[13.9.2012] Missed Chance

Just got word that SNSD will be making appearances in Singapore (23/11/2012) and Bangkok (25/11/2012). Guess the Malaysian fans miss out again this time... Apart from that one time where they performed for half an hour and ran out of the country like a bat out of hell, it seems like Malaysia does not appear on their maps at the moment. I guess Malaysians have to just keep hoping and wait...

[8.9.12] Preview Review : The Expendables 2

Its getting kinda late so i just wana give a preview of the next post which I will try to get to which is the review of the Expendables 2. I know its kinda late but i'm sure you wont mind. So as usual, wait for it!!!

But for now lets watch the trailers of the Movie..

[12.9.2012] Lunch at Serai

Hey guys.. have you ever had a moment when you try a new restaurant and just ddnt expect much from the word of mouth but was just surprised by the whole experience and taste of it all? This just happened to me during lunch today!

Anyhow, my friend Shikin has been tweeting and instagramming this restaurant called Serai (means Lemongrass in English) and from the exterior it looks nice and since my colleagues were busy today with last minute clarifications from clients meant I had to have lunch alone. So I messaged  Shikin and asked her how the restaurant was since it just opened last week and she's been there twice and also how the service was since I was trying it out during lunch and dont want to be late back to the office. She said that the service was more than ok and the food was good, so I asked her to join me for lunch.
 
So what's on the menu you ask? Well mainly its wholesome traditional Malaysian food. I managed to take a pic of the menu just to help you guys get some understanding of the menu and prices.

They have a selection of their Specialties, Noodles or Rice and also some western food. Also take note of their desert selection which is wonderful. I didnt get a chance to take a picture of the desert menu but it had pictures of some of the most wonderful foods i've seen.

So after looking at the menu, and the waiter came by asking what I would like to order.. I simply couldnt decide.. My stomach had a bigger control of the mind at that moment. So I asked the waiter there what he recommended. He said try out the Nasi Kerabu or anything on the Specialties menu if this is my first time. (Note their waiters are very kind and pleasant! It was sooo easy to order and get service for water refills and pay bills).

The Specialties include the Malaysian favourite Nasi Lemak ( a rice cooked with coconut milk and spicy sambal and usually served hot with some chicken, or beef or some other sort of condiments), they also have Nasi Kerabu which originates from the east coast of the Malaysian Peninsula. This is a unique dish and I initially thought i'd order the Nasi Lemak, but the waiter insisted that I try the Nasi Kerabu. So how does the Nasi Kerabu look like?

 Ta'da! The above pic is of the Nasi Kerabu. (To explain for friends who have never seen or tried this going clockwise from the top : Gravy (Nice to use in small bits over the rice, adds enough punch to it), ulam-ulam and solok lada (mainly the chopped up veggies and a green chili stuffed with some coconut) then keropok (made out of fish that is mixed with flour and dried before being fried), then you have the ayam percik which is chicken marinated and barbecued and smothered with special sauce very yummy and I am very pleased with the portion!),  next the red stuff is the sambal made out of chilies which is a bit hot even for my liking, but it cuts the bursts of flavours in your mouth quite nicely, lastly its the salted egg on a small bed of some coconut fried in some special flavouring which just works wonderfully with the whole mix.

So now you must be wondering how to eat this thing, well traditionally its eaten by your hand and you mix all of it together which creates some sort of crunchy, veggy, meaty and pleasant tastes in your mouth. But since today it was lunch and I was heading back to the office, I decided to use the cutlery which still tastes good. I must say the portion was quite big and nice enough to accommodate a big guy like me! The tastes are really wonderful and the gravy and the ayam percik just completes the flavour nicely. 

So after the main dish, we decided to have dessert as Shikin told me that the Pavlova here was awesome and it truly was...  The pieces was just soft enough and not too brittle and went well with the cream and strawberries. However i wasnt too happy about the grapes as it was too simple for this and kind of seemed too springy and out of the whole mood where the pavlova was going. 

 One complaint if any about this place is that the drinks arrived kinda well into my meal and also the plain water. Though i wasnt really complaining. I had the Serai Ice Lemon Tea i think and its an interesting drink. The lemon came in a form of a ice sorbet and melted slowly into the drink and kept it cool. It was truly a refreshing drink.


So all in all i really like this place.. The service and attention by the waiters was just superb and the decor and ambience was really pleasant and spacious and roomy to have a wonderful get together, lunch with colleagues or just lunch with the bosses.

The price is a bit more on the high-ish side for typical Malaysian food but the food, the service made it worth it and I guess it does not mean it will be a regular lunch place but i'm sure i'll be back.

When we were there it poured cats and dogs and delayed our trip back to the office. But the front facade of the restaurant was purely glass and tinted and air conditioned so it looks very wonderful and nice. Check the pic below and you can also see how bad the rain was pouring.

I dont know the proper address of this restaurant but its on the ground floor of the Life Centre which is on Jalan Sultan Ismail opposite the KFC building.


Review:
Ambience/Decor 5/5
Service and attention 5/5
Food and Taste 5/5
Price 4.5/5
Probability of frequent returns 4.5/5 (price a bit high for my liking to go too often).

[12.9.2012] latest hobby

Recently i've had a new hobby. I love this hobby. Whats this hobby you might ask, well frankly this pic below might help. I'll talk more about it soon and show you some of my gear. For now... Wait for it!!!! :)

[2.9.2012] Harry Potter Exhibition

Hey guys! I must testify that I am a hardcore fan of the Harry Potter franchise. I've read the whole series, I  own a copy of each book in the series and I have watched all Harry Potter movies and grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione.. Heck i've even done an all nighter with my friends and lined up to go buy the latest book. But that is in a whole different blog.

Anyhow last week I was in Singapore for the Comics, Games and Toys convention. The convention was held in Marina Bay Sands.

Me outside Marina Bay Sands and Under the Art and Science Museum structure

Anyhow apart from the convention, I had another place which I planned to visit which was the Harry Potter Exhibition. The Harry Potter Exhibition is currently held in the Art and Science Museum in Marina Bay Sands from 2nd June to 30th September 2012. 

So whats inside the exhibition you ask? Well a lot if you are a fan of the series but it would be worth it if you took the time to read through all the exhibits and mayb rent the audio walk through for 5 Singapore Dollars.

Anyhow the tickets for entry costs about 24 Singapore Dollars  for non-residents like me and you can find more info if you check here.  Be aware though that tickets are time allocated. They limit a number of visitors per hour and you should find  out what time you want to enter or what time is available. 

heres a pic of the ticket

One thing I must say though and apologise to all of you is that pictures are prohibitted inside the exhibition so you are left to your imagination as to how things will look. But basically they are all shown in an exhibit form like heres the robe of Professor Snape and theres a post with a sign or a tag explaining who he is or whatever.. 

So when you first enter and go down using the elevators, you reach this floor which opens up to the following

As can be seen here is the flying car  

 This is the Signboard above the exit 

 You can also buy the exhibition guide and also rent the audio tour here.

  Before you enter you are given a chance to take a picture with the colours of the different houses such as the red and gold Gryffindor or the Slytherin colours.

 My friend Matt with his scarf, my batt started to die after this pic which was kinda  ok as i couldn't really take pics afterwards. But still pissed me off that i ddnt charge it for the day. 

 So when you are about to enter, you are ushered to an area here. At the front where its written Harry Potter there initially i thought was a tv was actually a walkway that had smoke and the words projected on it. hehe I was surprised when the usherers said you may now enter... and i thought ok... nothing happened.. haha.. But thats where you enter. So first thing you do as usual with first years is the sorting hat! See if you are lucky and you can find out which house you belong to.. 

So now i guess you're wondering whats inside this thing.. Frankly i'd love to be able to give you pics but I cant. 

But frankly what it starts off with is the exhibit on the arrival and the Hogwarts Train. Then you move on to the Gryffindor Common room where it shows the wall where the students post materials and the lost and found.

There it moves on to Harry and Ron's corner of the room with their beds and the chests filled with their own stuff like Ron's copy of the Quidditch teams he supports.

Here it also showcases the moving video portrait of the Fat Lady.  You can also see how small Harry was as  it also showed the Harry's first year robes.

Next it went on to the showcase on the Hogwarts classes. Here you can see the robes of the Hogwart's teachers and then have your try and do one of the herbology class. I wont want to spoil it for anyone and say theres a pleasant earful surprise for you.

So apart from the above you also get a chance to see Hagrid's cabin and see how tall he really is compared to you guys...

Afterwards there is exhibits on dark wizards and also the great hall where you can also see the clothings of the Durmstrang kids and Fleur's robe. This part of the exhibit also showcases the Triwizard Tournament and you get to see how huge the cup is.

Also before you leave you have a chance to go through the souvenier shop and mayb buy yourself some Chocalate Frogs or the house ties or your very own wand. Theres soo many stuffz in there and you can also try and get the marauder map or buy some every flavour jelly beans!

All in all I feel that the whole exhibition is mainly focusing on the clothes and props of the characters and you get to see how much detail it goes into making some of the magic of the book come alive. I love how they show all of the exhibits and you get to notice some things and wonder whether the mud from Harry's Quidditch robes are actually from the real filming, but I feel that theres something lacking to be found in the exhibits. Mayb due to its travelling nature it seemed to be all just all showcase and only scratches the surface of what we fans really want. Mayb what i am looking for could be found in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando Florida.. but thats another story... So.. as usual.. Wait for it!!!

[2.9.2012] Preview of Harry Potter Exhibition

Hey! Been busy and away for awhile. I'm going to write a post about my visit to the Harry Potter Exhibition in Singapore.  But since its late, i'll post some pics of it for now...  As always.. wait for it!!

[8/9/2012] Saturday Morning Breakfast and Haircut

Finally got a chance to have breakfast ever since raya! Haha.. Been craving to have breakfast during the entire Puasa month and finally had breakfast today. Had it at this nearby nasi lemak place. The place was packed as usual but then i guess its quite good.. Sorry ddnt have a chance to take pics as it was a meeting with my friend who picked me up. Also got a new haircut since the last one was getting really untidy. Lets see how long this lasts! Sorry also no pics!

Anyhow got a neighbour's open house and sis's open house to attend to later... As usual... Wait for it!