Fine Dining

It wasn't actually planned for. The plan had been for some where else. But due to my "blur-ness", I ter-booked the wrong place and we ended up there instead. Which, in the end, was not a bad thing after all. At least, now I know that there is such an out-of-the-ordinary fine dining restaurant in the heart of KL city.

Now, I don't usually blog about places to eat. But as I stumbled upon this amazing place, hidden in the concrete jungles of KL, I couldn't resist to snap a few pictures and to spread a word about the place.

I now introduce to you, Tamarind Springs - fine Indochinese cuisine.

That's the entrance, after driving 'forever' up hill.  

Just a small wooden door.

And the view after you stepped through the entrance.

No, no restaurant yet. Continue on walking down the pathway.

Ahh, might as well stop to pose.

Stairway to a fish pond further inside.

 Note the small candles on the sides.

 

Finally, here it is!

Welcome snacks. 

Keropok & some shrimps.

Appetizer. Tamarind platter.

Looks yucky but very yummy.

 

They called it 'the tree top' restaurant.

 Now you know why.

Another view of the setting.

 The lounge.

The bar.

The main course. 

Beef in coconut milk & vege mix tofu.

The Tamarind special.

The dessert. Gelati Misti.

Guess what? 

One lovely 'candlestick'.

Okay. Now, to answer some regular questions.

What's on their menu? What type of food do they serve?
It's a mixture of Laos, Cambodian & Vietnamese dishes. Served either individually or mixture of all three together.

What are the prices like?
It ranges from RM25-RM45 per dish. Some might consider it reasonable, some might not.

Where are they situated?
Jalan 1, Taman Tunku Abdul Rahman, Ampang. You will need to head kinda deep in to reach the place. So, not to worry if you feel like driving on forever.  You'll see the sign soon enough.

What about their service?
Excellent. And very polite. Yes, of course they speak English.

Ohh. One more thing to note. As seen from the pictures that they are situated in a forest, so don't be too surprised to dine with monkeys. You'll get to see them up close on the trees, just maybe next to your table.

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Of Weddings and Marriages

Of late, this topic is HUGE. You'll know by just logging into Facebook. Every week, pictures after pictures are being posted up. The proposal. The registration. The white wedding gown. The bouquet. The photo shoots etc etc. As if every teeny weeny pre-wedding arrangement has been posted up. The most absurd one which I've seen is the comparison of dinner menus between different restaurants.

I am not a big fan of marriages. Really.

I have watched many walk down the aisle. More will be taking that walk in the coming months or years. It has come to a time for many to hop on to this next phase of life. To settle down and to start a family. Society has a rather specific time line for this. And for my generation, this is exactly the right time to get into one. I have blessed all of them for a happily ever after marriage life. I seriously hope that they do. Seriously.

There are some who really are in love. There are some who really wanted to spent the rest of their lives with each other. It is by sitting in the audience of these weddings that you'd feel touched, watching them grow over the years to finally pronouncing their vows to each other. You'd just feel genuinely happy for them.

But there are also some who did it for the sake of peer pressure. Or for the sake of their families. Or maybe they thought it was "just about time". The entire ceremony was planned lavishly, only for the marriage to end up in problems and divorces. Blaming it all on irreconciliable differences. Foolish, I would say. To get into something which was not throughly thought about. Harsh as it may sound, I don't pity them.

As conventional as I wanted to be, I no longer put marriage on my "to-do" list, like what I used to. It won't be something to be aimed for. So long as two person are comfortable being together, it really doesn't matter whether you have it on black and white, does it? After all, who could guarantee that marriage is forever? Who could guarantee that you'd stay faithful to each other after you've have it on paper? Who could guarantee that you'd lead a blissful life after you've walked down the aisle in that white gown? There are no guarantees. There have been no guarantees as to matters of the heart. So it doesn't have to be taken so seriously either.

So what if I do not have the "Mrs" title in front of my name? So what if I prefer to remain as a "Ms"? Does that make me a different person? No. Does that make me loose out? No. Does that make me "crippled"? No. The only implication is being judged by society. To which I don't really care. Cause if I'm going to let society depict who I choose to be, then I won't be being myself.

Marriage is after all just a ceremony. A ceremony that has been commercialised.

What is your take on marriage?

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Thank you EY

When it comes to job hunting and job applications, I guess I got to thank EY for lending their name.

Of all the interviews that I've attended, it was always mentioned that I was being shortlisted due to my experiences in an international accounting firm. Well, perhaps all the late nights are paid off in this manner.

Whether or not I aced the interview, it's a totally different matter. But at least, I'd get the first meeting with ease. :)

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Reflections

On days when I look in the mirror, I see a reflection that is confident and poised. A reflection that smiles back and knows that life has been treating it with grace.

On other days when I look in the mirror again, I see a reflection that is slumped and uncertain. A reflection that no longer smiles and wanted to know why has life being unfair.

We bring out our own reflections, in different stages. Inevitably.

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You ain't leaving

The boss hinted that to me.

Right the other day when we were having a talk on business issues. The talk spiraled to certain staffing matters and then to recruitment issues.

She specifically said, "You know, I read this from an article, no matter which company you are working for, it's always best to stay there for at least 2 years. It's never good to job hop too often. It won't look nice on your CV." With a rather serious tone.

I wonder if she already knows that I am on the look out. ;)

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Happy Mother's Day

 

Just for mum.

Like no other.

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Koh Lipe, Thailand

I know. No one has ever heard of it. At least, none of those that I know. 'Where?" was the common question when I told people that I would be away for a vacation to Koh Lipe. It's pronounced as koh lee-pae by the way.

Here's where it is.

And those are the routes to get there. The easiest? From Langkawi. Just take a flight to Langkawi. Make your way to the Telaga Harbour. Board the speedboat and you'll reach the island in an hour. But beware that the speedboat service from Langkawi is only available during their peak season, which is from November to April. Other than that, you got to fly to Thailand, make your way to any of those islands on the map and board the speedboat from there.


It is a relatively small island. One hour to complete touring the entire island, on foot.

We had chosen to stay on Pattaya beach. Cause that's the area which is the most happening. The chosen accomodation : Sita Beach Resort and Spa. Just newly built earlier this year and considered as one of the most expensive resorts on the island, by the locals. But in fact, to us tourists, it's considered affordable, with only RM100 per person per night. Not only that, they've got top notch service. Imagine feeling like a royalty the moment you step into the lobby.

 

 

 

They've got buggy services to bring you around the resort. They have porters to carry your luggages. They respond to your requests very promptly.  They make cute little animals out of bath towels to welcome you. They provide showers and hoses at the entrance for you to clean up. They are all smiles every hour everyday. And you could grab as many bath towels when ever you go out to sea. Now this is how a holiday should be.

 
As you can see, there aren't any jetties on the island. You've got to constantly jump in and out of the tailboats to and from the island. The tailboats are what they use to ferry people around as speedboats can't make their way to the beach. That's another fun thing to do. The jumping in and out.


Unlike most islands, this is one which hasn't been polluted. The water is clear. The sand is white and soft. Corals and  fishes are abundant. If you are lucky, you'll get to see sea snakes and eels. It was a regret that none of us had an underwater camera. I would love to keep those pictures. We spent 2 days snorkeling under the scorching heat of the sun. You'll find tonnes of snorkeling packages on the island itself. Costing approximately RM150 to RM200 per tailboat. No worries if you can't swim, just let the boatman know and he'll use the float to bring you around. Nice chap.

 

Other than snorkelings, divings, kayakings, island hoppings and other water activities, there are other things to do on the island. There is this street within walking distance, called the Walking Street, where you'll find stalls offering tonnes of Thai food, seafood, snacks and bars. Massage parlours are aplenty, with prices as low as RM30 per hour. You'll find minimarts, a pharmacy, tatoo parlours, cafes, underwater accessories stalls, souveniers as well as bikinis stalls all along the street.

 

 

Beware of stray dogs and cats on the island. They don't bite and they don't attack. All they do is linger between your feet and sitting next to your tables in cafes and restaurants, waiting to be fed. The locals pay no heed to them. They are free to roam all over the island. That dog in the picture above is a rare breed. Or is it a wolf?

And finally, this is something that has not been posted up on Facebook, due to certain reasons.

 

Yes, I had been in a bikini. I figured that I got to try it at least once in a lifetime. Might as well do it when I'm still young and Koh Lipe is the perfect place to wear one. It is full of mat salleh in bikinis and no weirdo is gonna stare at you like they are gonna eat you. And besides, I went with an all female group. All the more the courage.

I do love the beach. Calm, peaceful and serene. Nothing but the waves and the stars.

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Paradise

I will be there in another 5 days.

Stay tuned!

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Superstition

Ever believed in a good luck charm?

There, the little something to be carried around to wade off bad luck. The little something that your elderly aunt would insist that you keep it close to you. You would most probably do it out of respect, rather than really believing that it actually works. Cause you'd might wonder, if it really did work, then why were there so many casualties happening around?

I have never believed in one. First, I'm not superstitious. Second, it didn't really have any effect, when I did tried to carry this something that my mum told me to. Cause I believed that everything that happens, do happen for a reason. And that if something was meant to be, it couldn't be altered no matter how.

Up until I found this, from the streets of a night market. A simple something that caught my eye. A something that I would put on everyday. An accessory. And why did I started to believe that it brings good luck? Because of the effect it had on me when I had in put on. Sounds stupid, I know.

Some might have known that I encountered hiccups in my job. With things not going my way, tasks not being done, quarrels among colleagues, mistakes after mistakes, my patience and temper had been flying out of the window. Some might have known how much I've been complaining and complaining.

But recently, days in the office went by rather smoothly. Not with without hiccups, but with manageable ones. Not so much mistakes. Tasks still not being done fully, but completed partly. Things beginning to go my way. The quarrels have toned down. The tempers have toned down.

I've tried to understand the string of events that happened. When I couldn't find the logic, I turned to un-natural forces. I realised that on the days which I had the accessory on, those were the days which went by with the least troubles. And on the days which I didn't have it on, those were the days which were the hardest to get by. Tried and tested.

Yes, you might think that I came up with the excuse to make myself feel better. Or maybe you  might think that I'm being foolish. Perhaps there was some reasonable explanation to all that has happened. But any how, the accessory has been sticking with me for some time now. If you see me at work, then you'll see it.

I change my perception on being superstitious. 

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Complete?

I once thought that I had it all. That I had been complete. And that I have no need for anything else. It was what most people told me. They envied. And it made me cocky.

The cockiness, had presently, subdued. I no longer hold on to the thought that I had it all. Like a ball, it is gradually rolling away. I began to see that what I used to have, is falling off, like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Leaving empty spots on what was once a perfect picture.

They are still envying. But I am no longer cocky.

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Dreamer

There are things that I feel like doing. The more I think about them, the more I don't know where to begin. Or which to begin. In the end, I let it pass and kick myself for not doing anything. All I did was lay on the couch, stare at the wall, and imagined myself doing all kinds of things that pleases myself.

I really should begin some where. To make my own dreams come true.

This instant.

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