will i am's delayed diary

Continued from here . The next morning, mum and I skipped a trip to the morning market to attend day two of STWW2017 at MIECC. We tried to arrive early, but there was a horrible jam heading into the venue because MIECC parking management opened only one counter to collect parking fees. Can't fathom the logic behind that decision. The doors to the hall was not opened yet, but there was already a huge queue outside. Once the doors were opened, everyone rushed in. Greeters lined main pathways, giving participants high fives. To get the blood flowing, there was a morning aerobics of sorts via a dance sequence. The music was pumping and everyone was psyched up. Along the day, many ST members were recognized for their achievements in helping countless of those around them find health and opportunities in the Nu Skin platform, Also had the opportunity to listen to Angela Liew speak, one of the visionaries behind ST. Nu Skin's Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Joseph Y. Chang also ...

My dear KH had tickets to Success Together Worldwide Global Convention (STWW2017) , but he had forgotten that he had a wedding to attend in Hong Kong. The logical solution would be for his spouse to take his place. The event kicked off with a charity night on Friday evening for the Nu Skin Children's Heart Fund. Mum and I braved the Friday rush hour traffic which was made worse by the rain. In addition to that, we had to babysit the two Monsters. Made it to MINES International Exhibition & Convention Centre  (MIECC) at about 8:00 PM. By the time we got registered, and sat down, we had missed a bulk of the performances. Only managed to catch the Singapore delegates' "Baby Shark" number, and Malaysia's performance which was led by the talented Ichiro Chuah. The kids were entertained and diamond torch lights that were inside the goodie bags kept them occupied. ST also invited a speaker from Taiwan, a girl who has Epidermolysis bullosa (EB). Due to her disor...

Traffic warden duty at church is one of the least desirable, but the rainy weather made things easier in a way. At least I did not need to deal with the sweltering heat. Carrying around an umbrella is simple enough to keep dry. When my mother and brother came out, I asked them what's for lunch. Mum suggested Japanese food. Racked my brain for a good option. Thought about Uroko, but I'm kinda bored with that. Picked KH's brain instead. He suggested that we go to Uokatsu at Plaza Damas. FYI, it's opposite Hartamas Shopping Center. Just take the bridge, and the shop is just a few doors left. Uokatsu is a no-frills Japanese restaurant. No fancy decorations here, and the whole place is wafting with the smell of dashi . Everything is practical. Sit, order, and eat. Even the menu had no pictures, just a piece of A4 paper. Since there were no visual cues, we just made some random choices with some input from the helpful waitress. We had a mixture of items-- sashimi platter,...

Spotted Tank Top Tom in front of Caring Pharmacy, near the OUG Morning Market. He was sitting down to breakfast with his family. I hardly ever eat there because getting a table is a very painful process. But anyway, I was very content to be standing at my vantage point watching Tom flex his arms. A 'nutritious breakfast' for me!

Continued from here . With the spare tire, we drove to the first tyre shop that we saw-- Weng Yin Kee Tyre Service. Surprisingly, it was staffed by several Chinese women. Due to the condition of the tyre, they have to manually cut the shredded tyre out. The lady suggested that we come back later. Did a random search on Foursquare and headed to Kedai Kopi Ah Wah for brunch. We weren't too particular as all of us were starving! Curry noodles were supposedly good, so we got two bowls of that. Then we added-on mee rebus ( Perak seems to have a love affair with this dish ), mee kicap , soup noodles, and kaya-butter toast. On top of all that, mum bought a packet of nasi lemak from a stall outside. Everyone was satisfied with the curry noodles, and the soup noodles were also good. I didn't like the mee rebus because it was too sweet. Toast was also great. Right after our brunch, we headed to the wet market to buy flowers, and some prayer items. Thankfully, it was still...

Every November, my family makes a trip to Teluk Intan for All Souls' Day. This years trip was pretty eventful, as it kinda went wrong from the get-go. First of all, mum actually didn't wake up on time! That's the most shocking thing. Usually, when she had a trip, she would not sleep well. The whole night long, you could hear her getting out of her room to pack something obscure that she might need for the trip. In and out, up and down the stairs. When my sister reached our door step at 6:00 AM, I was wondering why my mother had not come down. I sent Little Monster to investigate. Turns out she had just woke up! And I thought that she was the one who knocked on my brother's door at 5:30 AM! Due to that, we started our trip 45 minutes late. My brother-in-law was not feeling well and he had been working pretty late recently at work, so I was the designated driver. For the first time in years, it was a rainy trip to Teluk Intan for All Souls' Day. Stopped at Shell sta...

For several weeks now, I have not been going to Paradigm Mall after church. Visited Publika instead. Mum ate at the food court, while I had my Nu Skin ageLOC Trim Shake. She didn't really like Kin Kin Pan Mee 's chili pan mee. Guess she doesn't like the concept. And I did find it kinda disgusting that they put a whole bunch of icky factory-made fried shallots on the noodles. There's also a new addition to the food court-- ME.REKA , a space designing and making. Arty stuff la. Haha. The 10th International Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival 2017 (KLEFF 2017) was also happening at Publika, so there were some special stalls in addition to the usual flea market vendors. Bumped into Bibik Nyonya there, someone who I have not met since the Serendah trip in 2007! He's in the artisanal soap business now, so he sells his wares at flea markets around the Klang Valley. Glad to hear that his business is doing well. Also visited B.I.G. and was wow-ed by their huge selection of...

I have a love affair with Teochew Kuih / Png Kueh / 潮州饭桃. This steamed cake is actually rice flour dough over glutinous rice. Practically rice on rice. Sticky rice? Haha. And its shaped like a peach, a very traditional and stylized rendition. I love it savoury where the glutinous is stir-fried with shallots and dried shrimp. If you don't finish it within a day ( unlikely! ), the next day you can pan fry it for a different kind or enjoyment. Anyway, its hard to get good ones in KL. By luck, mum came across a stall in the OUG morning market that sold Teochew Kuih from Tanjung Sepat. In addition to the usual pink ones, they also had some blue ones which had a filling mixed with mung beans ( tau sar ). Those were great too. Now I know where to get my Teochew Kuih fix!

Brought mum to Pavilion to view the giant kolam at center court. Lim Kok Wing students made three huge patterns ( elephant, peacock, and the traditional circular design ) and the effect was more dramatic thanks to floor stickers. Mum and I were lucky enough to catch a short dance performance accompanied by popular Bollywood songs. Noticed several changes in Pavilion. Will have a Dean and Deluca soon, and also a Kakigori. Snowflake is still there, popular as ever, but they had a recent face lift. For some reason, I think that's the only outlet where I ever notice Malay customers. Our shopping luck was poor that day as we left empty-handed. Ventured to Bandar Puteri Puchong for dinner with SK. She recommended that we try V-Nam Cafe at a quiet row of shops near Columbia Asia Hospital. We had the classic gỏi cuốn , pork stewed in coconut water ( recommended, we loved the gravy ), crispy fried chicken ( sedap sehingga menjilat jari ). and pho bo . At night, the place is kinda d...

More than a month ago, we made plans to visit Sasaran Sky Mirror , one of the latest commercialized day-trip attractions. The challenge about visiting Sasaran Sky Mirror is that you can only visit it 4 days before and after the 1st or 15th day of the lunar calendar. During the other times, it's submerged, in the middle of the sea. In oceanographic terms, I think its called a shoal. During those days when the tide is low, you can walk on the shoal, and if the weather is good, the flat terrain appears to act like a giant mirror. We made our booking through Sasaran Sky Mirror Services, one of the homegrown tour operators in Jeram. Best to communicate with them in Mandarin. On the eve of the trip, the tour operator told us to arrive earlier, 7:30 AM to be exact. Originally, we were slated for 8:00 AM. And so, KH picked us up at 6:30 AM. Just an hour away. Pretty close. The meeting point was actually a Taoist temple in Kampung Sungai Buloh, but it doesn't show in any map. When...