I haven't written a sentimental post for quite some time. In between arguing passionately in court, rushing through the daily grind and welcoming a very important person to cat city, this blog has become somewhat redundant- save for a couple of makeshift updates with pathetic photos.

I sent my nano novel to Archangel for his perusal. Yes, the novel which didn't quite make it to stardom. Written hastily in a month, I dreamt that it would make me the JK Rowling of Sarawak. Of course, coming back to reality, it never happened.

Reading through the outrageous stuff that I wrote, I realised the myriad and complexity of emotions I was going through during the months of September to November 2005. Work wasn't exactly satisfying, and my personal life was hanging on a thread. Under such circumstances, I really couldn't blame myself for coming up with such an outrageous plot for my story.

Couple of months down the road, reading the draft just somehow made me laugh. The people whom I depicted in the story now do not matter anymore. The plots and the storyline do not exhillirate me.

So, I ask myself... what am I going to do with the 40k plus worth of junk which I so laboriously wrote back in the crazy month of November 2005?

I do not know. :)

 

 

For Sarawakians, Indonesia is only a few steps away.

Tebedu, a small town about 80 kilometres away from Kuching, is one's gateway to Indonesia. The moment one passes through immigration clearance at Tebedu checkpoint, and proceed towards Entikong checkpoint, you will be able to sense the difference.

Here are some precious pics I captured on my brief visit to Entikong, the West Kalimantan border town about 2 weeks ago:

Something which is illegal less than 50 feet away is sold like any other sundry goods in the makeshift stall. Take note- under S. 29 of the Sarawak Wildlife Protection Ordinance, a person can be fined up to RM20,000 and may also be liable to 2 years imprisonment, if found in possession of derivatives of a totally protected wildlife species (eggs etc).

What remains of a once bustling marketplace.

makeshift shops...

gateway to West Kalimantan.

 

The gate in blue, demarcates the Malaysian boundary. If you squint your eyes you will be able to see a light green gate which demarcates the Indonesian border.

Stand in the middle, and you're Indo-Malay. :D No pun intended.

Attended a charity dinner last night. Ladies only wor...
I dont have time to do a proper write up, so you'll have to rely on my pictures. :D
Enjoy and have a good weekend!

An overview of the event. Black and white balloons.. and I thought I had enough black and white for the week.


The simple yet elegant stage.


"Beyonce, eat your heart out".


Check out her legs.


The princess..


Emcee of the night...


Feather-rama.


More feathers...


OK, she looked like a girl. Honest.


My favourite costume of the night. Pretty...




The very glitzy Tina Turner.

I don't know why, but I was constantly reminded of Hao Da Ger's pic when I saw these ladies on stage last night:

His picture in drag which "would be explained someday". Perhaps its about time he did. Eh Eddie?
(pic used without permission from www.cooknengr.com)
Edit 24.3.2007 @1700: The mystery is revealed! Go check it out!

Dear friends,

I have finally sorted out my pics which I took during the past two weeks and now I shall share them with you. :)

First stop- Top Hats Restaurant, KL:

A lot of friends have said that there are many places to go in KL for fine dining and stuff. However, I have to say that Top Hats Restaurant at Jalan Kia Peng remains my perennial favourite. The colonial style bungalow residence exudes charm and tranquility. The menus are changed once every three months, leaving eager diners coming back for more culinary delights. Archangel and I never fail to come to Top Hats whenever we are both in KL. We love Mrs. Danker's warm hospitality~she always makes us feel at home, whenever we are dining at Top Hats. People at Top Hats are passionate about their business, and it is this passion which attracts diners like a magnet. I did a review of Top Hats last year, but I couldn't resist promoting them again this year. :D

Here's what we had for lunch at Top Hats:

For starters:

The signature dish of Top Hats- top hats! (aka kueh pie-tee). A must try. The home made chilli sauce is absolutely delicious.

Grilled salmon with avocado~I didn't get the full name of this dish. Thumbs up for the salmon. Yummy!

For mains:

Lamb shank resting on a bed of couscous. So tender you could feel the meat melt in your mouth... heavenly.

Seafood cooked in curry sauce and served with grilled cucumbers~think mussels, scallops, prawns etc in a creamy curry sauce. Delightful!

For dessert, we had:

Top Hat's signature tiramisu. Sinfully delicious right to the last bite.

Warm chocolate pudding with ice-cream. Let your senses guide you as the warm, moist chocolate sauce oozes out of the pudding.. mmmmm...

Last but not least, let me introduce you to the most expensive champagne I've ever seen...

O_O Dom Perignon (Vintage 1996). We didn't have this obviously. :P

I'd like to thank Carolyn and Aunty Maria for making this lunch date a very special occassion. Hugs to the both of you! :D

2nd stop:Ikea!

You would all probably know by now that I am a sucker for Ikea furniture. Actually, I believe its the Swedish meatballs they serve in their restaurant which keeps me going back for more.

Here's what my brother and I had for lunch:

Swedish meatballs (10s) -RM8.90 plus free flow of soft drinks.

Daim cake- strongly recommended for chocolate lovers.

And I *heart* this lamp!

Lamp 1 and Lamp 2 are detachable from each other. So you get two lamps for the price of one! I love it. But due to lack of space at home, I left it with my brother. Oh well...

Third Stop: Ikano Power Centre

Who could resist looking at the cute pets for sale at the Ikano pet safari? Photography isn't allowed though, but I managed to sneak a few pictures.

Here you go:

Would you like to keep Sonic as a pet?

Gerbils/Guinea Pigs? You be the judge.

Ok, and to wrap up my KL tour, here's my favourite noodles in Kota Kemuning:

Wat Tan Mien Sien (Thin Noodles in Egg Gravy)

and also, not forgetting the infamous Cendol at Pak Lim kopitiam (a franchise food outlet which has been endorsed by the local tv show- Jalan Jalan Cari Makan)

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Blogdrive, being the host to Memory Lane for the past 2 years, has been a reasonably good blog host. I haven't experienced major problems with them, but there are shortcomings, two glaring ones being:

1) no chinese character support

2) no password protect options

There is a lot happening in my life lately, which i'd love to share, and I would also like to write about stuff which I'd kept mum about for the past few years. However, I do not feel comfortable baring my soul to the whole world-- and ideally, I'd like to restrict access to certain posts to close friends. I know, its frustrating isn't it?

Many people have suggested wordpress. However the formatting options of wordpress (especially on the blog layout) is pretty much restricted. Oh well, guess you can't have it all.

Any suggestions?