Hey guys, I'm back with lots of pictures this time. Had been really occupied recently. Looking back at this few days, all I can say is that I'm truly thankful that I'm blessed with beautiful people around me. These people of course are my family including my Aunt Linda and my BFF's. Sometimes I feel like I take you guys for granted especially my mum and dad, love you both gargantuously. Haha... if only I have the guts to say it to them. Weird... As for my BFF's, you guys probably know me a little bit more than my family for "some reasons". Thanks for being there for me and for baring the years of hissy fits that I threw at you guys lol... Enough emoness. Moving on to my birthday celebration which had taken place more than a week ago. So this is kind of an overdue post haha.. Anyway, my mum decided to take me to Cameron Highlands on my birthday, right after I came back from KL so I was taking short snoozes throughout my journey there. However, I do know how to get there by car now*hint*hint* roadtrip*coughs* Overall, Cameron is a superb place for those who are looking for peace of mind. Imagine a place where cool breeze gently brushes on your face while you are comfortably wrap up in your jacket and the sun's ray does not scorch but instead provides you with warmth. You can fall asleep just about anywhere there, preferably lying on the oceans of greenery under a bluish canopy vandalized only by fluffy white clouds.






The above are from Bharat Plantation

Cameron was a lot different when I last left. It has so many things to offer now, most importantly good food. My mum, knowing what I like most, took me on a food marathon. I'll let the pictures do the talking.


First up, Oldies and Goodies Restaurant. We were having second thoughts whether or not to enter as it was stated there "Roasted Restaurant" Was afraid we might come out "cooked". Glad we took the risk as the food was delicious. Maybe because it was the cold weather haha...


Clockwise from top; Roasted duck and pork, Deep Fried Fish coated with Sweet Sauce served in Sizzling Plate, Old Cucumber Soup, Three Layered Pork Meat Braised in Fermented Bean Curd Paste Sauce, Stir Fried Long Beans With Braised Mushrooms and Stir Fried Watercress with Light Oyster Sauce.


During the second day, we went there again but I only manage to snap the first dish because there was a Singaporean couple joining our table... have to behave myself lol... Anyway the dish was Claypot Seafood Curry.

Next, we went to the Bharat Plantation and I had a slice of Strawberry Cheese Cake...


Looks nice but at the end, I wasn't craving for seconds.

Then we headed for The Big Strawberry Farm. The name itself would give you the impression that the place is filled with strawberries but I searched high and low for straberries to no avail. Instead I found these...


The Hanging Gardens of Tomatoes...

...and my past obsessions, cactus.

As I climb further up, I saw signboards leading to heaven...


Now for the real thing...


Strawberry Sundae & Strawberry with Yoghurt and Honey


English Scone & Tea

I could barely walk after all those goodies so I did what I do best, sleep! Went back for a short nap and woke up just in time for dinner...


Steamboat!

The restaurant that we went to wasn't exactly nice but the fact that the night was chilly, anything with a bowl of hot soup would have tasted great. Anyhow, we initially wanted to go to one of the restaurants in Brinchang to experience the traditional way of using steamboats but sadly it was fully booked.


Took this pic from the web. The charcoals are placed at the bottom and the long spout is where the volcanic effect takes place.

After dinner, we went for a short walk in one of the night markets...


Bought myself a strawberry fondue. The lady actually told us she was camera shy, like it would stop us... snap! snap!


Then I saw this cute lil' pop-up christmas card and decided to purchase it. Bargained for the price of RM5 and was proud that I succeeded until I found out that Gurney was selling it for RM4.90 nett. Anyway, dedicating this card to Yong Ming and Jim who is not here with us. Merry Christmas! Ah... so economical.


As if dinner was ever enough, we went for desserts which doubles as my b'day cake. Can't believe it takes so long to be 10...


...and my all time favorite fruit, Durians!

Well, that was how I spent my birthday with my family but wait! There's more lol... please don't die of boredom... yet. I celebrated my b'day with some of my BFF a little later but nevertheless it was no less special. Where did they take me? Tag along to find out.


Located at Belisa Row, Jurin


Kel's dish...


...Alan's dish


Ansel going on a diet...




...Nick going on an eating frenzy.


Evil! While they enjoy their food I was left with nothing to eat. Just kidding, I wonder where did the pictures of my dish went to? Food was scrumptious. Would recommend this place if you are willing to foot in a little more cash. As usual, we went for seconds at FACES after our first phase of dinner. There's where the cake was cut and the present was opened...


My Birthday cake, French Cuppachino.


Want a piece of me?


Beautifully wrapped up


Doesn't this remind you of some toy?


Glitter lamp!

Thanks a lot guys! I really appreciate what you guys did for me and what a thoughtful present. Promise I'll take it to my new place. So, that's it. Come to think of it, I still haven't receive a key from dad or mum. Does this mean I'm still grounded by my parents? Oh well, Merry Christmas...

Two more hours before I head for Cameron Highlands. Kel picked me up from the bus terminal earlier and we went for a heavy supper which started with "Wan Than Mee" and ended with "Bak Kut Teh". Then we crash at Alan's for a chat. At last I managed to settle everything including my part for accommodation. Just hoping that the agent doesn't run away with our money, knock on wood. Yesterday was hectic as I have to rush to get everything done before I officially checked out from the hostel. Thanks to my housemate for lending me his room space to store my growing collections of junk. Poor him, paying for the same amount for a room half the original size lol... Took some pictures for memory sake that I'll post on my future entry. As I was leaving the hostel, I felt a slight drizzle. It was as if the hostel itself was grieving my departure. Okay fine, was just crapping. It has been raining consistently these few days actually. My point is, moving out was harder than I thought. Oh, before I left, there was this air spray freshener that I bought and it was still half full. So instead of wasting it, I decided to freshen the entire unit. Well, the outcome wasn't really what I expected as I ended up running out of the unit gasping for "fresher" air. After that, went to Ikea to meet up with the agent to pay for the booking fees for my accommodation then headed straight for KL to get tickets to Penang. However, tickets from "reliable" companies were all sold out so I decided to try my luck on the not so "reliable" company. That, my dear readers, was a MAJOR MISTAKE! I was charged RM35. With that amount, you would expect at least a 2-1 seater coach but instead I ended up in a 2-2 seater coach. Worst still, I fell asleep at the beginning of the trip and when I woke up it was already dark. Then when we were already four hours plus on our journey, I assumed we were somewhere near Penang until I saw an oh so familiar scene ahead. It was the tunnel near Ipoh, which meant there was another 2 hours plus until my destination. To channel out my negative thoughts and emotions at that time, I decided to relax and enjoy what ever view I could see in the dark. To my horror, I saw a reflection on the window with the word HELL almost completely spelled. Took a second look then noticed it was the digital clock on the bus. The time was 11.34. Twenty six minutes after that, I turned 21...

Peeps... I'm back sooner than expected. Would've been in Penang by now but due to "foreseen" circumstances, I'm stuck here. Today's appointment with the property agent didn't went as well as I thought it would be. Nevertheless, I managed to secure a unit, which means half of my worries gone. As for the other unit, I'll have to wait for news from the agent who assured me that she would be able to find a suitable place by tomorrow. Oh well, I guess all I can do for now is wait and see. Two more days and I'll be officially out from this dreaded place. Well, to be honest, after spending one and a half years here I was starting to get attach to this place. Neighbours with disco lights and loud music throughout the nights, slower than dial-up connection and jail-like bars for "protection". However, it was these few days that helped me realized that no matter where a person may be, it is the people around him that makes all the difference. With my close mates all off for the holidays, the atmosphere just isn't the same. Nights are much more bearable when you know that there is someone going through it with you. Lucky for me, I managed to get my mates to move in to my new place. So there, a better place with my best mates over here. Isn't that a happy ending? Speaking of happy ending, there's this movie that I watched two weeks ago which has gotten me hooked to it's soundtrack. This light hearted movie is a must watch, predictable but nevertheless a great way to kick off the holiday season. It is none other than Enchanted with it's addictive arrangement of songs. Then there's The Golden Compass which was not bad. Love... Nicole. She's such a versatile actress. Enough about movies, Kel came back last week from Newcastle but before heading straight to Penang, he stopped by KL and stayed over at Ansel's with Nick tagging along. I met them on the second day for a shopping spree. Opps... I meant window shopping spree followed up by a family bonding session during the night. It was so much fun. It was what I needed after those stressful days. Oh, did I mentioned that Kel brought along chocolates and most importantly he brought along my new precious...

My whites...

Familiar? Now that I've got a new phone I'll be posting with more pictures so that you guys out there don't fall asleep halfway through. Talking about those of you out there, I'm missing the rest my BFF's that I haven't seen for a long time. I've a confession to make. I'm lousy and just couldn't be bothered when it comes to using MSN partly due to the sucky connection and mostly my inability to chat for a long time to a box. So for those of you who are overseas, you guys know who you are, just want you to know that you guys are always on my thoughts. Okay, maybe not when I'm horny :P It's getting late right now, or should I say early? Guess it's time to end this random post. Say this time we end it with a happy news, shall we? *Drums rolling* Here goes... I manage to obtain straight A's for this semester! Hmm... wondering what I should ask for Christmas...

Definitely not or I wouldn't be back with a new post. However, I might as well be. Why so? First of all I've had my most stressful semester so far, which explains my long absence, but I'm glad I made it through albeit lots of last minutes with a total of 8 individual assignments and 8 group assignments. Then when I thought the worst is over, I got threatened with the fact that I might be sleeping at the streets if I can't find myself a decent place to stay by the end of the year, which explains why I'm still stuck here in my hostel instead of being back with my family and friends. I guess we won't be neighbours, Ivan, as much as I want to because the house just wasn't meant to be mine. On top of all that, given the fact that the fate of 8 people including me is in my hands(a little dramatic but true :P ) just doesn't make things any more easier. I need to find a place ASAP! Oh, did I mention I lost my mobile? Thanks to Kel for solving my woes on that matter. All that and my partial greediness has also led to WEIGHT GAIN! Arghhhh... Pardon my negativity but before I could relax I need to settle everything. Damn, I need a fitness instructor. Oh, forget fitness instructor, I need a life coach. Sigh... To end this pathetic post, I'm going to let you in on my current thought; 9 subjects next semester! One word, dead...

PS: HAPPY 21st Al. Sorry that I couldn't put you in a happier post lol...