Some Discussion on Wine (& Related Drinks)

Was a bit slow in updates lately due to work matters, wish it could be over soon & will try to update this blog as often as possible. A friend of mine sent me a mail recently with the following thoughts, I'm not sure how true it is but it's kinda funny so I decided to share.

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine...
And those who don't and are always
seen with a bottle of water in their hand.

As Ben Franklin said:
In wine there is wisdom,
In beer there is freedom,
In water there is bacteria.

In a number of carefully controlled trials,
Scientists have demonstrated that if we drink
1 litre of water each day,
At the end of the year we would have absorbed
More than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. Coli) - bacteria
Found in feces.
In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poo..

However,
We do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer
(or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor)
Because alcohol has to go through a purification process
Of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember:
Water = Poo
Wine = Health
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid,
Than to drink water and be full of shit.

Please, take good care of yourself........

A recent joint study conducted by the Department of Health and the Department of Motor Vehicles indicates that 23% of traffic accidents are alcohol related.

This means that the remaining 77% are caused by assholes who drink coffee, carbonated drinks, juices, yogurts, and crap like that.

Therefore, beware of those who do not drink alcohol. They cause three times as many accidents!!

P.S. I'm not sure how true it is, probably you can tell me? :) Anyway, it's true to enjoy drinks responsibly, regardless what kind of drink it is, cheers & have a nice day everyone~!

Food Fun

I was in Sabah recently on business trip & came to have lunch at one of the shops which serves famous "fish noodle soup". What's special about this dish is milk is added to the soup base; making it taste sweet & fragrant while the ingredients are really fresh. This dish is one of Sabah's recommended food to try on. Should one would like to have other soup base apart from milk, there's also tom yum & clear soup. Overall I'm giving it a 6.5/10.

Note: First three photos below are famous local recommendations from Sg Tiram Penang, which i stopped for dinner before making my way to the airport =)



Seafood porridge (must try!)

Toasted bread (sugared & buttered)

Dang-gui salted chicken (must try!)

The shop selling "milk-fish noodle", address of the shop is listed below.

Boss of the shop at work, busy preparing all their noodle orders

Star of the topic, milk-fish noodle soup.
The photo was abit unclear as it was snapped quickly (probably cuz I was too hungry,lol!)

 Do try it out at Lot 8, Ground Floor, 1-0-1, Kolam Centre Phase 3, 88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Cheers!!!

An Authentic Malaysian Cuisine

Myself & another friend had dinner recently at a restaurant in the "New World Park" eateries called the 'Sri Batik Nyonya Cafe' where as the name speaks for itself, serves various types of nyonya food. So, being a Malaysian myself, I guess it's fair to intro & share some of the local cuisines around with you.

The ambience is much similiar to the original 'Peranakan' settings, which I'm pretty impressed. On the quality of servings, I'll give a 6.5/10, abit of let down by the fried assam prawns as the prawns were of frozen, such made its texture 'not-so-succulent'. Overall I'll say it's worth trying though. Below are some of their recommendations:

 Curry Kapitan Chicken

 Fried Assam Prawns

Fried Mixed Greens 

'Choon Piah'

Give it a try if you like local cuisines! =)

 Interior settings of the restaurant



Obama's "Tank"

Hi all,

How are you guys doing? Apologies for the late updates recently as I was 'battling' with a gum ache, apparently due to a fresh grown 'wisdom' tooth (at this age...) =P  Ok,enough about that, I was browsing through some other blog's pages yesterday & came to what I thought interesting. The US president, Mr Barack Obama is so concern about terrorism & his own safety that he travels around daily, in a tank!!! Don't believe me? Take a look.

This is one heck of a ride & it doesn't comes cheap too, many might not even live to earn up the cost of this 'tank' in their entire life. So guys, let's buck up (when Obama buckles up) & work our way there!

Craving for Japanese Food Again!!

Was in KL for business trip last week & rewarded with terrible cough & cold (still recuperating though). During the stay, I came to have dinner at a japanese restaurant called "Sakura Sakura Hakata" located in Subang Jaya (SJ), which serves I'll say, pretty commentable food.

Had a set of 'unagi bento' & sashimi to try out. To start with the 'chawan mushi', it tastes really smooth with a fragrant smell of steamed eggs. The greenies appetizer however, was rather different from those we used to have in other jap restaurants. The greens are topped with a home made (rather oriental) kind of sauce which tastes pretty nice.

The bento set came with quite generous portion; complete with tempuras & slices of salmon sashimi. The bento itself would be a satisfying meal but as much of a huge sashimi fan myself, I could not run away from trying it out. I think it fulfills most the criteria that's needed to make a fresh sashimi (& it's priced fairly reasonable). I'll give a 7.5/10 overall.

Assorted sashimis

Chefs at work

Try it out should you be happened to drop by KL. It's just about 15 minutes drive from the Subang airport.

Sakura Sakura Hakata Japanese Restaurant
No. 4a, Jalan SS12/1B, 47500 Subang Jaya,
Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 03-56379185/86
Biz Hrs: 12-2.30pm / 6-11pm

"Promises Don't Come Easy" - by Caron Nightingale

This is a beautiful song that I'll like to share with all of you. I guess by listening to the lyrics reminds us alot of similar moments that could have happened, if not to all, but most of us. Anyway, do enjoy this all time favorite of mine. Cheers!

Applause to the best Malaysian Movie Ever Made!!

Hi all,

I know this comes a little late but to those of you who thought Malaysian movies are cheap productions or even not worth watching, please..do give 'Ice Kacang Puppy Love' a chance. Like most of you, I myself has never place any hope on local movies, but this one, by Aniu has given me another perception of what Malaysians can come up to (though not regularly). It was when I needed a good 'sleeping pill' when I discover that this movie actually has it's own side to be complimented. Good castings, brings out alot of Malaysian humors, cultures & shots of famous landmarks of the country. The story line is worth to pay attention too! Do give it a watch. Cheers!

P.S. Sorry I wasn't allowed to upload any of its posters due to copyright matter, but you won't miss it! :)

Herbally Hot!

Was in Alor Star (Kedah) today for business. It was already pretty late by the time I finished my stuff so I drove down to town searching for lunch. Decided to take a break at this restaurant called 'Wa Tua Guan', which is named after the famous God of Physician, Wa Tuo during one of the ancient Chinese dynasties (don't ask me which, am not good with Chinese history!). They serve various herbal desserts, tonics, soups, noodles & also chinese ala carte (even nasi lemak). It's also a place for tea drinkers. Had my order on the "Supreme 10 Herbs" (Sap Chuen Dai Bou Tong if you know what I mean) soup & a simple fried greens.

The soup is so wonderfully done that I need to share here. The soup was served hot that I can see the smoke 'billowing' from it. The scent is fragrant, the soup's thick & the after-taste was a lil' sweet til the end. Texture of the chicken meat is stil tender (I would expect it to be hard after hours of brewing) & seriously I can see lots of herbs in it. I was advised by the staff of the restaurant that this soup generally helps to regulate most of our body's systems; particularly improving blood circulation, increase mental concentration etc. The after effect to me was 'heaty' as I felt warm, even sitting under the air-cond! The portion's good for 2 pax & considered reasonably priced for RM10/bowl. No photos to show as the whole bowl came in black color,lol! Well, it's satisfying to complete the lunch with a pot of 'Pu Er' tea. I'll give the soup an 8 of 10. :)

Try it out if you happened to be there, there are other options if you don't fancy herbs or soups :) It's situated along Putra Medical Centre, near to the 'Ji Tiao Loh' coffee shop. Be mindful that there's another branch in Alor Star Mall, which does not serve any soups. So don't go to the wrong one!

Thank you!

Dears,

A big thank you to all of you who've visited my page, especially my lovely twin sisters..really appreciated. Do drop me some comments if there should be any area for improvement. It's the motivation to keep me going on this. To the rest of my friends, be an active reader, it's unfair to me if you're being silent, lol~!

Thanks again.

Last Thought of D' Day

What is it that always begins beautifully..but most of the time ends the other way?

Answer,anyone? :)

Extremely Exhausted & Disappointed...

Phew~

What a tiring day it has been, with a sleep of barely 2hrs the nite before & 8hrs of full attention today, I'm feeling like going into extremely "low batt" mode now. However, just like to pen down some comments about the food quality in Eastin Hotel Pg.

It was actually my first visit to the hotel & so happened was having lunch at the hotel cafeteria. The serving was an 'international lunch buffet' (so-called) & guess what guys, I could never have expect it to be so poorly prepared! The most simple dish of fried noodle was cold, soggy & tasteless (udon could have taste much better!!). The stew lamb & beef was hard, took a small piece each (good enough just to taste), the sushi was disappointing (those at the Jusco's sushi bar taste much better!), the cheese baked oyster was rather tasteless too, that's all I've tried. The only thing to compliment are its cut fruits, which are pretty fresh & sweet,lol~

I wish could have taken few photo shots on those I've described to share but didn't get a chance as it was rather crowded, I guess you people won't be interested too.  However guys & girls, if you're thinking of getting a nice place to enjoy a meal with your loved one(s), I suggest Equatorial as a better option as the Eastin itself doesn't seem so grand from the inside after all. Mentioning about its construction, one of the conference room even encountered water leakage, & it's not by drip!! Disappointed...

Know Your Drinks

Well guys, a caring friend send me a mail on types of alcohol & its details. I find the message more likely towards telling me to choose my drinks based on hangover preference. However, I find this mail came right on time as I've been tempted to indulge into drinks more regularly recently. Anyway, I think this is worth sharing. Here it goes. VODKA GOOD TO KNOW: Vodka is least likely to give you a hangover. Vodka is made by fermenting grains or crops such as potatoes with yeast. It's then purified and repeatedly filtered, often through charcoal, strange as it sounds, until it's as clear as possible. CALORIES: Because vodka contains no carbohydrates or sugars, it contains only calories from ethanol (around 7 calories per gram), making it the least-fattening alcoholic beverage. So a 35ml shot of vodka would contain about 72 calories. PROS: Vodka is the 'cleanest' alcoholic beverage because it contains hardly any 'congeners' - impurities normally formed during fermentation. These play a big part in how bad your hangover is. Despite its high alcohol content - around 40 per cent - vodka is the least likely alcoholic drink to leave you with a hangover, said a study by the British Medical Association <http://explore.dailymail.co.uk/organisations/british_medical_association> . CONS: Vodka is often a factor in binge drinking deaths because it is relatively tasteless when mixed with fruit juices or other drinks. HANGOVER SEVERITY: 3/1 WHISKY Whisky or Scotch is distilled from fermented grains, such as barley or wheat, and then aged in wooded casks. CALORIES: About 80 calories per 35ml shot. PROS: Single malt whiskies have been found to contain high levels of ellagic acid, according to Dr Jim Swan of the Royal Society of Chemists. This powerful acid inhibits the growth of tumours caused by certain carcinogens and kills cancer cells without damaging healthy cells. CONS: Whisky 'Madness' - erratic and unpredictable behaviour is a common problem with drinking whisky. It's caused by the way most people drink it - Neat, explains Professor Jones. His experiments show that among people drinking the same amount of ethanol, those drinking it in the form of spirits, such as whisky, had the quickest and highest peak in the blood alcohol concentration, which occurred less than an hour after drinking began. 'If you drink any alcohol on an empty stomach, it can compare with getting it intravenously' – Professor Wayne Jones 'To slow absorption down, you could take it very much diluted or along with a rich, calorie-dense ingredient such as cream, as in Baileys or Irish coffee.' Whisky also contains lots of congeners, which tend to form during the ageing process in oak casks. A study by the BMA found that as a result, Bourbon Whiskey is twice as likely to cause a hangover as the same amount of vodka. HANGOVER SEVERITY: 8/10 WHITE WINE White wine is made from the fermented juice of grapes stripped of their seeds and skins. CALORIES: Around 130 calories per 175 ml glass; slightly more in sweeter wines. PROS: American researchers found that grape flesh contains the chemicals tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, which help lower artery clogging LDL cholesterol. CONS: It's the sulphites formed naturally or added to white wine as preservatives to stop it going brown which are the most likely cause of the 'white wine hangover' many people complain of. Sulphites also carry the risk of an allergic reaction which can worsen symptoms such as a headache, or asthma. White wines also wear away tooth enamel faster, making teeth more sensitive. HANGOVER SEVERITY: 6/10 RED WINE Red wine is made from fermented grape juice - but unlike white wine, with the skin and pips included. It's then left to mature for a minimum of three years, during which pigments from the skins leech out and colour the wine red. Red wine can cause a worse hangover than white wine because it contains methanol, a second type of alcohol that lingers in your body the next day. CALORIES: Around 120 calories in a standard glass - it's slightly lower in sugar content than white wine. PROS: Contains more reservatrol - a plant anti- oxidant - than white wine. This helps to prevent blood clots and reduce inflammation, which is now considered to play a key role in heart disease. Also, the pips and skins used in red wines contain tyrosol and hydroxytyrosol, chemicals which help lower artery-clogging LDL cholesterol. CONS: Red wine drinkers can get worse hangovers than beer or white wine drinkers. Because of the way it's made, red wine produces two types of alcohol - ethanol and methanol. The liver processes the ethanol part of the drink first and leaves methanol until last. 'As a result, it's likely to be floating around in the body for a lot longer than ethanol, giving you that familiar "morning after" feeling,' says Professor Jones. HANGOVER SEVERITY: 7/10 BEER Slow mover: Low in alcohol, beer is the least dangerous to drink. Beer is made by fermenting barley. Hops are added for flavour and yeast to make the grains ferment into sugar and alcohol. CALORIES: It's the most calorierich alcoholic beverage - just one pint contains between 170 and 200 calories, about the same as seven chocolate fingers biscuits. PROS: Beer is the least dangerous to drink and makes you feel you drunk the slowest. It has the lowest alcohol content – between 3 and 6 per cent for lager, and up to 8 per cent for ale and stout. A pint also contains more than a quarter of an adult's recommended dose of Vitamin B folate, which stops the build-up of homocysteinea chemical linked to heart attacks. CONS: Beer is high in compounds called purines, which boost the levels of uric acid in the blood, according to a study at Massachusetts General Hospital . This can form crystals in joints, leading to painful attacks of gout. The 12-year study found that drinking more than two beers a day doubled the risk. Meanwhile, research published in the International Journal of Cancer showed that one pint a day adds a 10 per cent risk of bowel cancer, while two pints a day increases the risk by 25 per cent. HANGOVER SEVERITY: 4/10 BRANDY Brandy is a spirit distilled from red wine. Fine brandies are aged for extra flavour in wooden casks.Hangover hell? Brandy contains high amounts of impurities. CALORIES: Around 80 in every 35ml shot. PROS: Because brandy is a distillation of red wine, it contains a high concentration of antioxidants which mop-up 'free radicals' which, it's claimed, can damage the body organs and tissues and lead to deadly diseases. Australian scientists discovered that the antioxidants created during the distilling process mean that 30ml of good brandy would give the equivalent antioxidant hit of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C. CONS: It could give you the worst headache of all, according to research at London <http://explore.dailymail.co.uk/locations/cities/london> 's National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. This was closely followed by red wine, then rum, whisky and gin. Not only does brandy contain at least 40 per cent alcohol, the high quality cask-aged variety is likely to have the highest amounts of congeners, which are formed during the lengthy storage and fermentation process. Professor Jones says: 'Brandy contains literally hundreds of different volatile compounds, which gives it the distinctive pleasant smell but also contributes to the hangover.'

HANGOVER SEVERITY: 9/10 CHAMPAGNE Fast acting: Champagne and sparkling wine are made in roughly the same way as wine - but then more yeast is added and it's left to ferment in the bottle a second time, producing carbon dioxide. CALORIES: An average 175 ml glass of Champagne contains 133 calories, slightly more than a glass of white wine because syrup is added to improve taste. PROS: The antioxidants in Champagne may help protect your brain against damage incurred during a stroke and against neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, according to a team of researchers from the University of Reading . They found that high levels antioxidants, called caffeic acid and tyrosol, helped protect brain cells from damage. CONS: The bubbles speed up the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream. And contrary to popular belief, Champagne won't lift your spirits - alcohol affects brain receptors in the same way, whatever its source. 'Alcohol basically works in the same way in the brain receptors as Valium,' says Professor Jones. 'It depresses brain activity and relieves anxiety. You might think you're in a good mood, but it's more likely the result of alcohol causing "disinhibition", making you more talkative and exhibitionist.'  HANGOVER SEVERITY: 7/10

So guys & girls, choose your drinks wisely.

Let's Talk Food

Well, I was in KL couple of weeks back & was having dinner in a Viet restaurant called "Sao Nam". The owner of the restaurant recommended this unique dish called the "mangosteen salad". It's a form of appetizer comprised of mangosteen, fresh water prawns, lime & honey juices topped with sprinkles of peanuts & sesame. Not to forget that it has to go together with the homemade prawn crackers. The taste is kinda refreshing, with a mixture of sweetness & a bit of soury. Overall I'll give it a 7 out of 10.

I've also tried out on their beef noodle however, I still find the one at "Vietnam Kitchen" the best.

To those of you who wish to try out on this Viet restaurant which serves fine dining cuisines, it's located at the basement floor of the new Empire Shopping Gallery in Subang Jaya.

Sunset Stories

I kinda like to snap photographs; more on nature & landscapes rather than people (my bad). I always enjoy moments of sunset (or rise) because I find these moments soothing & calm & it makes one think..lol. However, there are only limited places in Penang where one could enjoy such a beautiful time at a relaxing spot. Below are some of the photos I've managed to capture during different sunsets to share.

                                         Taken at Teluk Kumbar beachside

Taken at Pantai Bersih, Butterworth

Taken at the beachside of the Datai Resort in Langkawi

If there's any of you who knows of good places (other than abovementioned), do share about.

Note: All photos posted are of private properties.

Welcome!

Dear friends,

Thanks for visiting my page. After so long I've finally decided to start up a blog of my own. As a matter of fact, I'm a newbie to blogging so I welcome your comment(s) to help make this page as interesting as possible. This is officially the first thought of mine here. It seems like life has so many great things to share with,as such I'll try my best to keep up with all of my friends by sharing all interesting happenings & thoughts (if possible) around myself.

Waiting to hear from you (yes you!) soon, cheers~!