Balik Kampung and back again...

Where: From Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur

When: December 2007

Its that time of the year, where I pack my bags and head home! 3 weeks of fun and food with family and friends back home....oh yeah! Back to Boleh Land and Kay-El (capital of Msia!). Here are some of the stuff I captured on the way home...

Waiting area after check in at Melbourne Airport (what else to do but eat, wait and watch planes docking?)
The flight I took had to transit at Changi, Singapore. With 8 hours to spare, I toured the new Terminal 2,3 and also surrounding city late Friday night courtesy of Uncle Patrick and Aunty Susan ;).

At the back seat of Uncle's car, enjoying the bright Xmas decorations along Orchard Road. Wow! its so much better than Melbourne!

Deserted Terminal 2 in the wee hours.

Connecting train to all the stations. Its FOC by the way :)

The new T3 terminal. its soooooo vast inside, bright and very spacious!

Just before boarding the connecting flight to KL, spotted the worlds largest Panasonic FullHD Plasma 101" on display!

30,000 feet up and on the way back to KL from Singapore. Great view of the sunrise over the equator.

A great view deserves another take!

Strolling down Bukit Bintang road on the way to Pavillion, latest happening shopping center in KL.

A walk about in The Gardens Mid Valley. Another new upmarket shopping addition!

Xmas Decor at The Gardens, beats Melbourne's bland shopping center decors anytime..hehe

Leaving for Singapore from KLIA on board the 777. I'm gonna miss the Teh Tariks! It rained heavily as I bid farewell to boleh land..sigh

Arrival at Melbourne Airport early Saturday morning and awaiting pick up. Hmm, sun is bright, temp at a warm 38degrees. Woaah...Malaysia was cooler! Oh well, its back to life downunder and looking forward to get driving around in my new ride. Now where's my car...is that it in the distance there ???

Lancer MY08 vs Subary WRX MY05 on eye candy

When: Nov 2007
Where: Basement carpark somewhere in Melbourne....




Since I can't do a drag test to see who is faster (the lancer is a CVT auto and the WRX well is a 5sp manual turbo beast)...hehe, I decided to do a eye candy comparison by parking beside my colleague's rex.

I must say the new lancer has a very striking and agressive stance compared to the Rex. It appears taller and about to chew something off with its shark nose appearence. It looks "confident". The Rex looks tamer with its rounded big eyes and power hood.

The rivalry between subaru and mitsu continues to this very day and this pic I feel captures it. But you probably dont want to compare the lancer looks with the new MY08 Subaru hatchback WRX (pictured elsewhere in my blog). I feel subaru is gonna take the back seat this time as many WRX fans felt cheated by the new docile looking hatch. Stick to the MY05s or MY06s Rexes or go for the old school rexes and you should be fine.


Now imagine thats the Evo X instead beside the Rex. I think we found our new turbocharged winner !! :D Well done Mitsu! OK time to start up my sharky and get the heck outta here before the Rex wakes up! Lights on! GGG!

More Malaysian Food!!

When: Nov 2007
Where: The Palm Food Court, 213 Blackburn Rd, Glen Waverly, Melbourne.




Now what do 3 msian blokes do with a brand new car just collected from the dealer? Head from some msian food of course! Where else to find msian but in one of the msian stronghold in Glen Waverly? Hehehe, located along the very long Blackburn Rd, this establishment has been around for about 10 years judging form some newspaper cuttings posted on the notice board.


All kinds of msian food can be found here, from Satay to Roti canai, kuey teow to tom yam and my personal favourite here, the belacan spinach. Although not the best belacan meal I've had, it still quite decent. As with most asian food here, most are watered down to cater for caucasion taste buds. But the keuy teow has "extra spicy" setting which im keen to try the next round!




What we ordered (clockwise from bottom): Mee goreng, keuy teow, chicken satay, tom yum soup and belacan spinach!

Breakfast at 35th floor!

When: Nov 2007

Where: 35th floor, Cafe La, Sofitel, 25 Collins St Melbourne CBD.

Buffet and seating area.

View from the window. Fed square and St Kilda Rd in the background.

View from the window. Yarra river in the background and train tracks to Richmond station.

Atrium at 35th floor! impressive.

Thanks to a very bottomless pit of credit, my project manager treated us to a fabulous buffet breakfast at Cafe La on the 35th floor of Sofitel in Melbourne. Wow! Not only does this place has a superb view of Melbourne's skyline, but superb food as well. They have a selection of sausages, eggs, bacon, hash browns, grilled mushrooms, baked beans, bread, cereals and wide selection of juices and desserts. Ahhh...nothing like the good ol English style breakfast to start your day!...nyumms


Weblink: http://www.sofitelmelbourne.com.au/cpa/htm/htm_bar_dining.asp?page_id=16

Spring time

When: starting Oct

Where: everywhere in Melbourne

Wow, spring is here! Time for excellent days and slightly warmer nights. A great time to explore Melbourne and beyond! Daytime temp averages between 20-25, not too hot nor too cold..just perfect! Nights can still get chilly though, but not as bad as in winter. Flowers are everywhere, truely a sight to behold. Capture this pic right outside the house, never seen so much flowers blooming all over before! Wish you were here....

Arrivederci!!!

When: Nov 2007
Where: 191 Nicholson St, Carlton, Melbourne

The name means farewell, but I will definitely not bid farewell for this fabulous place to dine! Located along Nicholson St, its the perfect place to dine after work or on special occassions. Bruce, the head honcho will hook you up in no time with great food and excellent wine recomendations.

I had the pleasure to try a nice selection of fried rice balls, fried calamari, grilled pork sausages and duck meat balls for entrees. Delicious! With a healthy dose of Menabrea Italian Beer and white wine to go with the upcoming seafood, i really can't wait for the main course!

When Bruce brought it over, I made a big "WooooW, wat the heck is that?!". The main course was called Morton Bay Bugs and it comes highly recommended. Its somewhat like a lobster, only that it's head is flat. Looks prehistoric if you asked me. Anyway, you eat the white juicy sweet meat located below the shell, very much the same as a lobster's. I find this was way better than the lobsters I had in Malaysia. But then, I haven't been eating much lobsters anyway to tell the diferrence! Served grilled, we had about 5-6 pieces each and was enough to satisfy the hungriest bloke that night.

Bravo Bruce!!! (forgive the low res pics from my phone cam...not enough light ler..)

My Blue Suede Shoes!

When: Oct 2007

Where: Melbourne

Ok, now this is 12 years in the making. I first laid eyes on them way back in 1995 and reallly wanted to get it. It wasnt until now I could get them and ahh.....it felt good! My own pair of Converse Blue Suedes! yeah!! Old school man...kekek

Factory Outlet shopping

When: Oct 2007
Where: Smith St, Collingwood, Melbourne




Courtesy tip from Mr Kumar, I finnally found where the factory outlets was in Melbourne. I'm sure that there's a few more around, but these are the ones I found on Smith St. Take the tram number 86 from the city (Burke St) and it will take you right here. Outlets are on both sides of the road, so take your time hopping from one to another. There are outlets for Nike, Adidas, Fila, Brooks, New Balance, Converse, Timberland just to name a few.


However, I found that the prices were not that cheap, so you best do a bit of comparison first. If you're buying to take home overseas, it maybe be more costly due to exchange rate...hehe

Divali celebrations in Melbourne

Where: Federation Square, Melbourne CBD
When: 13 Oct 2007




Divalli (Deepavali) or Hindu's festival of lights, came early this year in Melbourne with a big gathering at Federation Square in the city. There were dances, shows and previews of up coming Bollywood films. Also, there were all kinds of food stalls manned by many Indian restaurant operators from all over town. Thumbs up to the dancers who did a good job, especially on the unusually long bollywood dance numbers, and also the caucassion dancers that joined in! Not bad at all :P

More mamak in Melbourne

Where: Near the corner of Elizabeth and La Trobe St, Melbourne CBD (opposite Melbourne Central)
When: Oct 2007






The quest for more Malaysian food has led me to Bismi's restaurant branch in the city. Quite famous amongst the student community here. They serve excellent Briyanni and recently as I've found out, not too bad Maggi Goreng as well!



Aaahh...here is the maggi goreng with lamb and teh tarik on the side. Bear in mind that there are at least 2 maggi packs in there and heck loads of mince lamb bits. Wooa...I couldn't finish it and had to pack some home.

Subaru Interactive @ Docklands

Where: Subaru Interactive, Docklands Melbourne

When: 7th Oct 2007

Visited the Subaru showroom at Docklands to get a hand's on feel of the new rex. The showroom is up on Lorimer St, which is quite near the city centre.

The Docklands marina where all the "boat people" park their boats.

Signboard leading to the showroom which doubles as a service centre as well. The STi badge is proudly being displayed. There is a dedicated STi showroom just for Subaru's STi beasts.

Ahhh...the new rex MY08. Sadly shape wise is way out in my opinion. Actually based on many of Rex fans out there. It uses the same 2.5 litre boxer from the previous MY06/07 plus a few tweaks. You can see that Subaru is trying to make it look more finer and classy to move up market I guess. It looks more friendly and something people may consider for their kid going to college?? Also its a hatch now, no more sedan. But on the showroom floor it does seem kinda bossy with its cool blue color and big 17" alloys.

Cut out of the famous 4 cylinder (H4) boxer engine that started it all. Famed for its low centre of gravity and excellent balance drive output. A turbo just makes it all too evil...hehe

This is the small theater room where you can learn more about impreza and the symetrical All wheel drive system. There is impeza chassis in the middle, displaying the engine, suspension and the AWD system.

Now this is what i'm talking about! The slightly older 04 STi was marked sold and its owner will soon be tearing down the streets with 320bhps!

Now this is the car to consider. The Liberty 2.5 GT. Same boxer turbo as the Rex but with luxury you can just melt in...hehe.. Leather seats are electronically adjustable with all the goodies like Sat Nav and i-drive knob thingy in the middle console. Wow! But I find the space inside is not that big for a large sedan car. All in all, I'm seeing stars from all that Subaru badges all over the place....alright, time to bugger off now..!!

Mamak quest leads to Rich Maha!

When: Sept 2007
Where: A lane on Little Collins and Elizabeth St, Melbourne CBD


My quest to find an authentic mamak in Melbourne has met with great success this time by locating this quaint little branch of Rich Maha's right in middle of Melbourne town. For those who don't own a car to drive to the "mother" branch on Burwood Highway, you can take a train to the city and walk down Little Collin's St to find this place.



Here are some pics:The entrance just off Little Collins St. If you are not careful you would just miss it. I know I did the first time! hehee...


Since I was running out of time and still full from the Briyani lunch at Clayton, I just ordered a Teh Tani (Teh Tarik ) and quietly observe the shop.

Thats the odering counter where you will find heaps of familiar Malaysian mamak shop cuisine :P sold at a premium if you convert to RM...hehe So don't convert and its still affordable!! hehe. They dish out rice, briyani, curries, rotis, satays, vadais and Mee goreng. Almost all you need is there! hehe..I'm gonna take my time with this place and slowy explore the menu. So I may update this post from time to time...hehe

oooh yea! That a nice cuppa of Teh Tani alright!! The posters in the background are Visit Malaysia Yr 2007...Malaysia Boleh!!! Don't ask me why the shop was deserted on a Saturday afternoon. Doesn't matter as long I get that tea in!!

Assault on Kampung Cina

Where: Kampung China, Setiawan, Perak
When: July 2007

Wooaaa...can't help but blog about this mouth watering experience when we stopped over at Setiawan on the way to Penang. Located at Kampung Cina (Chinese Village) hehehe,...this seafood restaurant threw up some local delicacies thats reallllllllly pleasing to both the eye and stomach. Let me introduce you to some of them:


From left: Claypot curry prawns in coconut milk, Stir fried calamari in kung-pao spicy sauce.

From left, clockwise: A bit out of the pic is delicious fried meehoon, Fried Fu-yong Egg, Boiled water snail thingy and Steamed fish with Assam sauce

Being near to the sea and a fisherman area, the price is cheap and it's big on taste. If you're in the vicinity of Lumut or Setiawan, you know where to get cheap and great chinese food ;)

Boring show? Its time for a nap

Where: THX cinema, GSC Summit USJ

When: June 2006

Ok, now this is down right disturbing. Before the show even starts, this movie patron curls up on the seat (feet on the seat) and pulls an sweater over her self. Guess what? Goes to sleep!!! What in the world???? Should I even bother asking why? Nahhhh....Blog It!

Kancil MPV - 7 seater car

Where: Somewhere in KL
When: July 2007

Check this out. I captured a pic of this car while driving in KL. This kancil appeared infront of me, and I initially thought it was some stuff toy at the back. If you look carefully, you can see a kid lying on top of the speaker board of the kancil!

Worse still, when I pull up alongside the kancil, I saw 2 adults in the front, one holding a child on the lap with no restraints. 3 kids at the back seat (no seat belts of course!) and 1 more kid lying on the speaker board!!

There you have it folks, only in Malaysia : The Kancil 7 seater MPV !!! Malaysia Boleh!!!

Need a ride?

Where: Elizabeth Street, Melbourne CBD

Woaa! After walking around in the CBD, you can't help but notice superbikers riding around and revving their powerful steeds especially when accelerating from the red light. I sort of followed their thundering exhaust sounds to Elizabeth St, and eventually found out where they are heading to. Up Elizabeth St, close to the La Trobe St intersection, you will find a number of bike shops in a row. The machines, both used and new, spill out from the shops unto the sidewalk.

Curious, I poped in to look at some Japanese makes thats really "untouchable" back in Malaysia (priced RM60K above). Not before long I stumbled into the legendary Japanese Bird of Prey, yeppp the Hayabusa GSXR 1300. I caught the 2007 model sitting unchallenged in the shop's sales floor and can't help myself getting a few pics of it and it's price tag!

Not far from this vicious bird, stood it's smaller but no lesser potent bethren the CBR 1000RR . Also a 2007 model, I can't help but click my camera's trigger. Both colors shemes bound to come to alive above 200kmh and just burn it's competition away in a blast of hot exhaust! Banzai!

Now....if the weather wasn't that unpredictable and motor license in hand, I may have traded my wallet and all the cards contained within for either one of these speed demons!