:: nakama trip 2009 ::

Nakama Trip 2009 - Just a name i call for the annual trip that I usually take with my friends (that includes Daizy, Nadia, Joanne, Junizah and me). This year was a trip to Perak, Pahang and Selangor. Too bad Daizy was unable to join us for our trip this year due to unavoidable circumstances.

WARNING! LONG BLOG POST!

Ok! Here goes~ *takes a deep breath*

The trip was from January 17th until January 25th. Me and Joanne had booked our tickets early so that we'd arrive LCCT before noon. Junizah and Nadia was already in Kuala Lumpur so no problem there. Junizah picked us up in her bumblebee-colored Kelisa and we started off our journey to the main highway which is the North South Highway.

On the way to Perak, we stopped by Burger King and had some lunch. Had an interesting encounter with a "spastic" awareness volunteer. Um, Nadia told off the volunteer gal (she's cute! XD) that calling them "spastic" was deragoratory. They should be called as people with disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). The (cute-tomboy-girl) volunteer apologised to Nadia and told Nadia that not many people know about CNS, hence the slang nickname. Anyways, I was busy "observing" the (cute-tomboy-girl! did i say cute? :P) volunteer and was very amused. Haha~ in the end, only me and Nadia donated to the cause and got some magnets out of it. *tralala away*

- January 17th : Waiting for Junizah at LCCT, Kuala Lumpur -

It was a long drive through the tolls and pit-stops from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh. Luckily Junizah had a printed copy of the map so we had a pretty much good idea on where we were heading. We passed by Gua Tempurung and the Lost World of Tambun on the way to Ipoh, Perak.

When we reached Ipoh, we checked into Ritz Garden Hotel and managed to squeezed in a short detour to the Japanese Garden in town. Then we nasi ayam + taugeh and the famous salted chicken of Ipoh for dinner. That night we went to Taiping Zoo for a Night Safari experience, where most of the predators are awake and walking about. XD It was fun walking in the drizzling rain with the nocturnal animals.

The next day, January 18th, we to the Birch Memorial Clocktower. We got lost a bit because the tower was situated in between high rise buildings. =_= It was a beautiful Sunday morning to take pictures.

- January 18th : Birch Memorial Clocktower, Ipoh, Perak -

We continued our journey to Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Perak. Kellie's Castle was the first castle I've ever entered. It had a this tree that looks like a bear hugging it at the Castle Grounds. It was much fun exploring the castle itself. All of us went to the top most floor of the castle, but only me and Junizah was brave enough to go to the roof of the castle. At the roof, we saw a fantastic view of the surrounding area and noticed that the floors of the rooftop was riddled with scribbles of "V loves S" and "L was here!" :P Then we went back down and continued exploring the rooms. Oh! Nadia managed to buy her "labu sayung" at the souvenir shop at the entrance.

- January 18th : Kellie's Castle, Batu Gajah, Perak -

The last place to visit in Perak was Gua Tempurung at Gopeng, Perak. Our stamina for climbing stairs was tested and we had fun exploring the inner caves and ancient carvings/drawings. It was hot and humid and much fun! XD We took the 4o minutes great walk/climb package and we were accompanied by a guide. There were other packages (4 hours) but we were pressed for time. At the entrance of the gate archway, there's a monolith with the message "Natures Gift to Mankind to Treasure Always." ~_~ something wrong with the grammar but what the heck, its carved into stone, so it can't really be corrected anymore. :P

- January 18th : Nadia at the gate archway of Gua Tempurung, Gopeng, Perak -

After our spelunking experience, we drove direct to Fraser's Hills from Perak. We wanted to reach Fraser's Hills before they close off the entrance into the hills. Augh! The road going to the hills was like a snake's zig-zag until we all had nausea. I had to pop the Novomin motion-sickness pills. By the time we reached Fraser's Hills town center, we were so exhausted. ~_~ We stayed at Shahzan's Inn and walked around the town center at night as we had the place all to ourselves. Hehe~ The weather was chilly and the night sky was nice. That night in the inn we had a good time chatting and gossiping while watching television.

- January 18th : Clocktower at Fraser's Hills, Pahang -

The next morning, January 19th, we woke up to the sounds of incessant bird chirping. =_= after breakfast, we made our way to Jeriau Waterfalls and had a short dip in the cold waters of the waterfalls. :) The way down to the waterfalls was through a long set of stairs (again!). As for afternoon tea, we had tea at Ye Olde Smokehouse before the long drive back to Kuala Lumpur. In KL, Joanne and me stayed at Nadia's apartment and Junizah went back to her family. That night in KL, i was in for some surprise at Italiannies, the Curve.

Okay! This is what happenned at Italiannies, the Curve. It was a surprise birthday party thrown at me by my nakama-tachi. XD Nadia, Daizy, Joanne, Junizah, Azman, and Robyn brought me to Italiannies, to surprise me for a birthday treat. Well, I was surprised. =_= The restaurant staff asked me to stand on my chair for all the customers in the restaurant to see and sang a birthday song to me. They made me do a little speech with a Tabasco sauce bottle as my mic. >.< "I'll get you guys for this!" was what I said, but I still said my thanks to my nakama-tachi. *huggles*

- January 19th : Jeriau Waterfalls, Fraser's Hills, Pahang -

- January 19th : Ye Olde Smokehouse, Fraser's Hills, Pahang -

The next day, on January 20th, Azman and Robyn joined us to our trip to Batu Caves, and then later to Bukit Tinggi. At Batu Caves, all of us girls was bracing ourselves for yet another climb of stairs to get over with (our third set of stairs). By this time, Joanne was giving our trip the nickname "Tangga Trip."

We fed the birds some bread crumbs before going up to the temple inside the caves. Oh! The birds started going after me because Junizah threw some bread crumbs all over me while i was taking pictures. :P Haha! I had fun because i could take close-up pictures of the birds. On the way up the stairs, a lone monkey (macaque) attempted to steal food from Junizah's bag and she got frightened and shouted. But after a while Junizah calmed down and we continued climbing UP the stairs. In the temple, we took more pictures, rested for a while and continued climbing DOWN the stairs to continue our trip.

- January 20th : Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur -

- January 20th : HELP!!! Attack of the pigeons! at Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur -

- January 20th : Beruk acting innocent! at Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur -

Our next stop, Bukit Tinggi, Pahang. 4 girls and 2 guys! :) We visited the French Village and had a really exciting time. It was so cool that it really felt like we were not in a tropical country anymore. *LOL* All of us got excited and all sorts of drama skit ideas started rushing into our minds that we started acting here and there with the French Village as our stage.

There were swans, suit of armors, cobbled stonepaths, fountains, towers, the arch gate, the stone bridge and so many more. It was really exciting. Hehehe~

- January 20th : Square Table Skit at French Village, Bukit Tinggi, Pahang -

- January 20th : Bird's eye view of the French Village, Bukit Tinggi, Pahang -

After having enough fun, we headed down to the Japanese Village. The Japanese Village was up high on the hills and it was chilly. The moss and the forest was really calming. The Zen Garden and the koi fishes was so nice oriental-ish. XD we all played ninja a bit in the resting house. heheh~

After a relaxing stop at the Japanese Village, we headed to the Sports Complex to try a bit of archery. I suck! :P hahahahah! all of us had a chance with the bow and arrows and my arms hurt quite a lot from straining my muscles. Well, that's the end of the Bukit Tinggi visit and we headed back to Kuala Lumpur.

For the next few days, we spend the rest of the trip shopping around KL. I bought my S52 Nikon digital compact camera (woot!) for a price of RM699 with all the works at Lowyat Plaza and bought a heck lot of books at Kinokuniya and Borders. I went to Aquaria, KLCC too (solo) just to have some photos of the fishes. I had an interesting fish spa tickle-dom experience (click here for the story) at Central Market too. ~_~

- January 20th : Aquaria, Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) -

Heheh~ All in all, the trip was a blast! Can't wait for our Sarawak trip next year! XD

Mood: Blogging a lot~! XD
Muse: I Got a Feeling - Black Eyed Peas

:: fish spa at central market ::

i've been going through my January "Nakama trip 2009" photos and was telling Yunyun about it. Then she reminded me of how was my fish spa experience at Kuala Lumpur. @_@ i tell u, it's like dying of epic tickle-dom! *ngiilu*

Well, I had my first fish spa experience at "Cute Fish Spa Massage" at Central Market, Kuala Lumpur. It was a I-DARE-YOU task from Nadia, Azman and Joanne. =_=* I've seen it before at Citymall, KK, but that was the small ones. The ones in Central Market were big and hungry!

So, i paid the cashier some money (i forgot how much was it, if i'm not mistaken its either RM5 or RM10) and braced myself from being tickled. I underestimated the sensation of the fishes nibbling non-stop for 10 minutes at my feet. it was pure epic tickle-dom-die! experience. I was practically squealing and had tears in my eyes to stand the ticklish nibbling. i tried to take a photo of it, and struggled but i couldn't! T_T

Detailed description:
I put in both of my feet into the pool of water and immediately 10-20 fishes swam directly towards my feet and started nibbling. The nibbling was like little rough teeth the size of a pen tip and nibbling non-stop. They nibbled at my toes, the side of my toes, in between my toes, at the heel of my feet, the soft inner area of my foot, the lines/creases of my feet, the mound of my ankle, and the top part of my foot.

And the fishes keep coming, and coming, and nibbling, and nibbling until there was not much space left of my feet. It felt like a hundred fishes nibbling at the same time. The picture below explains everything.

- This photo was taken from another website (link) -

So if you're up for it, just at least try it once. Its a good experience. The great thing about it is that you leave with this unbelievable soft and smooth, baby pink feet. But even with the wonderful smooth feet, I still cringe at the process of going through it again. But I guess I won't mind another round of fish spa treatment. The feeling of having soft feet was wonderful.
Mood: Nostalgic
Muse: Aimo - Macross Frontier OST

:: Coffee Bean July 2009 Promo ::

Last Friday, I went to Coffee Bean, Waterfront for a coffee tasting event of their new product for the season. Was invited to the event by Julian. Hehe~ the people who attended the event was Julian, Fara, Marissa, Rina, Eric, Amber, Esther, Beatrice and me.

- Coffee Bean July Promo - Bloggers -

- Coffee Bean July Promo - Bloggers -

The event started at 7pm. We were greeted by Charles Chuan, the training manager for Coffee Bean, Waterfront outlet. We were told about the new drink and the new food that was displayed there on the table. All of us came prepared with cameras and was snapping pictures away. XD

- Coffee Bean July Promo - Listening to Charles -

After hearing the talk, it was food tasting time! XD So, what were the new products? Tadaa! *points below*

Drink: Cappucino Iced Blended

What's innit?: Low fat Milk, Not too sweet, yet not too creamy at the same time.

Price: RM13

Verdict: I absolutely love it! Its just the nice mix of coffee and milk. And I love milky coffee~ XD I definitely recommend, especially the girls to drink this! Boyfriends, bring your girl to drink this drink! *winks*

Food: Chocolate Brownies Cake (with sugar icing on top)

What's innit?: Its rich chocolate texture and walnut nuts!

Price: RM8.50

Verdict: I love chocolate brownies. This is delicious, but a little warning, this is really a rich cake, so its really filling. :)

Food: Tuna Sandwich Panini

What's innit?: Tuna, cheese, salad, tomatoes~

Price: RM12++

Verdict: This was just the sandwich I was hoping they would serve. Hehe~ I like seafood.

Food: Turkey & Melted Cheese

What's innit?: Turkey ham, cheese, salad, parsley

Price: RM12++

Verdict: This was nice but it was a bit salty for my taste. ~_~

I just loved the drink and the food (especially the brownies). They really go well with each other. Will be dropping by Coffee Bean some time soon to get my caffeine fix! XD

Yes! I understand.. MORE PICTURES! *laughs*

- Coffee Bean July Promo - More food! -

- Coffee Bean July Promo - Julian enjoying his drink -

More photos in my facebook photo album: Click Click

I had a lot of fun at Coffee Bean last friday. I won't mind coming to another promotion in the future for another promotion. Special thanks to Julian (for telling us about it), to Charles (for inviting bloggers) and to Coffee Bean for the great time! XD

Mood: Grateful
Muse: New Found Glory - Hold My Hand

:: manga, manwha and comics ::

another random post! this time is about my love for reading manga, manwha and comics.

I have a collection of comic books, especially the ones with the manga-style drawings. Most of my books are either from Gempak Artists, Japanese Mangaka, or Korean Manwha Artists.

My taste in comic plots and stories are action, fiction, drama and romance. Lets just say that most of my Gempak comics book are drawn by Kaoru and Ben (their pen names! XD). Japanese manga I usually read online but i do have some books with me too. I like to read up Aizawa Yui's manga. Korean Manwha, hm, I'm a fan for the folklore type of stories. And usually i go for random manwha artists. :P

On another note, sometimes I read doujinshi as a fresh break from all the manga. Btw, doujinshi are are self-published Japanese works, usually manga or novels. :)

Comics! Ah! I like reading comics! The comics I grew up reading was "Calvin & Hobbes," "Garfield," "Asterix & the Gauls," "Tintin Adventures," and "Charlie Brown." I used to sneak into my sister's collection of DC and Marvel comic books and marvel at the inking work. (nice!!) Oh Michael Turner! Your artwork is truly like no other! *sobs*

Ah, whenever I go to Kuala Lumpur, especially at Kinokuniya/Borders, I'll splurge on books until i max out my hundred bills (or until I can no longer carry/handle the weigth of the books)! =_= augh! i should learn more dicipline and self-restraint when i enter bookshops. (but books are so niceee! *_*) Hence, the picture below is an example of what I usually end up with in my hands after spending 2-3 hours in a bookshop. T_T

- Jan 2009 Trip - Manga Books -

Huhuhu.. Its so nice to stack all my books into my bookcases. But when my bookcase is filled, and I start piling up the books on the floor, I know that its a sure sign for me to get rid of books that I haven't touched in a year (donates books to other people with a twinge of hesitant fingers). :P

If you think I don't read novels, think again. I DO read novels, but i'd like to keep that information to myself. :P I especially like paperback books more than hard cover books.

Oh ya, another thing I almost forgot. I developed this "respect" for books over the years, especially during college. If I accidently stepped on a book, I'll quickly apoligise to the book. Hahaha! Its because I regard books as a source of knowledge. :P

Mood: Tired
Muse: Vanilla Love - Lee Hyun Ji ft. Onew (SHINee)