Last Day In Miri

In life, people come and go. This time its my turn to go. I'm leaving Miri for good!!

Today is my last day in Miri. I'm finally leaving this city for good after almost 8 years and head back to where I always wanted to be....KK!!
Looking back after all this years, I did gain a lot from my days here. I learned new things/culture, visited new places, tasted new foods, experienced my 1st love, met new friends either local or non local, and most importantly, I've found my true friends here (met all the original LS gang members here), and they're actually more than friends to me.....they're more like brothers and sisters.

I received a special gift from my closest friends/sisters in Miri few nights ago. It was a nice watch that they chose carefully and brilliantly. They said the watch will remind me about them every time i look at it (awwwwwwww). They even attach a card with some touching writing in it.

Isn't it just awesome?

Last night I played my last futsal match in Miri. Although I will be kicking more of the ball in KK, I will still miss the competitiveness of playing in Miri. The feeling is like a footballer going back to home country after plying his trade at a foreign league. But I'm not going back empty handed. I got medals and trophies to be proud of. And the latest came last night as my team came out 2nd in this mini weekly futsal tournament. And I was given the privilege by the team to keep the trophy.

Another addition to my trophy cabinet 

Miri....I'm gonna miss you.

KK....I'm comin' home to you!!!!

Ne-Yo - Never Knew I Needed

(Ooh)
For the way you changed my plans
For being the perfect distraction
For the way you took me
I knew that I had, of everything that I wanted to have
You made me see there was something missing
(Oh yeah Oh)
For the ending of my first begin
Oh yeah yeah, oh yeah yeah oh
And, for the rare and unexpected friend
Oh yeah yeah oh yeah yeah oh
For the way you're something that I'd never choose
But at the same time something I don't wanna loose
I don't ever wanna be without ever again

Chorus:
You're the best thing I never knew I needed
So, when you appeared, I had no idea
You're the best thing I never knew I needed
See now it's so clear I need you here always
(Oh yeah)

My accidental happily ever after (Woah)
The way you smile and how you comfort me
With your laughter
I must admit you weren't a part of "My Book"
But, now if you open it up and take a look
You're the beginning and the end of every chapter
(Ooh)

Chorus:
You're the best thing I never knew I needed
So when you appeared, I had no idea
You're the best thing I never knew I needed
See, now it's so clear (its so clear) I need you here always

Who knew that I could be? (Who knew that I could be?)
So unexpectedly (so unexpectedly)
Undeniably happy. Oh so with you
Right here right here next to me!

Chorus:
You're the best thing I never knew I needed (Woah)
So when you appeared, I had no idea
You're the best thing I never knew I needed (I needed, woah)
See now it's so clear, I need you here always

Now it's so clear, I need you here always!

World Cup Fever!!!!

The time has come for everyone's favorite tournament in the world.....the once every 4 years event....the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa!! No sane football lover in this world would wanna miss out on such a massive event. But to enjoy all the matches to the max, you will need something very important....

 Complete guide to the World Cup.....checked!!

Late night snacks.....checked!!

Wallchart for all the matches.....checked!!

Alarm set for late night match.....checked!!

 And of course, my PSP and PES 2009 (I know its a bit outdated, 2010 is still downloading) as my companion. In case the results doesn't go down to well with you, you can always "fixed" it the way you like.

Now before the match begin, lets sing along to the latest World Cup song by Shakira....
Tsamina mina eh eh, waka waka eh eh, tsamina mina zangalewa, this time for Africa!!

Nok Thai Restaurant

This is a very long overdue blog!! I should have posted it on February.....or March the latest!! Yet I waited til now, 3 months later.


Anyway, lets start with the restaurant and it's food.
Went to this restaurant during Chinese New Year period with my sisters. Was introduced by my little sister about it. It was located somewhere in Damai. (Address will be provided at the bottom of this post)


We ordered some foods that were "highly recommended" by my sis. First up is this Pandan Chicken. Which is a very famous dish in Thai cuisine.


Another very famous Thai dish is the Tom Yum Gung. But in my case, instead of Tom Yum Gung we ordered Tom Yum Gai. There wasn't much different actually, its just that the main ingredient for Tom Yum Gai is chicken instead of prawn.


Next up is Phad Gra Phao Nue or Pan Fried Minced Beef (with Basil Leaves and Hot Chilli) in English. Its not too hot on the first few bites. But be warned, you will need a lot of iced water after that. Best enjoyed with rice!!


If you are a chicken feet lover, you might want to give this a try. Yam Leb Mue Nang or Chicken Feet Salad (with Celery, Onion, Hot Chilli and Lemon Juice). Its a little bit hot with some tangy taste makes it ideal as an appetizer.


After consuming all those hot and spicy foods, you might want to cool down your throat with some refreshing Pandan Coconut....


Or some cold Cendol as dessert!!!

Nok Thai Restaurant
Lot 45-0, Block D, Damai Plaza, Phase 4, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
Tel: 088-538055

Malay Wedding

Its Saturday and its public holiday. I was invited to the wedding of my colleague's sister this morning. It was held at a Malay village at Kampung Subak in Bekenu, about an hour drive from Miri. My iPhone map provide a much needed help on my way there cos road signs were few and far less.


It was my first time to a traditional Malay wedding held at a village in a rural area. Usually the weddings that I attend was held at some of the most well known hotels or restaurants in town. All the houses in the village were built out of wooden and zinc roofing. Tents were set up in the middle of the village to accommodate most of the guests.


The ceremony started at around 10 a.m. I reached there at around 11 a.m. Might have missed out on some of the opening ceremony, but just in time to join the other guests to start filling our stomach. The queue at the food stand was very long, so my colleague suggests that I join in with some of the guests inside his house instead. Where I was seated with some of the big names in the village like the chief of the village, YBs and Datuks.


Residents from the whole village and also neighboring villages came to give the newlywed their best wishes. The villagers were extremely friendly, kept asking me to eat more.



The interior of the house were simple and comfy. There were no furniture so all the guests just sat on the mat on the floor while enjoying the foods.


All the foods were prepared by the family with the help of some of the villagers. It was all home cooked traditional Malay style cooking. They slaughtered an adult cow and bought around 200 chickens to feast all the guests. The dishes consist some of my favorite meal like the Rendang and Ayam Masak Merah.



The bride and brides room just rooted at their seat for the whole ceremony. They had their foods there, cut their wedding cake there, and wave to the guests at the same spot. Towards the end of the ceremony, some of the guests took turn to take pictures with the new couple. The newly wed couple were like celebrities posing in front of all those "paparazi's" cameras.

My colleague is the 1 seated at the front left. I left at around 12.30 p.m. after most of the guests had gone home.


Last but not least.....its good to be back blogging again after more than 3 months lay off!!

Restoran Sri Pelangi

Went to lunch on the 5th day of CNY with my mum and sisters. We headed to this restaurant offering authentic Indonesian cuisine. It is located beside Complex Karamunsing in what is used to be a car wash place.


We ordered two dishes from the restaurant. One of them is this "Soto Banjar". It was a local dish from my hometown "Banjarmasin".


Another dish was "Nasi Kuning Ikan". The rice was cooked with cumin to get that special yellowish color. Then it was served with fish and boiled egg with sambal. The are also chicken version of the dish.
Other dish offered in the restaurant are "Sup Tulang" and "Nasi Lalap".

CNY Eve Family Reunion Dinner

Every year when Chinese New Year is approaching, there will be a reunion dinner for the whole family on the eve of CNY. Its a Chinese tradition, so that close family members who are working far away from home can be reunited with their family and have a nice dinner together on the same dinner table.

For my family, its no exception. Me being at work in Miri, will never miss out on my family reunion dinner in KK. And whenever it comes to this dinner, my favorite thing is my dad is doing the cooking. He is currently the head chef at a local hotel. So, you can expect a "Five Stars" dishes on that special night.

This year, we had our dinner not inside the house. But outside in our garden area. Luckily it wasn't raining that night. (The tattoo guy in the pic wasn't a gangster we invited to the dinner, it was my dad!!)


First dish to come out that night was the Six Hot and Cold Combination which consist of prawn salad, homemade tofu, fried fish fillet, sliced abalone, fried spring rolls and Idako or the baby octopus. Tempting? There's more to come....


Second dish was a soup which my dad prepared for whole day. It was the Kampung Chicken with Ginseng Soup. This soup was so good my dad even forced us to finish up the ginseng inside it which was like the size of my middle finger....and it was soooooooo bitter, but good for your health.


Next up was another expensive dish, and a very delicious one, too. It was the "Ba Bao Duck" or Eight Treasures Duck in English. The bones was taken out from the duck and then it was deep fried before all the "treasures" were being stuffed inside the duck. Making it look like a balloon duck. After that, it went into the steamer before being served.


Fish will always feature in Chinese Cuisine because fish resembles longevity and abundance. And our fish for the night was Steamed White Pomfret in Soy Sauce. Up to this point, we were already very full and there were two more dishes to come.


We tried to stuff as much foods as we can on the final two dishes. Which was the Butter Prawn and the "Hokkien Style Fried Noodle". But after our best effort, we still can't managed to finish the foods. So, we kept it in the the fridge and reheated it the next morning as breakfast.


During the dinner, we were not only treated with a great meal. Our eyes got to feast on a free fire crackers show by some rich guy from our neighborhood. It lasted for about 4-5 minutes.





It was overall another legendary reunion dinner....until it suddenly went into blackout later that night. Luckily, dinner was long over by then. Stupid SESB!!! Gong Xi F**k Chai to them!!!