Damn those storage quotas!

I remembered Hooi San once asked me whether there was a storage quota for Blogger, a question which I would never expect...Until yesterday, it hit me! I was about to post something, only then I realized that I'd used up 99% of the free storage Blogger offered when I first signed up, and it was only 1 GB.

I hesitated the whole day yesterday: Should I buy an extra storage space from Google? Which would cost me US$20/yr for 10 GB. But, it said that the plan would expire exactly a year after the purchase. Does that mean that I could no longer use the balance although I only use up 2GB a year later? It'd be a shame to ask for my mom's credit card to pay for it. Geez! Dilemma, dilemma...

Till today, I have made a decision. I shyly asked my mom that if I could borrow her credit card to purchase an additional storage space. She agreed. It was a drag to ask money from parents when I already have the ability to earn my own money.

Now I have made my purchase and what do you know? It may take up to 24 hours to process my new storage. So, I still can't upload any pictures at the moment. I'm sorry, my friends. You'll have to wait till tomorrow. Do stay tuned! ;) Have a great week ahead! Ciao~

Clubbing @ Top Ten Sports Bistro

Hey, peeps! Sorry for the lack of updates lately. My adapter was struck by lightning and it has been sent to be fixed, and the repair might take weeks. How do I go online when I'm helping out in my mom's shop? *giggle* The shop owner next door has wireless connection and he gave me the password to access to his internet connection.

It's kind of hard to keep my blog up to date these days because there are so many things to do when there's so little time. However, I don't want to disappoint my readers so I'll try my best to post something every now and then ;)

2 days after I met up with WJ in KL, he came to Langkawi to visit me. That night, me, WJ and my gang went clubbing at Top Ten Sports Bistro. I hadn't been to that night club before and I heard some good reviews from my friends. So, we all decided to venture to that newly open night club.

The place was almost as big as Chime. Well, it wasn't a big place but it was big enough to accommodate up to 150 guests. The customers mostly comprised of the middle-age groups and youngsters like us. The band didn't look like locals, but came from somewhere Thailand.

No one wanted to drink hard liquor that night, so we went for beer (which I hate XP ). They were having promotion on beer. If we ordered 2 beer towers, we would get 1 free beer tower. Not only the drinks were freaking expensive, but also the snacks! RM200 for 3 beer towers, and RM16 for two bowls of mixed nuts O.O

When the band was having their breaks, hot chicks would dance sexily on stereos to entertain the customers.

The ladies

Me and Wei Jian

As promised, here's a picture of me and WJ.

Stay tuned, folks! More updates coming up soon. Have a wonderful weekend and take care :D

The Chicken Rice Shop

The day after the wedding, we (me, Loong Wei and Wei Tze) bid farewell to Lee To and family, and took KMT to KL Central. A couple of weeks before the wedding, me and Wei Jian (WJ) agreed to meet up at KL Central before I headed back to Langkawi.

At that time, it had been two months since the last time we saw each other and it was the first time we met up after we were attached. Despite the long distance relationship, we were like couples who were so deeply in love (and we still are) that I gave him a big hug when I saw him. I was so happy to see him again :D

Wei Tze had a flight to catch, so he left for LCCT, leaving me, WJ, Loong Wei. All of us were very hungry, so we went searching for a decent restaurant that could fill up Loong Wei's stomach. Me and WJ aren't big eaters but Loong Wei needs a lot of food to satisfy his hunger.

We walked to the back of the building on ground floor till we came to a dead end. But we spotted The Chicken Rice Shop at the corner of the row of shops.

The Chicken Rice Shop is a family restaurant chain that was established in Malaysia since 2000. I remembered my first visit to this fast-food restaurant chain was in Gurney Plaza, Penang. My impression wasn't very good and I never thought that I would visit again. However, this time I was following two guys who couldn't survive without rice. So, I had no choice but to compromise.

Soya Bean with Grass Jelly

I went for this drink as you could easily get the other beverages on the menu in any kopitiam (you know what I mean). I love soya bean, and grass jelly in soya bean was a bonus!

Since there were 3 of us, we decided to have their Family Delight set meal which was sufficient for 3-4 people.

Soup of the Day

More like salt water of the day.

Rice

The rice was fluffy and fragrant.

Pai Tee

The pai tee wasn't really good as it was already soggy when served, and there wasn't much fillings too.

Sai To Fish Balls

The fish balls weren't fresh and they weren't bouncy. I didn't like the texture...

Tofu with Oyster Sauce

Although the tofu wasn't homemade, it was smooth. Nice gravy but a little oily.

Ipoh Bean Sprouts

I found the bean sprouts not well-cooked as they tasted raw.

1/4 Roast Chicken

This was so-so.

Gado-gado, a.k.a. Malay Salad

I didn't like it. The satay sauce tasted rather bland. Aw~ I miss the gado-gado at Satay Hut, Midlands Plaza.

TCRS Honey BBQ Chicken

The rest of the dishes didn't have my vote. However, this honey BBQ chicken was my saviour. At least I could enjoy my meal with this nicely marinated chicken. The taste was just right, not too salty and not too sweet.

Overall, the food wasn't as delicious as I expected from my first attempt. However, I was glad to have WJ and my buddy to accompany me for lunch that day :)

Ying Xin's Wedding

Time flies when you're enjoying. Seeing that we didn't have much time left for more chit-chatting after lunch, Me, Wei Tze and Loong Wei rushed back to our hotel to get ready for the wedding dinner, which started at 7pm.

In KL, it's almost impossible to travel from one place to another and reach your destination on time with such congested traffic and packed public transportations. Unless you depart earlier, much earlier...After 2 hours of much struggling and squeezing, we managed to get back to our hotel, got ready and there was still ample of time to mingle around and take pictures before we left for the restaurant.

Mingling away to pass time

The ladies

The beautiful bride alongside with her mother and the gentlemen

Loong Wei, me, Lee To and Wei Tze

The bride and her sisters had their pictures taken

After zig-zagging our way through so many confusing routes, we finally arrived at Dragon Garden Restaurant. There were about 50 tables or so, magnificently covered with golden orangey tablecloths. Big glittery golden bows had been tied to the back of the cream-coloured cushioned chairs, which brightened up the room with great comfort.

About 45 minutes had passed, the newly weds slowly walked down the lane and made their way to the front table, followed by their family.

Boy! We were so darn hungry! However, I was able to pass time by chatting with my friends and drinking some beer.

盉仔介皇翅, Shark Fin

Unlike in Langkawi (we eat shark's fin from stained plastic bowls), they served shark's fin in nice, clean white ceramic bowls, which were abundantly laden with shark fin and fresh crab meat.

金龙大盘菜, Five Happiness

This wonderful dish consisted of braised chicken and duck, sweet and sour fish, assorted vegetables, and seafood, including scallops. I personally liked the braised duck as it was very tender, and it went perfectly well with the gravy.

巴东蒸白点, Thai Style Steamed Grouper

The fish was absolutely fresh! However, I found the gravy a tad too sourish.

金钱酿鱼漂

I have no idea what it was called in English. These bouncy balls were made out of minced pork and prawns that had been wrapped in dried hu piu then drenched in starchy egg gravy. Good stuff!

Halfway through dinner, the newly weds and their family were asked by the MC to go on stage to make a toast in order to celebrate the beginning of their life as a married couple.

Opening a bottle of wine

Pouring the wine into a tower of wine glasses

霸皇金龙球, Golden Dragon Balls

These golden dragon balls were made out of delightful char siew filling and wrapped in battered yam paste, and then deep-fried till crunchy perfection. In addition, a bowl of fresh fruit salad was served in the middle, and garnished with chips.

珍珠糯米饭, Lotus Glutinous Rice

Unwrapping the lotus leaf not only revealed the tempting brown glutinous rice, but also released the delicate fragrance of the flavoured rice.

百年皆好合 & 酥炸叉烧包, Tong Shui & Deep-fried Char Siew Buns

Approaching the end of dinner, two types of desserts were served. The tong shui was ok, but I loved the buns. These buns with crispy outer skin and savoury fillings were heavenly good.

Group photo with family and friends of the bride

There goes my Bangkok trip...

I was supposed to go to Bangkok with my parents yesterday. Due to an outbreak of rioting at Bangkok's Government House, my parents canceled the trip. The chaotic condition there had got my mom worried about our safety.

The night before the trip, Derik talked to my sister on MSN. He said that his friend who works in Bangkok told him that it's safe to go over because the rest of the places weren't affected. Therefore, our safety was assured.

Yesterday morning at breakfast, my sister told my parents the good news. Suddenly, my mom changed her mind! After breakfast, they came rushing back home, unlocked my bedroom door, and said aloud to me (whom was still in bed) that they're going to Bangkok. I woke up from my sleep, surprised! The flight was 11.30am and it was already approaching 9am.

However, mom wanted me to stay home to take care of my siblings. I agreed because it's my responsibility as the eldest. Well, there goes my Bangkok trip...But, it's ok! There's always next time, right? ;)

Have a lovely week, everyone! Cheers~

A Mysterious Gift From a4Trip

Guess what had arrived at my doorstep this morning.





A letter? Nope! Guess again...




A parcel?





Yep! You got it right. A small and slightly torn parcel. It's not just any parcel, it's a mysterious gift from a4Trip.

And guess what popped out of the box and greeted me.


















It's a Boodog from a.e.i.o.u. Studio! It's a keychain with an a4friends tag attached to it. Isn't it cute? ^^ Thank you so much, a4Trip! And a big warm hug from this island girl to all the members in a4Trip. Have a great weekend, everyone! :D

Madam's Kwan at Suria KLCC

Alright, folks! Back to the KL trip...

I had read so much about Madam Kwan's on other people's blogs, and I hadn't had the chance to try the food until the day of the wedding. Wei Tze had gone to the branch at Mid Valley on his last trip to KL, and he kept raving about it.

After visiting KLCC Aquaria with WeiTze in the morning (which I wouldn't want to blog about because I don't think there's much to tell), we met up with Loong Wei for lunch at Suria KLCC's Madam Kwan's.

The restaurant was full when we arrived. However, the wait was shorter than I expected despite the crowd.

This restaurant chain had great looking modern kopitiam setting, with cozy and welcoming environment. The wait staff were all dressed smartly, and diners were served with strawberry scented iced water.

Chicken Curry. Fresh chicken stewed in rich, thick coconut milk and their secret herbs. The chicken was tender and juicy. However, I found the curry gravy too coconuty. It was too rich that it overpowered the spiciness and fragrance of the curry flavour.

Madam's Asam Fish Head. Fresh Garoupa fish head served with lady's fingers, tomatoes, onions, long beans, brinjals and dried beancurd in assam soup. Our jaws dropped when this huge pot of sour and spicy soup, which was laden with so much ingredients, placed on the table. The soup was so addictive that I couldn't stop spooning the gravy onto my white rice. This dish was truly a meal itself, and it's worth a try ;) If you don't fancy assam gravy, you can always go for curry as alternative.

I rounded off my meal with a nice bowl of Ice Campur. When the ice campur was placed in front of me, I was curious to know where the heck were all the other ingredients? I didn't know that they were being buried underneath that mountain of ice until I ate up almost half of the ice. Eating this bowl of shaved flavoured ice was a drag as I got to the ingredients at the bottom of the bowl.

Overall, Madam Kwan's serves a great variety of local cuisine at prices on the high side. However, it was a splendid dining experience to have savoured local food at such lovely place with two wonderful friends of mine. I've also read about good reviews on their signature Nasi Lemak and Nasi Bojari. I'll visit Madam Kwan's again for those and other delicious dishes.

Stay tuned for more updates, folks!

Deakin University Convocation '08

30th August 2008, a significant day like no other as it was a big day when all graduates in Disted-Stamford College and Deakin University celebrated their completion of their courses.

I was so happy because I was able to graduate with my friends in Penang. The convocation was held at Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E & O Hotel), which was established in 1885. Although it looked plain on the outside, the interior was so magnificent that I felt as if I had stepped into a palace.

A bouquet of sunflowers from my uncle.


Getting my gown worn properly by the friendly and professional staff.

Mrs. Allen joined in the fun with her former students.

The remaining SAM students who graduated on the same day (except Ian, the guy on the far right).

Me, Shao, Chong Yong, Hui Jen and Bok.

Photo by Disted
Alongside with Joey, Lynette and Su Ann. My best girlfriends from college.

Photo by Disted
Sharing graduation joy with me were Joey, Lynette, Mrs. Allen, Aaron, Ian and Hui Jen.

Alongside with me, Hui Jen (big bully :P ) and his lovely girlfriend, Hooi San.

The stage.

On the stage, sat the honourable chancellors and Deakin Faculty of Business and Law interim dean.

Posing for the camera after receiving my Degree certificate.

There were 60 graduates who chose to graduate in Penang, and surprisingly the convocation lasted for only an hour. After the ceremony, some went outside the hall for some refreshment and light afternoon tea. While others proceeded to the lawn outside the hotel for photo-shooting and mingled around with family and friends.

Me and my beloved family.

Celebrating the joy with my buddies in Penang.

Throwing our mortarboards into the air as we laughed cheerfully.


A photo with my former lecturers, Cikgu Jamiah, Ms. Lucy, Mrs. Allen, other Disted staff and vice-president Koo Wee Kor.

Aaron, standing in between me and Shao, and posed for the camera after returning our gowns in the basement.

Thanks for coming, guys!
From left: TK, Ban and CK.

And thank you so much for the gift, Joyce and CK. I love it :D

Congratulations to these 5 Disted-Stamford College students who lived up to their academic forte by graduating with top honours from Deakin University!
From left: Leong Chin Chin, Cheryl, Aaron, Lim Hooi Leng and Lynette.

Waving our scrolls at the camera.

Congratulations, everyone!