Fresh fruits

Fresh fruits, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Shangrila Penang was closed for major refurbishment a few years back. During my last visit to Penang, we stayed at Golden Sands ( beside it) instead. I love the greenery which surrounds this hotel. It's old and matured and this makes it different from the newer hotels I've been to. The service is very good. I got a DVD player put in my room ( upon request) to watch my Korean dvd during the weekend. Yup! Brought 2 discs with me....to watch at night rather than CNN. Service is definitely with a smile. My inquiries about Catholic churches and mass times were attended to diligently. And yes my fresh fruits were replenished:) Love this hotel. It's a pity I didn't have time to sample the massage and pedicure

Church of the Immaculate Conception

Church of the Immaculate Conception, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I attended Sunday mass in Penang for the first time. The church nearest to the hotel was in Pulau Tikus. ( Translated to Island of Rats) Mass was at half eight. I was scared I would miss mass and didn't know what traffic would be like on a Sunday in Penang, so I ended up being 30 minutes early. They had rosary before mass so it worked out well in the end. The church has obviously been restored. It's air conditioned. And the pews are really chairs. To the left is where the choir stands and to the right of the altar is the glass partition room where parents with babies may sit. I've seen this before at the Church at Upper Thomson Singapore. Must be a new trend. I was a little worried I wouldn't find a cab back to the hotel....but I did. And the trip back was painless.

Here are some facts about the church:
1. It is a roman catholic church serving a parish of 5000.
2. It was founded in 1811
3. It is the second oldest church in the diocese
4. It was founded by the Portuguese Eurasians who came to Penang to escape persecution in Phuket.


No. 1 Lorong Maktab, Pulau Tikus, 10250 Penang

Balloons in the air

Balloons in the air, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I had a lovely weekend in Penang. This was taken on a gloriously warm Saturday evening just beside the beach at Rasa Sayang Shangrila. Taken seconds after many balloons were released into the air. Lovely feeling. This was an event to celebrate 10 years of Spiriva.

We had a monstrous clinic this Monday and I'm feeling old and lethargic and pretty useless this evening. Minimal work can be done.

Matsu Restaurant Lone Pine

Matsu Restaurant Lone Pine, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We had Japanese food in Penang. No Char Kuey Teow for us...or Nasi Kandar:) The dinner was an organized event for a group of people. Matsu is located in Lone Pine resort Batu Feringghi. A short walk from Rasa Sayang Shangrila. ( We cheated and got a buggy ride 3/4 of the way there) It's a nice restaurant with loads of glass. The picture if the steps you walk up. On the ground floor is the bar. The steps lead you to the restaurant. The sense of space is lovely. You see bits of greenery around you. And there's a choice of seats outside. But it was so warm in Penang I was glad to be inside.

Ambience 8/10. The lightning is very nice at night. Service was a little slow. Perhaps we were a huge crowd. The mains took its time coming. And food came slowly in stages. But they were attentive enough. I got a glass of wine at the end of dinner when we went down to settle the bill. The Sashimi and wasabi were both fresh. The udon was pretty good. The sushi was a little friable. It disentegrated before reaching my plate...so I used the spoon instead. Very un-japanese like I know. A nice place for atmopshere:)

1st Floor, above batubar

Opening Hours (Daily):

• 5:00pm – 11:00pm

Tel +604 886 8555 | Fax +604 886 8666

Hard Rock Cafe Melaka

Hard Rock Cafe Melaka, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

The first Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) opened 14 June 1971, in London, England. We have three HRCs in Malaysia, KL, Penang and the latest is in Melaka, located in the famous Jonker walk. Look at the steps? Aren't they lovely?

Here is the address:
No.28 Lorong Hang Jebat 75200, Melaka, Malaysia

An almost perfect fit

Colourful Kebayas, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Mum is small. She's my height but a good ten kilos lighter. She's underweight whereas I border on the overweight. So I chanced it when I bought a kebaya top for her during the roadtrip. Here's the formula, if I can wear it but CANNOT attempt to have the edges meet in front...it would then be just nice for her. Formula worked:) She 's very pleased with it as well as the sarung I bought for her. Brownie points galore. I also threw in some pineapple tarts and kuih bangkit.

Chung Wah Chicken Rice shop

Chung Wah Chicken Rice shop, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Have you eaten chicken rice rolled into balls before? The chicken remains the same they're not balled-up. This shop had a long queue on a scorching Saturday afternoon. No AJ and I didnt eat here. We walked pass this from Hard Rock Cafe ( which is to the right of this picture) to more shopping( to the left of this picture)

I remember eating here years ago during my housemanship. Yeap. I did my housemanship in Melaka and thoroughly enjoyed the first and last posting. Ironically I did NOT enjoy the medical posting much. Found it hard and wishy-washy. Goes to show how you change as you get older and more exposed to things done the proper way.

Cherki cards

Cherki cards, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

When I showed mum my pictures of the Melaka road trip she saw this and squealed "Cheekey" . Apparently its a card game she played as a child. And I've googled the spelling it's spelt Cherki and it's a peranakan game with loads of baba malay and hokkien words used. Now if I can persuade her to remember maybe we can get more stories:)

Red Clogs for sale

Red Clogs for sale, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I bought mini red clogs fridge magnet during my last visit. Couldn't find them this time. I found these big ones instead which looked very bright and colorful. NO enhancement of colours before posting these up. It was THAT bright and vibrant thanks to the gorgeous scorching afternoon sun. I'm a shade darker now because I left my mini-tube of sunblock on the kitchen top. I have a pair of purple clogs at home. Haven't worn them cos they look so pretty.

A row of tudung sajis

A row of tudung sajis, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

We walked from the clock tower pass the chendol stall ( because AJ said we should have lunch before chendol to avoid spoiling the appetite) towards the Ship and pass it ...to this place where we had lunch. The food was okay. The sambal belacan had an OOomph. After filling our tums, and feeling energized, we looked about and bought stuff. AJ bought a top, and I bought 3 T-shirts. I found this wall of tudung Sajis and took this picture. Aren't the colors gorgeous. Oh I forgot, AJ also bought belacan (X3) keropok and some other things which were pretty heavy to carry all the way through JOnker Street and eventually back to the car.

What has happened in the three weeks I've been "silent"

1. We had our general elections. And a lot of Facebook and sms updates on truths and un-truths leading to ( if you were the impressionable sort) thoughts bordering on fear and anger swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other end. I went back to Pahang to vote. A bigger crowd than the last election. 80% turn out the papers tell us. Never seen so many cars on the roads on a Sunday morning with people walking with a purpose towards their centres.

2.My dad's pet bird died:Mee-nah was a gift and she died suddenly two weeks back. Dad has ordered a replacement which will arrive soon I think. The niece ( who spend a big part of her holidays squeezing Mee-nah and showering her with kisses and baths and watching DVDs together will be sad. She hasn't been told)

3.I had a hair cut. Much shorter than what I dared. Wanted to go o my trusty hairdresser but the rainy season and the pictures of the flooded basement carpark in Sg Wang Plaza scared me into postponing for now. Thankfully the rainy season has left us. We're not experiencing a heat wave. I shall not complain.

4. The rainy season has left parts of KL unpredictable. Flash floods in the city centre made travelling back from work difficult. I was caught in a few traffic jams and some scary moments driving with minimal visibility and driving through some collection of water deeper than I care to remember now. We wanted to buy a 4-wheel drive if the weather remained so.

5.I've started my Korean-drama obsession AGAIN. But this time, I've cleverly paired it with violin practice. This has seen an increase in violin playing quality and less guilt:)  I've bought THREE sets last week. And have completed three sets before this. The lady in Sg Wang Plaza where I buy them is pleasant and we have a discussion on what I may or may not like before I select. She's lovely. And my choices have been good except for one....which was the one I insisted on having despite her saying I may not like it. She was right.

6. I've gone back on my word of not buying any more books.( Lack of shelf space).My latest purchase is " Wedding Night" by Sophie Kinsella.

7.June will be a busy month for me. Trip to Melaka for the TB CPG training. ( not sure what I'm suppose to do there will know when I arrive) MIB conference in Jakarta ( poster and talk) and MTS conference in KL. (poster and talk)

8. I got my eyes tested after 10year ++ and changed frame and upgraded to "multifocals". Cost a bomb. Optical 88 in Midvalley megamall is great. I loved the service there and the entire process was enjoyable. No regrets. On the side, them multifocals make reading a little bit easier on the eyes.

9. I cannot get enough of Lays " sour cream crisps" Bad for health I know.

10.I 've gained inches around my waist and need to eat less and jog!

Rava Thosai

Rava Thosai, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

The Melaka Road trip started with me heading to Putra Jaya to collect AJ. And we had breakfast at the local mamak before we braved the traffic to Melaka. Our exit out of Putra Jaya was smooth. I restrained self with difficulty from stepping on the accelerator. Speed trap warnings were never so closely adhered to. We saw two poslicemen 40 minutes into our journey. One was on the left side, and the other was attempting to cross the road with a speed camera gadget.

This Rava Thosai takes nice picture yah? the taste was mediocre. It wasn't crunchy at the dies. Bits of it were already soaked with the gravy. But it was still a good thosai breakfast

Melaka Road trip

Hard Rock Cafe Melaka, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

I'm just back from a day trip to Melaka. We walked quite a bit and saw parts of Jonker Street we missed during our last visit there. Loads of foreigners walking about and taking pictures of the same things I wanted to take pictures off. Bit of traffic getting into the town, we must have passed 8 traffic lights.

Did you know we have a Hard Rock Cafe in Melaka??? I bought a T-shirt:) And we admired the local decor inside the shop. More pictures soon. That's a promise

Mother's Day

Delectables Mother's day cake, originally uploaded by andreaban2009.

Last Sunday was Mother's day and my brother's birthday as well. One got a cake and the other got a phone call;) Bought this cake from Delectables. Bought the vanilla cake specifically because we had chocolate a few weeks before. The cake itself was very tasty and rich. The icing was too sweet and had to be taken off. What a shame.

I've been ill the last 3 weeks which may explain the great silence on the blog. My usual regime is to blog after my morning jog before going to work. I haven't been jogging for the same period. This nasty flu caused fever, aches and pains, chesty cough and green phlegm. And it leaves you feeling drained. I've only just gotten most of my energy back. Jogging will start next week:)