Assam Fish/Siew Bak in Klang and Wandering Aimlessly In A Shopping Mall

I don't normally go to Klang. I only go to Klang like once in 4 years since it's so far away. I have a weird definition of "far". I always tell people that one needs a passport to go to Klang.
Anyway, I stopped by Klang today to sample the awesome assam fish and siew bak.
Delicious assam fish
Juicy siew bak with a gastronomical crunch from the skin
Somewhere near Comfort Inn in Klang
Address :
Hou Moon Restaurant
No.34 & 36, Jalan Hip Hing
Off Jalan Goh Hock Huat,
41400 Klang,
Selangor

Price : Moderate

Ratings : Died And Gone To Heaven

After a sumptious brunch, I was forced to do the one thing I hate the most after a hearty meal - wander aimlessly in a shopping mall.
Aimless
Sulking 10% Aimless 90%

The Perks I Get When My Mom Visits

Nothing like a daily 2 hour leg rub especially after the Spore Marathon

Being served breakfast Turkish style every morning

My hair neatly combed by my mom

Eating crabs is a messy task but not when my mom's around

Singapore International Marathon 2008

On Friday, 4th December, I had dinner with my arch nemesis at Bangsar. He proceeded to tell me that he will be going to Singapore the next day to participate in the Singapore International Marathon. Two of his friends can't make it but had already registered, so he asked me to join in with him for the 21km category. I asked him a few details like accomodation and transportation and by 10pm, I agreed to join him on the chartered bus the next morning.
Skyline of Singapore
With regards to accomodation, since we were both ultra cheapskates, it was unacceptable for us to part with our RM150 for a few hours sleep in a hotel nearby the marathon venue. We factored in a few things. We will arrive in Singapore at 2pm. Then, we will be collecting the bibs at 5pm and a dinner will be given out by 7pm. So, naturally, we had to kill time from 9pm to 4am(7 hours). Now, because our frugal minds cannot process the thought of paying RM150 for a measly 7 hours, we hung out at Clarke Quay and killed time until the break of dawn. That's right. We partied at Clarke Quay until 4am and staggered back to our friend's hotel lobby at 5am just in time to change into our sports gear.

So with no training whatsoever and no sleep, there I was, ready to run 21km around Singapore at an allocated time given. Let me blog a little bit about the Singapore International Marathon. There was at least 50000 participants in this marathon. That's like half of the population in Singapore. Anyway, we were flagged off at the Esplanade and you could see all shapes and sizes of participants. I didn't paarticularly looked at the males but I was concentrating on the females.

I just love skimpy marathon appparels on women. My next invention will be a marathong and I will leave it to your imagination for this clothing invention of mine.

Sorry I digress a little bit. Anyway, we were flagged off at 630am
Arch nemesis and I at the start of the race
and we ran past a few iconic monuments of Singapore like the Espanade, the Singapore Eye and loads more.The Singapore EyeEsplanade
At the end, I completed the race in 3 hours 15 minutes. It was alright for someone who didn't train or had ample rest.Completed my 2nd international marathon in a year

This was me 20 minutes after the marathon

Take it easy doc
You recalcitrant fool.Nobody goes to Clarke Quay and drink beer the night before the half marathon.Argghhhhh
Met Paula Malai Ali at the Star Sports booth. I had actually wanted to stalk Georgina Chang of The Tennis Show but I settled for Paula Fellow runners
How can one be so injured in a marathon?What a softie

I believe this race was too crowded. And Singapore being a small country, I should have anticipated the amount of people. Do you know how small Singapore is?

Singapore is so small that the organizers of the Singapore Marathon initially requested that Yong Peng be included in their 42km route because Singapore lacked the land space.

Singapore is so small that when someone inside a HDB flat squeezes the toothpaste, it immediately comes straight out through the bathroom window.

Singapore is so small that when a collision happens between a trishaw and a bicycle, there is major traffic congestion in the entire Pan Island Expressway, Bukit Timah Expressway and the Kranji Expressway.

Singapore is like a Vincci warehouse sale on the last day. Crowded,cramped and stuffy.

Steve Jobs from Apple announced that Apple will make an Ipod even smaller than the Ipod Nano. Apple's calling it the Ipod Singapore.



Please add your own "Singapore is so small" joke. The funniest will receive a Sara Bareilles CD.

Discovered An Unknown Waterfall

Last week, I went in search for a canyon somewhere deep in the Temerloh rainforest. As usual, I went alone. This was the next day after I arrived from Hanoi. I arrived at 11pm at LCCT and we had to wait for almost 20 minutes in the plane because the rain was too heavy. Somehow I don't see any relevance of the statement at all.
Anyway, the next day, I was prepared for some rough river surges and rapids. This time, I walked against the currents and let me tell you, it's bloody tricky and challenging. Having my Lafuma pole really helped measure how deep the river was before I walk over through it.
There were times where I had to walk on the banks of the river through some thick, winding roots and not to mention fallen huge tree trunks. Here's a riddle : Why is the river so rich? Because it has 2 banks.
And since not many people go to these rivers, you can see large frogs just sitting there and only when you go very near to it, the amphibian leaps into the river.

Anyway, I followed a trail which was purportedly the way to the canyon. Since I was alone, I was more cautious than ever before. Yes, you could hear the normal shrieks of a monkey or two but suddenly, I heard a noise which was totally unfamiliar and I just knew it was something else other than the monkeys. I immediately took out my Leatherman knife just in case. After a while, the strange sound went away and I carried on. I walked and walked but the trail doesn't seem lead to a canyon.
Instead it was going upwards. I timed myself so that if I still can't find the canyon in another 30 minutes, I'd turn back.
And turning back was what I did. As I walked back dissapointingly, I decided to follow a small stream which had mini boulders. I thought it was interesting and continued following it until I came across a powerful rapid. I needed to get pass the rapids but I couldnt jump into it without risking killing myself. I then tried accessing it through the side, through vines, roots and tree trunks. I knew the continuation of the rapid was on my right but to get there required me to jump down from a boulder near a riverbank.

The jungle canopy surrounded by huge boulders with vines all over it was pretty eerie and magnificent at the same time. So, I took a leap of faith and landed safely at the bottom of the rock. What shocked me later was what I saw under the rock. I saw a freshly chewed stem of a plant and this indicated some animal must be chewing it. No doubt it was most probably a herbivor, I did not want to take chances. I bolted straight to the river and to my amazement, I saw a waterfall. Check out the video. It's a bit shaky ala Cloverfield but the video shows how I discovered the waterfall

I tried to find some sort of human trails but couldn't find any. So I guess this place/waterfall is probably unknown to anyone. I checked with www.waterfallsofmalaysia.com and found no exact same structure of the waterfall. After hours of comparing waterfalls and finding that nothing matches the one I found
Therefore, BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND IN THE NAME OF THEIR GRACIOUS MAJESTIES OF THE KING AND QUEEN OF MALAYSIA AND BY ALL THE POWERS VESTED IN ME, I CLAIM THIS WATERFALL AND NAME IT TYA FALLS.
TYA Falls

After the small and meaningful ceremony by me and myself, I headed home. Here are some videos on my back.

An Odd Yet Charming Looking Church In Rural Borneo

There was a time where I had to travel to Bakun - yes the Bakun Dam for work. Although I could have taken a flight from KL to Bintulu and from Bintulu to Bakun would probably take 3 hours only, I opted for the 12 hour drive from Kuching to Bintulu via the Trans Borneo Highway.Along the tranquil and lonesome TransBorneo highway

After driving for 5 hours, I thought I was seeing mirages because I spotted this white building on top of a hill which looked slightly peculiar. It had a candle looking structure to it. Curious, I made a U Turn and drove the 4WD to investigate further and I saw this :
What is that?
Odd but fascinating
Candle Church
Legend has it that a lady from Sibu was on her way to Kuching for a cancer medical treatment. And she did not receive good news from her doctors. On her way back, she stopped by this very spot to answer nature's call. While attending to nature's call, she heard a voice telling her that everything will be alright. She went to the doctors again in afew months time for another checkup and this time, her doctors could not find anything wrong. Miraculous. Hence, with this new found blessing, she built a church to commemorate her divine encounter with the higher being.

Discovery Channel's New Ad Campaign

It never gets old, huh?"
"Nope"
"It kinda makes you wanna...break into song?"
"Yupp"

I love the mountains

I love the clear blue sky

I love big bridges


I love when great whites fly

I love the whole world, and all it's sights and sounds

Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada

I love the ocean

I love real dirty things

I love to go fast

I love Egyptian kings

I love the whole world and all it's craziness
Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada

I love tornadoes,

I love colubridaes

I love hot magma

I love the giant squids


I love the whole world, Its such a brilliant place

Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, BoomdeyadaBoomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada, BoomdeyadaBoomdeyada, Boomdeyada, Boomdeyada

First Time On A Plane

Last week I went to Bangkok and it was actually my first time on a plane. I was so excited. When I sat down and was asked to wear the seatbelt, this was how I wore it.
First time on a plane
The stewardess stopped at my seat and told me that it was the wrong way and promptly showed me the normal and correct way. I learn new things everyday.

A Trip Back To Kota Bharu, Tanah Tumpah Darahku

Serambi Mekah - The Icon of Kota Bharu
Before leaving for Kota Bharu, I was in Perhentian Island for a few days. Here
are some pictures captured on that island.
I'm so fascinated by the Casino Royale scene that I have to emulate it
This snake just perched itself on a branch out of nowhere. How National Geographic is that !!

I was lounging under the tree by the beach and was munching my usual snacks. I noticed a few squirrels running about and offered the buggers some Pringles. One critter gladly accepted
Anyway, the moment I got home, mom and dad just fed me until I burst. Mom took me to the morning market because she knows I miss the Kelantanese dialect and listening to the makciks trading is like Vivaldi listening to the Ninth Symphony.
Siti Khadijah marketMom buying durians
Later, Papa took me to eat gearbox soup - his all time favourite and mine too.
Papa's daily diet and source of happiness
Coming back from lunch, I noticed something odd in front of my house.
What's that lump in the middle of the road
I went for a closer look and by golly, it was a PYTHON (pronounced as Piten). How cool is that to have a wild piten right in front of my house!Beautiful piten close up
This was my time to shine as a wildlife specialist ala Steve Irwin or Jeff Corwin. The difference between me and these guys were, their mothers weren't in the background nagging at me to leave the snake alone. There's a video and I'm uploading it on YouTube soon.
After taking videos of the snake, Papa brutally killed the snake and it became dinner for the night.Yummy piten
Just kidding. The snake slithered off into the bushes after I molested it. That night, Papa brought me to his favourite restaurant, Victoria Station. We had
Fried larvae and insects
Terrapin or labi labi with chilliGiant prawns from God knows where
The next day, mom and papa took me to one of the largest sitting Buddhas in South East Asia. This amazing structure is located in Wakaf Baru, 15km from Kota Bharu. It's fasicnating that the PAS govt is so open about other religion and just recently, our government banned Yoga. How's that for a thought?
Buddha
Later, it's off to the Beach Of Passionate Love where I used to have BBQs with my friends. The beach is still unbelievably beautiful and warm. Beach Of Passionate Love - Pantai Cinta Berahi
Literally flying a kite
Before I left, Mom made her kiam chai bui, omellete eggs with prawns and fried pomfret.Heaven.
Papa advocating me to be shirtless as often as I can
I love my parents and I love Kota Bharu. Full Stop.