Another busy week and it's not even work!!!

My entire department was charged with organising this huge conference at a luxury hotel in Kuala Lumpur at the end of April.

8 months was all we had to prepare and I bet almost all the staff were upset with their supervisors' constant disappearing acts (in the name of the conference...of course :P). But being the efficient, hardworking people that we are, we managed to pull it off. 

Now they want it done every 2 years. What??! Don't we already have more than enough to do at the freaking office?! Go $#@% yourselves!!!

The only thing our conference had in connection with the above restaurant was that it paid for our dinner there the night before all the craziness started.

The banner hanging proudly outside the conference hall lobby which everybody forgot about at the end of the conference. Yours truly had to climb a *&%$@ borrowed ladder to cut it down with a ^%$&*# tiny knife (which was blessedly sharp) so that we could take it home with us!

We sure didn't lack for food throughout and I most certainly gained some weight after the conference but, for a 5 star hotel, the fare could have been much, much better.

The wonderful beehoon soup I had for breakfast (one of many delightful choices available for buffet breakfast) on the very last day of the conference.

Yeah, yeah, thanks for all the congratulations and the many pats on the back but please... NO MORE!!!

Food File: Shah's Tomyam

Me on one of my eating binges at Shah's Tomyam, one of the stalls at a food court beside Giant Hypermarket Kelana Jaya.

Kuey teow ladna is a must for me when I dine at any tomyam stall. It's acceptable but so far I still haven't found one that can rival the one offered at that long ago roadside stall near the Kampung Jawa Petronas station back in the days when I was young.

Siakap goreng halia- lovely cripsy seabass in a thick ginger sauce.

Spicy, fiery sup ekor (ox-tail soup) because of all that bird's eye chili they put in (at a rate of 2-3 chilis per oxtail piece i suppose... :P). I wish they wouldn't add in so much because it detracts much from the experience of enjoying the soup.

Yes, I finished all that in ONE sitting. No, I did NOT take any white rice or drinks with the meal because then I'd be too full to polish them off.

Overall, a delicious meal but I've tasted better from them before...

Alor Star visited, Langkawi revisited!

Dear constant readers,

As a sign of my appreciation to you, here are the long promised pics of my trip to Alor Star (courtesy of Cik Easy, Mr. Asri and Liza) and Langkawi. Enjoy!

The Alor Star Tower viewed from the 'suite' Cik Easy and gang commandeered from Star Hotel :P

Damiral's- where one can get a taste of Western cuisine in Alor Star- classy, delicious and surprisingly affordable!

Go to Kopitiam for a heavenly breakfast of nasi lemak campur (rice cooked in coconut milk with assorted gravy)!

It was quite late when we got to Zeffee's but we still managed to have a taste of their famous but different style of nasi lemak and popiah Jalil (fresh vegetable spring roll).

The Istana Lama (old castle) was quite creepy despite such beautiful lighting.

Zahir Mosque was like a fairyland. Wonderful architecture and design too!

One of the Burmese staff accompanies his son playing by the beach. This scene was captured from my dining table at Coco Beach Restaurant, Langkawi.

Our Mangrove Tour guide exposing the tourists to the pleasures of rokok daun (traditional leaf roll cigarette). They really enjoyed its mild taste. I'll just bet the guide will be doing some  business once we're back at the jetty :P

Last stop for the Mangrove Tour, Barn Thai Jazzaurant, for a lovely Thai buffet lunch. Sad to say the place is slowly but almost surely falling apart. I wonder why the maintenance is sadly lacking. It's a wonderful place...

One of my dinner outings brought me to Airport Corner Cafe by the airport roundabout.

I sure have money to burn :P Buffet breakfast every morning at the Langkawi Lagoon Hotel, next door to where I was staying.

Staff feeding the penguins at Langkawi Water World. Quite a cutie but didn't manage to capture the face :P... oops!

It was pouring steadily almost every day i was in Langkawi. Here you can see that the water is positively rushing down my favourite Telaga Tujuh Waterfall.

Stopped for lunch at Laman Padi. Pricey, pricey, pricey! But as I said, I had money to burn then :P Cik Easy, you've just got to bring Nita over for a romantic evening dinner! It's absolutely wonderful! You'll positively have a chance to make 'number 3' when you get back to the hotel!

Scene by a roadside stall that sells heavenly laksa assam and truly wonderful rojak buah. It's at a corner on a road that passes right beside the airfield.

Durian Perangin Waterfall has never been one of my favourite spots but during rainy season it was positively lovely! And the kids sure know how to have fun!

My top favourite- Temurun Waterfall! Glad to see the water rushing down like this. Previously, I've only managed to see it during dry season and it the fall was such a pitiful trickle.

Well, that's all I can afford to show you folks!

Life's funny...

Life’s funny that way…

The one you want to talk to the most

is the one who ignores you

While the one you wish to ignore

is the one who wants to talk to you the most

Life’s funny that way…

How advanced...

Zerzer wished me happy birthday by text very early Friday morning.

Man wished me the same late Saturday afternoon.

A bit early, but these wishes I cherish the most,

being unexpected

and from guys who usually don’t give a rat’s a** about such stuff.

Much appreciated. May Allah watch over you and guide you always…

The food and the mood...

The amount of food I consume at a sitting is generally a good indication of my current state of being.

When I’m neither here nor there, neither happy nor sad, I usually manage to polish off quite an amount of food (which is to say I usually eat slightly more than your average person).

In a good mood, I may eat enough for two and I’m talking about adults, not pregnant ladies’ portion. The same happens when something is bothering me.

However, when I get extremely happy and content or very sad and depressed, my appetite packs up and goes away for a holiday.

At the moment, I can feel my appetite rummaging in the closet for things to throw into the suitcase.

No prizes for guessing how I’m feeling :P

Ceritera cinta...

Bertanya sang bayu padaku

Mengapa kau masih di situ

Tiadakah jemu kau menunggu

 

Dan buat seorang perindu

Penantian hanyalah waktu

Di kamus hatiku tiada istilah jemu

 

Hentikanlah saja jenaka bermadah

Biasa terlalu sering kudengar

Ceritera cinta tiada berubah

Hanya mimpi yang indah

Akhirnya nanti kecewa

 

Bukalah sedikit hatimu

Kenali siapa daku

Beri kupendam rasa hati

Malu mengakui

 

Hentikanlah saja jenaka bermadah

Biasa terlalu sering kudengar

Ceritera cinta tiada berubah

Hanya mimpi yang indah

Akhirnya nanti kecewa

 

Tanpa mahu mengakui kau pun di hati

Di luar sedar kau kurindui

Penantianmu hanya ruang waktu

Tiba masa ‘kan terbukti cintaku

Tak mudah percaya pada pengakuan

Aku di hatimu yang tersayang

Hentikanlah saja jenaka bermadah

Biasa terlalu sering kudengar

Ceritera cinta tiada berubah

Hanya mimpi yang indah

Akhirnya nanti kecewa