Rowie's Scribbles

Due to the recent writing rush , I keep track of the blog's viewership by entering Blogger Dashboard > Stats. Here I can see the results of Blogger's records on source of traffic, no of pageviews and posts with high no of hits.  Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that the top 2 articles garnering a lot of readers are Fancy A Massage in Bangsar? and Malaysian Passport Renewal Online ; the former because many people enjoy traditional massages in Malaysia so it's a good move to read up on other people's experience - the latter because many people are skeptical of the online renewal procedure, particularly after the scare that many won't be able to get their passports renewed on time. As a blogger, i t's interesting to see which articles are popular among the readers, even though this blog is purely a hobby for me. If I were to truly depend on my blog for income, articles like this one would be insightful. To be honest, I'm always thinking and wond...

Update: The Bangsar branch as shut down.  I had Japanese food only 3 times in my life: once at Sushi Zanmai (Gardens, Midvalley) and Senjyu (Bangsar Village II). I was interested in the LivingSocial deal for Senjyu because the reviews were not too bad and the location was very convenient, so RM35 for RM70 cash voucher was very attractive. So on a Friday night, me and colleagues went there for dinner and I learned a few lessons: 1) You need good wasabi - the wasabi at Senjyu was fine but I've had better. 2) Never underestimate the portions! 3) Freshness is key Sorry I posted this a little late...so I can't recall some of the dishes, but my verdict? I don't mind going back again without the LivingSocial deal; service was good and the freshness in every bite won me over!  Attractive exterior Waiting lounge Extensive selection of Japanese alcohol Paper crane decor Green tea Wasabi Omelette Grilled salmon Interesting "boat...

I watched this film yesterday night; I was a bit surprised that there were good seats available on the 2nd day...a friend watched it on opening day and he warned not to have high expectations. That was the best advice to help me enjoy the show as much as I could.  Plot Set in the future, Earth is the slums and only a privileged few get to stay on Elysium, a space station orbiting Earth. The analogue here: Earth - somewhere in Latin America, Elysium - California with white mansions and lush green lawns. I presume every home on Elysium has a Med-Pod which can heal any injury or illness. Residents on Earth have to rely on hospitals for meds and many don't receive help until it's too late. Droids patrol and police the planet, under the command of Elysian Secretary of Defense Jessica Delacourt (a French villain seems so stereotypical) who is determined to keep Elysium the way it is, even if it means shooting down shuttles bringing illegal immigrants who are desperate to access ...

Klang has got the best bah kut teh but since it's not very convenient to drive there to satisfy the craving, luckily KL has a reprieve for these sudden urges. Look for Xin Wah Restaurant next to Carrefour (now AEON Big) along Jalan Peel and you'll be in for a treat. They serve the soupy and dry version, along with assorted variety of stir fried vegetables. The lala steamed with wine is also a hit here.  Fresh lala Stir-fried spinach You can park right in front of the restaurant as they book the nearby lots for patrons. I just had dinner there with family (it was a substitute for Hokkien mee at Ruby Restaurant which was too busy), so it was nice to have decent BKT at a decent price.  BKT soup Dry BKT Stir fried Romaine lettuce Note that you can't order the extra stuff like mushrooms, etc, but for RM13/head, the soup version with tau foo pok and yao char kuay was satisfactory. The soup had a strong herbal taste; not too bitter but light enough to...

One of the most highly anticipated films of 2012, The Avengers does not disappoint. From a stellar cast to brilliant scriptwriting, the movie unites some of Marvel's most beloved superheroes in a fight to protect Earth from a powerful menace.  Plot A physicist reluctantly leaves his self-exile to follow a Russian spy. A man out of time tries to adjust to the modern world and contemplates his loss and sorrow. A billionaire playboy genius agrees to help a secret government body but he's suspicious of S.H.I.E.L.D's intentions. A thunder god from another world seeks out his rascal of a brother. All these individuals with their strengths and troubles come together to fight the god of mischief, Loki and to contain the power of the Tessaract.  Loki is not without his skills; he manages to turn Hawkeye against S.H.I.E.L.D and attempt to use the Tesseract to open a portal allowing the extraterrestial army Chitauri to conquer Earth. The Avengers have to overcome their resis...

After being cooped up at home, I asked a few friends to watch the new Star Trek movie. I've seen the first one and I've not followed the original TV series so I didn't have high expectations for the movie franchise. I did like the first film so I was looking forward to the more grim-looking sequel. Plot A sickly child receives blood from a mysterious donor and miraculously heals. In return, the father blows up Section 13 in London. Pike, Kirk and Spock are called to find the bomber  identified as rogue agent John Harrison. However Harrison ambushes a meeting between Starfleet commanders and flees to Kronos, a Klingon stronghold. Pike is killed in the attack, so Admiral Marcus assigns Kirk and Spock to pursue Harrison and shoot him with a prototype torpedo.  In their quest to capture Harrison, the crew of Enterprise battle Klingon and wrestle with fractures within the team only to learn that Harrison's motives are not as simple as they thought and a bigger plan h...

I recently bought an iPad mini and got to using the Penultimate app. It links with Evernote (another app that I use on my phone, see the Windows 7.5 and Windows 8 review) so you can retrieve your notes from the internet any time.  At the tap/swipe of the finger, you can turn over to a fresh page. Use the finger to sketch or 'finger write' notes. My first sketch was of Sailormoon haha!  Not a bad effort huh? :p I would like to try use a manuscript paper as the background and write out a somewhat stylized sheet music, it seems like the option that would take up less space and easier to perform!  In the meantime, I'll try my hand at Temple Run and Fruit Ninja, definitely addictive! :D

I'm not a huge fan of curry laksa but there's one place I would not hesitate to go for this savoury dish and that's at Kedai 198 at the corner of Jalan Brunei Utara, a short walk down from Shaw Parade (parking fee is only RM2 and it's indoor). The proprietor is flexible and follows your preferences to the tee. So if I don't want chi pei (pork fat), more vegetables, less noodles, I'll get the curry laksa the way I want it. The store also sells wan tan mee, chicken rice and porridge.  Note: the curry laksa broth is not heavy with the typical coconut milk; it's lighter and by default generously dosed with vegetables (spinach, mint etc). It's not too spicy either so this is a rather mild version of curry laksa.  There's a variety of drinks to go with your meal; I always go for the umbra juice because it's a rush of bitter, sour and fresh! There's coconut juice, lime lemon, and herbal tea. Curry laksa Wan tan mee soup Wan tan mee...

I walked by this store once while accompanying a colleague to another store and decided to try it out. It's got a quaint feel; there's the old grinder used to press out soy milk, and football memorabilia adorns the walls. There's only 3 occupants (besides the owner, who serves really good herbal tea) - the biggest being the dai chao store, then a Western food/fried rice store and a fish ball noodle store. I've not tried the Western food and I only ordered the fish ball noodle soup once (maybe I came late but I was not full after gulping that bowl), so the dai chao is currently my favorite store there.  Shop's welcome sign Soy bean grinder Football memorabilia Homemade leong sui Tip: Order everything at once, including the da bao coz in my experience, ordering the da bao in the middle will cause you to wait a good 10 minutes for the da bao after you've finished eating.  Old-school Coca Cola bottle Hokkien mee Cantonese yin yong ...