it is, after all, usually associated with Klang! However, this restaurant called "Restoran Bak Kut Teh Fei Chan" at Terminal 2, Seremban offers a new twist to the traditional bak kut teh! They have DRY bak kut teh and other signature dishes! Now, now.... dry bak kut teh isn't something totally new! Klang apparently had this for centuries (exaggeration here)! And so, to find this in Seremban is really my first. Hence, the need to recommend this place not only to tourists but locals alike!

Besides the said traditional bak kut teh (that is meat in soup) and the dry version, they also have a couple of dishes which are worth mentioning and highly recommended by me! One of it, which is my family's favourite, is the Spicy Burning Meat (for bao yok). I wouldn't elaborate the traditional bak kut teh as seen below as I believe everyone would have known how bak kut teh tastes like. Strong and flavourful with herbs which is perfect to be eaten during these cold monsoon seasons at night! It literally warms you up! :D

The dry bak kut teh..... didn't taste as what I would expect it to be! Haha.... when I heard of the word DRY bak kut teh, what I had in mind was meat (and other common bak kut teh ingredients) being stir fried till all the herbal essence being infused into the ingredients, dry or in thick herbal gravy. Try to imagine the traditional bak kut teh being slow boiled till dry so that the meat in it locks in all the herbal goodness! (OMG! My saliva is drooling!) Hahaha..... :P

But Fei Chan's version was somewhat similar to braised fried pork (char cu yok). Stir fried in onions, dried chillies and ladyfingers. The half fatty and skinny pork chunks are tender and flavourful to taste! It was not bad..... like I said, a change to the traditional type. Worth trying!

Now, the highlight would be the Spicy Burning Meat! I love this! My family love this! We all love this! LOL!!! Pork slices being stir fried with LOTS of dried chillies, bird's eye chillies (cili padi), dried shrimps and salted fish. Then topped with onion slices and onion leaves! It tastes really really good! This is highly recommended! Seriously! Don't be afraid because of the name of this dish... it won't burn your tongue off! I mean.... it's not THAT hot! But hot enough to keep you perspiring and mucus running from your nose throughout the whole meal till you find yourself an air-cond to cool you down! Hahaha.... But really..... it's good! :P

Of course, like any restaurant in their right mind, they do serve greeny vegetables stir fried to your liking and also yau char guai too. Below is a sample of vegetables (bo lei sang choy) I ordered just to complete the healthy balance diet! :)

Also, this restaurant serves Chicken in Rice Wine, Chicken in Hua Tiao Wine, Braised Trotters in Vinegar, and Sauna Bak Kut Teh (recommended by chef) which I have YET to taste them! 

Restoran Bak Kut Teh Fei Chan

31-G, Jalan Era Square 3,

Era Square, Seremban,

70200 Negeri Sembilan.

Tel. no.: 010-2799972

Business hour: 11am - 3pm; 6pm - 10pm

Opens everyday EXCEPT Monday

Embracing the first sunlight of the year...

It's 2011! It's a new year! *shit*...

Anyway, while almost everyone was out in various locations around Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya for countdown, I was trying to sleep early (at 10pm) on New Year's Eve as today, we woke up at 3.30am to go for a hike at the infamous Broga Hill in Semenyih as we wanted to do "something new" and "different" way to start the New Year!

We start to move out - convoy style! - at 4.15am after picking up everyone, to this alien place. NONE of us knew where the place was! Thank goodness for GPS! Hahaha... Broga hill is situated near University of Nottingham at Semenyih. It's hard to describe the directions, but here are maps from blogs I referred to. (A & B)

We reached at around 5.30am with constant slowing down and waiting for each other at every toll gates. It was pitch dark once we were there! (Note: PLEASE bring torchlights! Each and everyone of you should have one!) We were so lost at the parking area (which is an oil palm estate) initially as there were no signs where the heck should we start hiking Broga hill! So, we waited and followed the crowd! LOL!

Surprisingly, we are not the only one who wanted to start year 2011 in a "new and different way"! Just as we parked our cars, there are 5 to 6 more cars coming to the exact spot! This place IS kinda popular!

Initially the roads were kinda flat and was an easy stroll up ahead. Saw a sign that states "Broga Hill - 1.8km" and "Gunung Tok Wan - 4.2km" and we knew we were on the right track! All hell broke loss once we passed by a run-down, very basic stall with a banner that says "Jalan Murah" (I am pretty sure they meant "JUalan Murah"! Hahaha...) or it DOES literally mean that the paths uphill is cheap! Well, no doubt bout that! It IS! X_X

The paths are mud trails! Uneven surfaces, holes and craters everywhere, some really narrow walk, jungle path and finally a rocky, barren STEEP ascend to the peak! AND I WAS WEARING SKIN-TIGHT JEANS AND SLIPPERS!!! FML! Imagine the difficulty in doing so! There were a few instances that I nearly slipped! (So note: Wear APPROPRIATELY! Shoes DEFINITELY - old ones if possible! Put ALL items in a bag pack, do NOT hand carry! You won't have enough hands to grip for support!)

We reached the peak of Broga hill at around 6.30am ~ roughly about an hour hike! It was STILL pitch dark... :/

And considering there was no sunlight yet, you BET, it was FREEZING cold!!! Imagine your sweat drenched shirts and windy breeze blowing at 60kmph (ok...I'm exaggerating), I can literally feel my bones shaking! NO JOKE!

While waiting for sunrise, (some of us as usual), shiok sendiri lah! Taking out camera and snapping everyone and everything eventhough they know they can't see anything but themselves in a black surrounding! =.="
Oh....and I start munching brought breads to warm up my body! Brrrrrrr~~~ (Note: BRING SWEATER along!)

Mr. Sunrise finally came at around 7am! With a pathetic white streak of lights....

Then at about 7.30am, everything starts to be visible as the day starts to brighten up! Mr. Sunrise can be fully seen by then! *grins* :)

~This was my best photo for the day!~

After MORE shiok sendiri-ness, we finally had enough and descended down at around 7.45am and step down on base at about 8.30am! Almost everyone was tired.... and I had to go pee! Got scolded by the car park attendant because apparently we were parked IN THE MIDDLE of the main road! Hahaha.... didn't know mah~~~ First time ok! Got space mai park lor! LOL! I pretended to be dumb and my coursemate, Mildred settled with her... :P

Dashed to the nearest petrol station, "let go of the water in my tangki (full tank wei~)", found a random restaurant in Kajang, had breakfast and headed back to UM for shower and ZZzzzzZZZzzzzZZzz......

AND THAT is how we do it! HAPPY NEW YEAR guys!!! :D

DermaGenesis: My Experience - Part 3

Part 3

29 Jan., 09

I was actually looking forward for my 3^rd treatment which is IPL. Cause the doctor promised me a pain free, downtime free and fast session. But he lied….IPL does hurt (a bit). So you see, none of my treatments are actually pain free! It just gets less painful each time but still there’s pain in every session. Sigh…..

Anyway, IPL was fast. It only took like 20 minutes? And you are up and away doing your everyday stuff (like normal). The process include the usual face washing and then my face was being shot with (like said) intense pulse lights which finally was ice gelled. Each shot smells like something burning. I don’t know how to explain it, but at every shot, you will be able to smell as if your skin was being burnt at that very spot it was shot. The pain was there, like I said, pin point….but thank goodness it was brief. Like mili of a second. But enough to make you jump at each shot. Sigh….the price of vanity sure is painful. But what to do? It’s a beauty eat ugly world out there!

-The laser machine- :-O

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So, this is basically what I've been through for sake of a more beautiful skin on my face! I hope to say that it takes only 7 treatments to get to the skin I have now...... but the truth is, after this treatment plan, I had had underwent an additional 3 more Fraxal and 1 IPL. The results weren't immediate! I was at first wasn't as satisfied as I thought I would be......

But.....after more than half a year, my skin improves significantly! Apparently, the effect of laser and light therapy doesn't produce immediate effect! You have to wait at least 3 - 6 months to see the real results! Well.... this was actually being said in some articles...so I don't know but I think it's true for me! :)

So, yes.... so I would highly recommend people to go for such treatments and not being conned by expensive, non-scientifically proven, and dangerous beauty centers! Trust me....they do nothing but harm to your skin! Experience speaks for himself!!!

Project-κ 20 : Pork Belly Noodles (Chu Lam Fun)

Seremban beef noodle is no stranger to anyone now. Come Seremban, the few first things that a local will recommend would be the beef noodle itself, located at Seremban Wet Market. Recently, there's this restaurant made a few adjustment to the famous beef noodle by catering it to the non-beef eater, like me! What they are selling is somewhat similar to Sin Yee Kee's signature dish, only that they replace beef slices with pork belly slices! And beef balls, with pork balls....

The reason why I choose to blog about this place is not because it is exceptionally tasty (it's not bad I would say)...... but I find it to be kinda special... I mean, why in the world it takes people SO LONG to come out with a pork version beef noodle???!!! Padahal, it's just replacing those miserable slices of red meat! >.<

Anyway....... The place is located at Jalan Rahang Kecil, opposite Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) Seremban. Right after the traffic lights (if you are coming from Bukit Blossom or Taman SEA) at the flyover, take an immediate left and it's there! The restaurant reads, "Restaurant Hing Hoi", with a big, bright yellow signage.

There are quite a few other dishes being sold there like Fish & Chips, Fried Chicken rice, Chicken Chop, Century egg porridge; but the only things worth mentioning are its Pork Belly Noodles (Chu Lam Fun) and Paper wrapped chickens (Chi Bao Gai).

Priced at RM4.50 per bowl, its Chu Lam Fun is not bad, really. Just like the beef noodle, it has the usual fried preserved vegetables (char choy), sesame seeds, peanuts and thick gravy! Tastewise, I can't compare to the beef noodle because I don't take beef (remember?). Though not very generous with the pork, the tenderness and flavourful slices made up for it. By looking at the picture, it doesn't look appetising right? Yeah I know.... the cook could have spend some time on presentation! LOL! But it tastes better than it look. You should try it... just for the sake of the owner coming up with this idea! Hahaha.....

Paper wrapped chicken (Chi Bao Gai) is sold at RM3 each! I find it rather pricey. But its their signature dish! The chicken is wrapped in a piece of paper (yes! literally!) and deep fried! So, you've got to tear the paper before eating the chicken. The chicken is less oily if cooked this way. The juiciness of the chicken is retained but the only messy part is tearing off the oily piece of paper.... Of course, this is a favourite among lots of children! :)
I didn't order it this time because I don't feel like eating oily stuff then.....

The place was kinda crowded initially when it opens. But yesterday when I went there, it looks rather quiet. I am not sure why..... maybe it's because of the service... I was shocked when a customer shouted at the waiter for showing attitude when he was short changed. I don't know who is right or who is wrong.... but it wasn't a pleasant sight.... lots of tension I tell ya!
Sometimes, good food but bad service would make a horrible experience.

But for me..... it's OK lar~~~

Nokia N8: A Review (not by me) :P

Now, my friend, Fong Kin Man has been pestering asking me to review on my new phone, the Nokia N8 as he was curious to know more about it; and maybe it's because of my crude honesty that he knows I won't be blowing trumpets or bull shits! Whatever it is, I wanna tell him that "Fong, no matter how crude I am, I just can't review a gizmo!! The technical terms just kills me! I would love to be a tech junkie but somehow it's not my calling and I need time to learn.... :P"

But anyhow, I've found a great review about the Nokia N8 on the web! The blogger, Alvin was at first sceptical and totally hates the N8 if compared to his favourite iPhone 4! Somehow, during the product review period, he changes his mind about the N8 after all. Read on fellow followers! This is to you, Fong! :)

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Nokia N8: I want one after all

by Alvin

My #N8Productions entry isn’t near completion yet. Yes, I should probably hurry – the N8 goes back on Thursday and I won’t be able to create any more content. And truth be told, I’m going to be rather sad when I hand the package back to the DHL guy. I know I’ve changed my mind about the N8, and all my gripes about it not feeling fresh and lacking any major improvements in user experience don’t really matter after all, at least out in the real world.

Frankly, the N8 is aimed at a different audience as opposed to the iPhone or the dizzying array of Android devices out there. And that’s perfectly fine. Smartphones don’t all have to cater to the people who’d be likely to choose an iPhone over anything else. To put it simply, I cannot imagine anyone switching from an iPhone to the N8, and neither can I envision the N8 winning over a single iPhone user out there. And the reason for that is simple. While the N8 remains lacking in terms of user interface polish, ease-of-use, pretty apps and cohesive, integrated user experience, the iPhone remains equally lacking in terms of imaging prowess, advanced features, customizability and even versatility as a converged device. In my opinion, the main reason why the N8 has been slammed so much by certain US-based established blogs (cough, cough…) is because the reviewers contributing to those blogs have no understanding of who the N8 is aimed at, or even the reasons why folks continue to buy Symbian devices when there are, in their opinion, much better choices out there. Furthermore, most of those reviewers would be using iPhones to begin with, leading to them declaring that the N8 is a shit phone simply because it has zero similarities when compared with their favourite fruity device.

No device is ever perfect. I admit I haven’t ever met a disappointed iPhone user, but I could find tons of reasons why the iPhone is a shit phone if I really wanted to. I still stand by my statements in my impressions post that the N8 does need a revolution in the form of a fresh new user interface focused on ease-of-use and a less head-scratching, more enjoyable user experience, but it would be wrong to dismiss the N8 merely on those grounds. The N8 has the potential to be one amazing device. It’s completely amazed me over the past few days. You’ve just got to look past the user interface, at least for now. Maybe it won’t be such a big deal when you consider the fact that:

1. Not every smartphone has to emulate the iPhone

2. In the real world, user interface and user experience isn’t such a big deal for most people

3. It is possible to get used to various user interfaces, even the most clunky and quirky examples around

With that in mind, the N8 doesn’t look so bad after all. For starters, its imaging capabilities are beyond praise. It is, without a doubt, the best cameraphone that money can buy today. Image quality in just about every situation is nothing short of superb, and its low-light performance is miles ahead of any other cameraphone. The N8′s camera has stunned me time and again with what it could achieve in the couple of photoshoots I did with it in Melaka and by the Singapore River, and I couldn’t possibly imagine myself ever needing a dedicated compact camera if the N8 served as my everyday phone. I know this paragraph is beginning to sound like an advertisement, but I can’t help it. The N8 is simply amazing in this regard.

So the camera app could do with a complete user interface revamp, but when I was out taking photos the user interface didn’t bother me in the least. I daresay it won’t really bother you either. You’ll be too pleased with your results to really nitpick about how menu options in the camera app still require double-tapping.

Another aspect of the N8 that really struck me was how versatile it is as a smartphone. The built-in USB Host functionality allows for the connection of standard USB peripherals such as flash drives and mice and keyboards through an adapter connected to the microUSB port on the device. What other device, apart from the N8 and its sister Symbian^3 devices, can you think of that comes with this feature? Of course, the fly in the ointment here is that an adapter(included in the N8′s package, by the way) is required for this to work, but it’s undeniably cool and might even have some rather valid real-world applications. Just the other day, I plugged my flash drive into the USB input on my DVD player with the intention of playing a movie off it, but apparently the movie’s file format was not supported by the player. No issue at all – out comes the N8, a TV-out cable and the USB Host adapter, and the N8 played through the full 120-minute long movie successfully and even had 50% battery left at the end of it all. N8 1, DVD Player 0.

It’s not just USB Host that’s worth having around – the N8 also has a built-in FM transmitter that became tremendously useful during the drive up to Melaka. No radio stations? No CD collection in the car? Loads of music in the N8 that you’d like to play wirelessly over the car stereo? No problem – the FM transmitter worked perfectly with the N8 providing hours and hours of aural enjoyment during the drive. Your friend’s iPhone couldn’t possibly do that without an add-on accessory that costs extra.

When you consider these 2 features on the Nokia N8 alongside true multitasking, filesystem access, microSD expansion on top of 16GB of internal memory, support for Bluetooth keyboards and mice, unrestricted sideloading of apps, support for Bluetooth file transfers, built-in 3G videocalling, themes, profiles and support for both HD and SD TV-out through HDMI and the 3.5mm jack respectively, the N8 appears to be almost a computer in your pocket; not just a mere smartphone that excels in just a few specific areas. The N8 is a fine example of a truly versatile, converged device, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it having a slightly greater learning curve when it packs in so much more functionality than more user-friendly but also more limited alternatives. I mean, folks can learn, can’t they?

I mentioned all the other positives of the N8 in my impressions post, so I won’t run through them again here. It’s true that the N8 does have several flaws and foibles, but almost all of them are software-based and might be fixed eventually. New Symbian is supposed to iterate and evolve much faster than before, so I’ve got renewed hope regarding the future relevance of the platform. In many ways, New Symbian on the N8 is a stepping stone to the true revolution; it’s something to keep existing users happy and solve the problems that plagued S60v5. Since it’s a mere starting point towards what’s to come, all the clunkiness of the current, legacy user interface can be forgiven, somewhat. Furthermore, Nokia resuming complete control over Symbian development can only be a positive sign; ditto for the focus around QT as a platform for app development. And the N8 will definitely benefit from all these efforts together with its sister New Symbian devices. Regarding the few hardware flaws, the only one that really stands out is the lack of a lens cover. Nokia has justified this omission numerous times through its PR channels but constantly wiping the N8′s Carl Zeiss lens on my shirt before taking a shot sort of gets old after a while. And of course, many would have loved to see a removable battery. However, the N8′s stamina is definitely commendable – it lasted 2 days with moderate use for me. I just wish the microUSB port weren’t so awkwardly placed.

Would I recommend the N8? Yes, definitely, to anyone who wants the most cutting-edge Symbian smartphone available today, or wants stellar camera performance both for stills and video, or wants a device that isn’t arbitrarily limited in terms of raw functionality and capabilities. Do I want one? Ohh yes. Unfortunately, I have to admit I’m loving the N8 – it isn’t the sleekest or slickest device around but it does everything I could possibly want my smartphone to do and does it without fuss. Now that there is a solution available to allow for the reinstallation of the Ovi Store client after a hard-reset, it isn’t really an issue for me anymore. This issue shouldn’t have occurred in the first place, but as long as there’s a workaround, all is good.

While typing my impressions post, I felt rather sad that my expectations of its user experience hadn’t really been met and I was feeling completely bored with it. As I type the last words of this post, I’m still feeling rather sad. The N8 has to go back to WOMWorld/Nokia this Thursday. Oh boy. I’ll really miss this device.

I want a N8. In orange. Please?

See the results of the Melaka and Singapore River photoshoots over on my Flickr page here and here.

Thanks to WOMWorld/Nokia for hooking me up with a #N8Productions pack and giving me the opportunity to participate in an exciting competition and blog about an excellent phone, all at the same time.

 More great reviews on mobile phones are available here at: http://phonecentral.wordpress.com/