Rowie's Scribbles

My stomach grumbles as 11.00am approaches; lunch time is officially between 12-1pm (we can opt for 1-2pm but most of us are too hungry to wait!) and I usually leave around 11.50am with my lunch kakis. I'm fortunate that my office is within close proximity to good food places, especially with a car! My favorite question everyday is "what to eat for lunch ah?" Hence starts this series of mini articles detailing the lunch makan places :) Mei Sin Coffeeshop Located at the corner between Jalan Melati and Jalan Khoo Teik Ee, this coffeeshop is bustling during lunch time, so I suggest to go early so you won't be left with the "hot" seats (hot - near the chef's stove). My personal favorite is the pork noodles; for RM4.50, the soup is not too "porky"-  just the way I like it. Other alternatives are the char kuay teow (pretty good) and the kai si hor fun (dry version is better, but I find it too oily).  Pork noodles yum Kai si hor fun ...

I recently watched this 2003 romantic comedy film on DVD; it's more a showcase of Gwyneth Paltrow's fine legs than a romantic comedy but there's enough romance and laughter to make it an enjoyable flick. Plot Donna is a small town girl from Nevada who seems to be content with her job at Big Lots and her boyfriend but somehow feels there's something bigger waiting for her out there. When her boyfriend leaves her for another woman on the grounds that she belongs in Nevada, a chance glimpse at Sally Weston, air stewardess extraordinaire, inspires Donna to sign up as an air stewardess with Sierra Airlines, a small commuter airline whose passengers are mostly drunks and gamblers.  She then convinced her fellow workers Sherry and Christina to try their luck with Royalty Airlines. Donna and Christine make the cut and they enroll in training camp under the eccentric John Witney, who previously aspired to be an air steward but became a trainer instead due to his...

Oh how time flies. I can't believe my juniors who were first-yrs when I was a final yr student will be graduating come October. Seriously, where did all the years go? Now they're hunting for jobs, going for interviews, some of them already got a job. I remember my path was somewhat similar, albeit easier I suppose. I miss 4 things the most from university life:  1) Living solo I stayed away from home for the first time when I enrolled at UMP. Somehow the transition wasn't difficult for me; I enjoyed my space even though the dorm was nothing to shout. I enjoyed driving out to shop for groceries or just for a meal. I liked the routine of running the machine, folding clothes; somehow since I got home, I've not been able to adjust to living with other people again. I'm improving but I sometimes yearn to lie down in my small narrow cot (top side of a double-decker bed) under the fan and dozing off alone in the room.  2) Freedom The only curfew I adhered...

Read about Day 2 here.  Day 3 We'd breakfast buffet and watched the sun spread its rays over the lake. Too bad I didn't get to catch the sunrise! We took the boat ride back to Parapat; upon arriving, our guide informed that a bridge collapsed the night before, luckily the bridge is still accessible, else we'll have to go back the way we came, ie back up to Berastagi and down to Medan, instead of heading to Medan directly from Parapat. Whew!  Our next stop was the Paten shop, owned by local Chinese selling a variety of snacks. The store provided sampling of all the products; after trying out a significant amount of snacks, I bought dodol and some biscuits. We stopped for lunch at a local restaurant but I was full so me and some friends bought light food from a convenience store nearby. Green bean ice-cream coated with chocolate tasted AMAZING.  Sampling galore! Typical panel entrance Green bean ice cream I like the panel design! ...

Continued from Day 1 Day 2 We'd an early morning breakfast before checking out and headed to Parapat, the town at the edge of Lake Toba. We stopped by to see the Sipiso-piso Waterfall. The waterfall originates from a small underground river that flows out to the lake's caldera. The name comes from the word "piso" which means "blades" as the waterfall seems to drop shards into the gorge below. You can opt to hike down but we were pressed for time so we settled for views of the waterfall and the lake.  Our next stop was Permatang Pauh, a Simalungan Batak village with restored houses. Fact: there are many Batak tribes in North Sumatera but say Horas and you'll be greeted warmly! There are 2 paths to the village; the main one (in the open) was used by the chief, while the tunnel was used by the ladies.  Traditional Batak colors of black, red and white adorn the houses. There's the chief village house where the many wives sleep ...