The smiles on children's faces...

On 30th October, a Children's Carnival had been held at the main hall of Langkawi Parade and I was invited by Lenny from Lenny Music Centre. The event started at 10am when children were divided into different age categories and a colouring contest had begun! Many parents were there to show their support; siblings of the contestants and performers were there to join in the fun.

Games were arranged to entertain the kids.

Little performers were waiting for their turn.

Kids were sitting on the floor and waiting for the show to begin.

Remarkable performances put up by the talented children, teens and adults.

While I was taking photos, kids approached me and asked me to capture their photos as well. They were very happy to pose for the camera.

The smiles on their faces, the laughter that filled the hall and the carefreeness that glowed from them made me feel young again.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I was at Beach Garden Resort on one of the weekdays. The environment was relaxing and the lighting was just fine as the afternoon sun wasn't blazing. I ordered a jug of beer, sat back and watched the world went by before me while slowly drinking away.

I observed my surrounding, looking for something to catch my eye before I got my camera at the ready. A few moments later, a family with three daughters sat down at the table beside us and their children ran towards to shore with their buckets and shovels.

Their cheekiness and playfulness got my attention. I grabbed my camera, went over to their parents and asked for permission if I could take photos of the girls. They gladly said: "Yeah, sure! Go ahead."




Another family whom came later brought a girl and sat down at a nearby table. The little girl in red smilingly joined the other three.


She was one of the cutest and most beautiful things I'd ever seen! Her indigo round eyes, light brown hair, and shy smile made me think of an angel.

There's a quote by Muhammad Ali that I can't agree more - Children make you want to start life over. While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about. Whatever they grow up to be, they are still our children, and the one most important of all the things we can give to them is unconditional love. Not a love that depends on anything at all except that they are our children.

Penang Trip #6 Day 3

Hey, peeps! It's been almost a month since I last updated my blog. Sorry for the lack of updates these months, I've been having my time almost fully spent on career, family and friends. However, I don't tend to quit writing because this blog has been with me since I was in uni, and it has a collection of fond memories and previous moments.

Xuan Xin Restaurant

It was the last day in Penang. We went to Gurney Plaza to have the last meal in Penang during that trip and did a little shopping. I felt like eating dim sum for lunch that day. We went around the new wing of the mall and chanced upon a newly opened Chinese restaurant - Xuan Xin Restaurant. The place looked like a simple yet modern Chinese restaurant with cozy chairs and relaxing environment.

Milk Tea

The milk tea was really good. It was smooth and had a thick tea flavour which didn't overpower the coffee's aroma.

Porridge

We each ordered a set lunch which came with a bowl of plain porridge and side dishes. Although very smooth, the porridge was tasteless. That's when the light soy sauce and pepper came in handy.

The side dishes included were:

Omelet

Simple and wholesome omelet with the filling of chopped spring onions, onions and chillis. This dish went well with the porridge.

Steamed Broccoli

Huge florets of broccoli that were simply steamed to perfection but the crunchiness inside still retained.

Sweet and Sour Pork

The pork fillet were nicely marinated and deep-fried to golden brown. The sweet and sour sauce was excellent!

Other than side dishes, we also ordered a few dim sum dishes to try.

Siew Mai & Har Gao

Breaded Curry Chicken

Hong Kong Style Chee Cheong Fun

Wu Kok (Deep-fried Yam Dumpling)

Egg Tarts

That's a lot of food for two persons, isn't it?




Xuan Xin Restaurant
170-03-86, Plaza Gurney,
Persiaran Gurney
10250, Penang

Phone: 04-229 7882 (Reservation Hotline)
Fax: 04-835 1125

Business Hours:
Open Daily from 10.30am till 10.00pm

Penang Trip #6 Day 2 - Food-Hunt in Ipoh and Penang

Wei Tze has always been adventurous with food hunting. On day 2, we took a 3-hour drive down to Ipoh for different and authentic Ipoh food.

We landed on an old street in the heart of Ipoh. There was a scattering of restaurants and shop lots. Since it was our first time there for a food-hunt, we randomly picked a restaurant and went in. It wasn't crowded and not all stalls were in operation.

Ipoh White Coffee

This was the first true Ipoh white coffee I had tried. It's so much different from the iced coffee that you could get in Penang as it had a nice bittersweet aroma that I found very pleasant.

Fried Flat Rice Noodle

Although this dish looked like the normal Penang Char Kuey Teow, it tasted somewhat different. It had a sweeter flavour than Penang char kuey teow, and the the noodle was slightly thicker.

Rice Noodle with Shredded Chicken (Sar Hor Fun)

This was one of the popular dishes in Ipoh. Flat rice noodle was served in dark coloured gravy with crunchy beansprouts, shredded chicken and prawns. When the plate was placed in front of me, the beautiful colours had already given me the urge to dig in before the aroma did.

Hua Nam Coffee Shop

From the information given by the seller at the previous hawker centre, there were more eatery outlets in the new developed areas in the heart of the town. We drove off again in search of more food and we chanced upon Hua Nam Coffee Shop which appeared crowded. So, we decided to give it a try.

Ipoh White Coffee

Again, we ordered two glasses of Ipoh White Coffee. This one was slightly bitter than the previous one but it was aromatic instead of overpowering.

Chicken Rice

It tasted like the usual chicken rice I tried so far. Nothing to shout about.

Deep-fried Yong Tau Foo

We tried a few types of deep-fried Yong Tau Foo, which was something quite different.

Curry Loh Shu Fan (Curry Silver Needle Noodles)

It was my first time trying Loh Shu Fan in curry. These white semi-transparent noodles were swimming in a bowl of curry with some bean sprouts and spring onions. The noodles were bland and the watery curry wasn't tasteful enough to enhance the dish.

Fried Dumplings

Although the filling was quite delicious, the skin was too thick for my liking.

On our way back to Penang.

About 3pm, we left Ipoh and made our way back to Penang Island, the Pearl of Orient.

T.G.I. Friday's

My friends had always been raving about T.G.I. Friday's - the atmosphere, the friendly services, and the food. Famous for its relaxing environment, delicious and generous American-style menu, T.G.I Friday's offers an ideal place for families and friends to have a wonderful dining experience.

Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich Milkshake

This was a thick milkshake that was blended with Oreo cookies, ice cream, milk and chocolate chips. It's so creamy and chocolaty, just the perfect drink for a chocolate lover like me.

Fried Mac & Cheese

This dish was an irresistible appetizer of cheese and elbow noodle golden-fried to perfection. It felt fabulous when the melted filling oozed out once you bite into it.

Cedar Seared Salmon Pasta

Wei Tze knew that I love salmon, so he suggested that we tried their new food item on the menu. This thick succulent pan-seared salmon fillet was lightly coated with cedar smoke seasoning, served over al dente fettuccine ribbons; tossed with zucchini and a blend of creamy Alfredo, bruschetta marinara and tangy lemon sauce. This dish definitely had my vote!

Jack Daniel's Steak

This dish was recommended by the waitress who took our orders. A thick 10-oz Australian chilled grain-fed steak, seared and chargrilled to perfect tenderness; served with seasonal veggies, cheddar cheese mashed potatoes and their homemada Jack Daniel's sauce. Both of us thought that the Jack Daniel's sauce was too sweet for our liking, but the I loved the creamy and cheesey mash potatoes.

Garlic Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops

Both of us are lamb lovers, so we opted for a lamb dish despite the huge amount of food we were about to consume. These lamb chops were nicely marinated with garlic and seared to perfection; served with red wine demi glace, crumbled beef bacon, seasonal vegetables and cheddar cheese mashed potatoes. We found that the beef bacon was a tad too saltish but overall the dish was good. I personally liked the smoky flavour of the lamb and the juicy flavoursome mushrooms.

It was a hearty dinner but I was glad that I finally got the chance to try out the food there. The service was excellent and warm, and the food was splendid. There are a lot more choices of food that have yet to try. So, I've decided to go back for more caloric and huge portion American food.

Penang Trip #6 Day 1

The purpose of making the last trip to Penang was to buy my first DSLR, a Canon EOS 500D. I was satisfied and had no regret at paying cash to own one as it's my dream to have one. After buying my camera, me and Wei Tze went to the famous Goh Tiao Loh (五条路) to have a late lunch.

Ais Kacang

Wei Tze knows that I love Ais Kacang, so he voluntarily ordered one serving that came with scoop of ice-cream. It's a must for me whenever there's Ais kacang available. This bowl of finely shaved ice was adequately drizzled with vibrant coloured syrup, topped with creamy sweet corn, kidney beans, and grass jelly. It was heavenly good!

Penang Prawn Noodle

Another highly recommended dish there is the Penang Prawn Noodle. Unlike any others that I've tried so far, you get to choose your favourite ingredients - roasted pork, eggs, chicken and etc. I found this prawn noodle distinguishly different from the others because of its intensely flavoured broth, which was slightly thicker than the usual, not to mention the chilli and garlic paste that wonderfully enhanced the flavours.

Kedai Kopi Classic

During Wei Tze's 6-month stay in Penang, he had explored certain parts of the island alone in his humble MyVi, often late at night. He found some of the rare and hidden gems in Penang, including the Bak Kut Teh (literally means pork rib tea) at Kedai Kopi Classic.

The staff were cleaning and tidying up the place when we got there after we left Mois. We were lucky because there's still some Bak Kut Teh left just enough for two persons.



Probably it's the last pot, the amount of ingredients served was substantial and the flavour of the soup was quite intense. However, I found it a tad too greasy. Otherwise, I would say that this was the best Bak Kut Teh I'd tasted in Penang.

Keat Claypot Bak Kut Teh

Of course, we didn't finish the whole pot. We headed to the next restaurant for more Bak Kut Teh - Keat Claypot Bak Kut Teh.

Deep-Fried Tofu Blocks

We saw the man who sat at a table next to us having this dish. So, we ordered one to try. Surprisingly, it was really appetising. The tofu blocks were deep-fried to perfection and golden brown; topped with shredded cucumbers and sweet Thai chilli sauce. It was simple yet delicious!



Next came the Bak Kut Teh. It was served with more variety of ingredients like tofu skin, cabbage and meat balls. The soup was less intense and more diluted compared to the first one. However, it wasn't oily.


It was almost 4am when we finished our heavy supper. We were very tired and sleepy but felt satisfied with the great food we had throughout the day.