The Pleasure of Being OUTDOOR...

2nd March 2009, 2 members of the Leong family (Seh tat and Chow Wei) were down in KL for some work..so Hwai Hong and I decided to give them a warm welcome.. Seh tat was at Bangi, Chow Wei was at Puchong while HH and I were in Klang; the middle? = MidValley...

I couldnt think of any place which was affordable in Midvalley since everything was slightly above average..Finally, i decided to bring the guys to Canton-i located in the Gardens..But come to think of it, prices at Canton-i were quite "nice"..This restaurant was featured in the tv program Ho-Chiak during their Chinese New Year special..so whats good here.?.according to the prog, it was their egg tarts and dumpling..But forget about the dumpling..we were there for pork and meat that day since poor ol Seh Tat hasnt been eating "babi" for awhile..In their promo advert outside the shop, however, Canton-i also boast their specialty in roast duck..so, there you go..we ordered all that...

Its hard to imagine that a place like Canton-i has its customers to fill up their menu themselves..I usually relate self-service-menu-filling to restaurants like Old town and Kim Gary..somehow the concept didnt fit for Canton-i.. Well the food at Canton-i was quite good...BUT..there is a big BUT...sorry la, i have tasted better wantan mee, roast duck and egg tart at much much cheaper prices tim...The egg tart here costs RM 1.70 if my memory serves me right..the typical egg tart costs RM1.20 while the best that i have eaten costs RM2.5o. at JB..Their wantan mee also costed a whopping RM14...Typical wantan mee costs RM 3 and the best (very near my house) costs RM 6...The guys couldnt agree more that the duck was somehow lacking behind what we used to eat during our good ol' times in Johor..It was a humble lil' restaurant smack right in the middle of Taman Universiti called "Kong Kee"..We ate there almost every week and the place is always packed with ppl in the afternoons..

So far, my comments havent been fair to Canton-i as i benchmarked it against the best...but overall i give this place a two thumbs up..Try their wan tan mee with their spicy pork..their price however was just a little off the mark..All the dishes below plus a char siew fan, a teh ais, another blooming tea and a mango pudding costed us RM 126.70 that day..Surprised by the price? But its not really about the price and the good food and atmosphere that counts, at the end of the day, its the nice warm fuzzy feeling when u get to meet old pals that you used to hangout with..reminiesence about the good old times..The price for the moment = priceless..Big hugs for the band of brothers..

Pic: Seh tat giving a two thumbs up

Pic: Watch the flower in your drink bloom
















Pic: With the rest of the guys

1st March 2009 marks the calenders where it was the official day for the opening of Hotel Cube, Bukit Bintang..The concept was simple, mid income consumers who just needed a cheap yet comfortable place to stay for the night, be it leisure or business..The hotel sets apart from the other budget hotels within the vicinity in that it offers better security, wireless internet access and a private toilet (other budget hotels have a common toilet, so you SHARE your private moments, lol)..Why am i promoting this hotel? Well, cos its my cousin's hotel!!..so proud=).. The location of the hotel is at Jalan Pudu (refer article Towerthon for map location) and its very near to sources of transport (LRT, Bus, Taxi) and shopping malls (Times Square, Sungei Wang, Low Yat)




Pic: Future renovations to include a bar at the balcony

29th February 2009, Devin organized a Birthday/Reunion dinner for two of our foreign student friends; Elly and Leila. Its been 3 months since we all have graduated from our MBA; most of us went our own separate ways. Some of got married, some got a job, some furthered their studies, some still chilling out...many things have changed..some things however will still remain the same..May our friendship lasts forever..cheers to the Birthday girls!!

The venue for this time’s gathering was set at Cheras in a Restaurant called Milwaukee..I recall they have other branches as well and it seems that they are affiliated with Harley Davidson Club..Anyway, the place was recommended by my lui luis mei jing and chin mien (Chin Mien & Mei Jing, 2008)..and so i recommended this place to the organiser..

It’s a very nice restaurant suitable for casual dining and also a place for beer or two..The food here is nice, that is, if you know which one is good..so far, I have only tried their cordon bleu, chicken little and fish (I forgot wat fish)...and their price range is very reasonable but don’t be surprised to see a steak on the menu costing RM 170 per plate…so it really depends on what you order..I have heard that some of the chops aren’t that good: will need time to discover that one out..Anyway, the guys had a great time at this place..Here are pictures taken during the gathering..

Pic: When my lui2's first introed the place to me

Pic: My own version of Towerthon (routes taken)

28th March 2009, Towerthon 2009 was the following day and so, i decided to have my own fair share of Towerthon experience..its not like i participated in the actual race, but i tagged along with one of the participant for the trial run, just to have a feel of what its like..We first took a LRT from KL Sentral and alighted at Hang Tuah station..further down the road was the historical building of Pudu Jail..The complex however, is not in service anymore.. The tale goes that one of the inmates actually painted the wall with his bare hands..but i think thats just crap cos yer fingers are gonna wrinkle sh**..y i say so? cos i have tried it before and the paint really burns ur fingers after awhile...the mural painting is the longest of its kind and is even listed in the Guiness Book of records..that's kewl..

The second stop (the second red dot) which is just around the corner is a place worthwhile mentioning..Thats my cousin's hotel!!..and its grand opening was the very next day...here's a sneak peak..The hotel is located very near Jalan Bukit Bintang and of course within a stone throw to big malls like Sungei Wang, Times Square, Low Yat etc.

Pic: Hotel Cube (Opening 1st March)

Our aim that day was to head down to KL Tower for the trial run...and mind you, we walked all the way there..This was to get my friend some warmed up, prior to the competition the next day..and paise, i really pancit (still dare to say)..lol..we walked approximately 6km that day, not including the climb up KL tower..
Pic: Jalan Bukit Bintang..(3rd red spot)
Pic: Stop at Jalan Alor for lunch..(4th red spot)
Well, this is Jalan Alor in the daytime..This place is usually packed with people at night..and its definately the place for good authentic Malaysian food..Its been quite awhile since i last came to this place and honestly, I was lost! and i even forgot what's good here. So anyway, we just bantai 2 dishes and they turned out delicious.. Pic: Spicy wantan mee, Black pepper Udon

Pic: Finally, were getting close to KL Tower (5th red spot)
Pic: Fireman abseiling from tower during a drill (6th red spot)

















Pic: Inside of KL Tower using the "road not taken"

The entrance fee to KL Tower costs RM 38 per person!..but we werent going in through the usually way that day...KL Towerthon runners were allowed to go through trial runs and i had the privilege to do so with the company of a runner..Six flights of stairs equals to a floor..and we had to climb 23 floors..it was really exhausting..and throughout my climb, i got cheated 3 times by the guards..All of them said "sikit lagi sampai" (abit more will reach) which in fact meant "banyak lagi"(hell more)

Pic: Mushtaro..

When we reached to the peak, we were allowed to use the elevator back down..I can still recall the faces of the gwailos when the elevator doors opened..Ding!!.. O.O"
They must be thinking what on earth happened to us..a guy and a gal phanting and sweating profusely!! Back at ground zero..i guzzled down 3 bottles of water..this was really an unforgetable experience..Thanks to yee leng for the experience!
Pic: I have never felt that glad to be back on ground zero again

















The trip ended with a short walk to KLCC and from there, we boarded a train back to Sentral

Pic: Honolulu Bistro, Jalan P. Ramlee..cute!