Month: April 2008

Random musings

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car crash

I was heading down on a site visit with a coworker this afternoon when we were cut off by a Honda City doing at least 90 km/h on a gravel road. I commented off-handedly that the driver is likely to have an accident judging by the way he/she was driving. Well, next thing we knew, we turned a corner and saw the Honda City lose control and crash head on into a utility pole. I am familiar with crashing into utility poles and judging by the speed the car was going, the driver was lucky the car didn’t crash through and drop into the huge drain beside the road.

There were a couple of security guards from a nearby factory running down the road towards the crash to see if they could help out the driver. It turned out to be a middle aged lady fetching her two kids back from school (they were still in primary school uniform). I am not sure if anyone was hurt coz there was a cement truck bearing down on us and I just had time to get a couple of photos off before I had to get off the shoulder of the road.

evelyn

Anyway, I was out tonight with Katherine and Evelyn. Evelyn (girl in pink) is back for the holidays and she used to be from my high school. Her parents are working in the same field as mine and her brother knows my sister but unfortunately, I can’t seem to remember seeing her in school. My memory is notoriously dismal though, so there you go. She has a degree is psychology (OMG! I can’t believe it! I haven’t had a crush in years! *swoons*) from Otago University in Christchurch, NZ and she’s doing mission work (as in church related) in Singapore.

I still can’t stop kicking myself for not noticing her back in high school and er…perhaps making a move (or two). 😉

Anyway, I’m going jungle trekking with some people from work tomorrow morning. Early day tomorrow. Pictures and report will be up when I get home. Have an outstanding Labor’s Day break and don’t do anything I won’t do.

Ba Sen Baku Teh

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ba sen baku teh

Ba Sen Baku Teh is an eating establishment specializing in Bak Kut Teh (Pork Rib Tea). It’s located in Kampung Hilir and there is a huge bak kut teh ceramic pot hanging outside the large shop front.

ba sen sign

I went there with Faye for lunch on Sunday. You really can’t miss the distinguished signage. 😉

ba sen interior

The interior is nicely decorated with large, ancient ceramic spice holders and see through blinds. It really goes quite well with the warm red tones that the place is painted with.

ba sen pot

We ordered a pot of pork bak kut teh (RM 5). Bak kut teh is by default made with pork meat. There was a variant called chick kut teh (chicken bone tea) during the swine flu scare a couple of years back but that trend kinda petered out coz the tea just doesn’t taste right without the robust taste of pork.

ba sen bak kut teh

Ba Sen Baku Teh offers add-ons ranging from sea cucumber to pork intestines which is charged accordingly and put into your personal pot of baku teh soup before cooking. We went for pork kidney (RM 2.50), pork liver (RM 1), pig tail (RM 1) and sliced pork (RM 1).

ba sen rice

It tasted quite good and Ba Sen Baku Teh also offers pork bak kut mee where they put noodles into the bak kut teh soup. The place also makes dried Klang style bak kut teh during Saturdays and Sundays.

ba sen group

Ba Sen Baku Teh only has bak kut teh on the menu so unless you’re a fan of the stuff, there really isn’t anything else on the menu to cater to your tastes. However, if you like bak kut teh, it comes highly recommended from me. 🙂

…and I know some of the guys out there have a habit of squinting at the interior photos for any inadvertent upskirt pics. Please don’t squint.

ba sen upskirt

You’ll hurt your eyes. 😉

Workshop

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workshop

I bumped into Eddy and Jonalyn while having dinner with Faye last night and we decided to head over to Workshop for a couple of drinks and to shoot some pool. This is a departure from tradition as I usually don’t go drinking with people from work (Eddy is a manager in the company that I work in). 🙂

I also remember singing a couple of off-key renditions of Hotel California and I Will Survive. Heh! Workshop seems to be a rather chill place to hang out on Saturday night. It doesn’t have the massive turnout of 3 degrees Celsius and Q-bar and there’s even room for elbow space.

Watch your steeps

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watch your steeps

Watch your step. Steep incline ahead. A new signboard maker takes the innovative steep, er…I mean step, of combining two “Caution” messages into one. It is widely misinterpreted as bad English.

Watch your steeps.

KFC vouchers

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kfc sibu

I went to KFC last night with Faye and the mysterious child of unknown origin (TM). This is the only 24 hour KFC in Sibu.

kfc voucher

I had been given a RM 10 and RM 5 voucher courtesy of the social club of the company that I work in. It seems that KFC is giving out vouchers to company affiliated clubs to distribute out to their members – we get ours during birthdays.

kfc counter

I haven’t had the chance to use it since I got it early this month so I decided to eat there last night.

kfc food

We got an X-Meal (Zinger), 3 pieces of chicken, cheesy wedges and a couple of sodas. My notorious appetite seem to have left me coz it felt like it’s a little too much for supper for 2 adults and a 10 year old. 🙂

kfc group

I am still having the sniffles from plucking out my nasal hair a couple of days back…

Manly tears

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manly tears

I have briefly touched upon the subject of manly tears in the annals of sixthseal.com. I am personally not very prone to shedding tears myself, and could never understand the more sensitive individuals who’re more in touch with their feminine side…

…until now.

nasal hair

The culprit.

I was driving home from work just now when a friend of mine noticed a particularly long nasal hair sticking out of my nostril. She proceeded to pluck out the offending follicle with no small measure of sadistic glee and left me shedding tears. Manly tears, of course. 😉

Halia Cafe

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halia cafe

Halia Cafe is a newly opened eating establishment offering Muslim food. The place is owned and operated by a couple of friendly Malays and serves authentic halal fare. I have been told a lot of good (and not so good) things about the spiciness factor of the servings they dish out, and I was eager to check out the place since I’m a big fan of spicy food.

halia cafe interior

The interior of Halia Cafe is clean and the abundant ceiling fans operating at full speed does wonders to the ambiance, considering they don’t have air conditioning. Halia Cafe takes over from Eden Cafe (a Vietnamese restaurant) and much of the interior fittings looks rather familiar.

jus cinta

I went there with Faye during lunchtime and was pleasantly surprised to find the place relatively empty. My lunch hour is rather short and I have been looking for a place with quick service and good food. I ordered the Jus Cinta (RM 2).

jus cinta plum

Jus Cinta is a local concoction of sour plums and calamansi lime. The plums here are larger than the usual ones from coffee shops.

nasi kukus sotong

The waitress recommended the Set Nasi Kukus Halia Cafe which is a set lunch of sorts and their signature dish. There are options for fish, chicken and squid. This is the Nasi Kukus + Sotong Goreng Sambal (RM 5). The dish also came a couple of fried prawns (shrimp) which was a nice touch.

nasi kukus sotong macro

The steamed rice is flavored with santan (coconut milk) and the squid was fried with sambal. This is pleasantly (for me) spicy and salty, and gets two thumbs up from me. Faye didn’t quite like it though coz she’s a bit of a wuss when it comes to spicy food. 😉

nasi kukus ayam

I ordered the Nasi Kukus + Ayam Kunyit (RM 5). The chicken was grilled in a banana leaf and topped with spicy sauce. There is also a serving of cold pickles on the side for those of the faint of heart.

nasi kukus ayam macro

I liked this dish as well, the chicken was grilled to perfection – sweet, tender and moist. It is rather spicy though so people with more conservative taste buds should take note.

Halia Cafe is a nice place with halal food offering authentic Malay cuisine. It comes highly recommended for those with a taste for adventure. People without desensitized taste buds need not apply. 🙂

Great Teacher HB

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great teacher hb

I have been helping a friend out in tutoring and it is to my great consternation that the scholastic standards for school age kids nowadays seem to be increasing. I am not ashamed to report that I’m finding some of the subjects a little er…taxing, to say the least. 😉

do as i say

Teacher say, “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Cuppa Kopi Roti

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cuppa kopi roti

Cuppa Kopi Roti is another one of those Hainan toast and coffee establishments that is springing up like mushrooms these days. These establishments cater to nostalgic memories of old coffee shops in modern surroundings, often offering free WiFi and air conditioning.

cuppa bar

Cuppa Kopi Roti is located in Pedada and I went to check out the place with Faye (plus kids, not mine) this morning. There isn’t much of a Sunday morning crowd to speak of but the open kitchen is doing a brisk business in boiling eggs (for whom, I can’t say).

cuppa kitchen

Despite the modern surroundings, Cuppa Kopi Roti uses the old coffee shop style kettles and filters for boiling coffee. They also insert the traditional pat of butter into the coffee for a richer taste. However, the eggs are done using a machine.

cuppa interior

The back of Cuppa Kopi Roti is air conditioned and comes with tasteful fittings. There are also games like Uno and Scrabble for customers to indulge in.

cuppa band

The place also has a space for live performances. I’m told that the proprietor plays music on weekend nights here.

cuppa kopi

I ordered Set A which is their flagship product at RM 4.50. It comes with 2 slices of traditional bread toast, 2 half boiled eggs and your choice of coffee or tea. The coffee comes in those small cups and saucers that you see in the traditional coffee shops that this place is emulating (albeit with more comfortable surroundings).

half boiled eggs

The half boiled eggs are HUGE and comes with pepper and soy sauce on the side. I’ve been told that this place serves huge eggs and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Another plus point is the chicken motif bowl that it came in, definitely authentic traditional Hainan. 🙂

traditional toast

The traditional bread toast was crispy and bigger than the usual bakery produced bread. It’s sliced rather thin and that probably contributes to the crispness.

traditional bread toast

The butter is not slathered on but sliced and then inserted. I like this method, it makes everything creamier.

toast and egg

My favorite way of eating these things is to dip the bread into the heavily seasoned eggs before eating it. Kinda like toast soldiers. I don’t know why nobody I know likes eating it this way.

square bread toast

The kids (not mine, as mentioned above) went for the square bread toast (RM 2.30). This uses the standard thicker bakery produced bread slices.

cuppa chocolate

They also shared a chocolate milk bubble tea (RM 3.50). It was alright, but specialty bubble tea establishments do this better.

french toast

Faye went for the French toast set (RM 4.50). The French toast came out soft and fragrant and it has a side of kaya to taste. She liked it, but I didn’t think it was anything special.

cheese toast

The cheese toast (RM 3.80) also uses the thicker style of bread and comes with a slice of cheddar toasted into the bread. Surprisingly the bread was soft despite toasting.

hotdog bread

The hotdog bread (RM 3.80) was the best of the bunch. It also came with a side of kaya and this is an especially nice touch.

sausage bread

The saltiness of the sausage combined with the sweet creaminess of the kaya adds a whole level of texture to this offering. This comes highly recommended. 🙂

cuppa photo

Cuppa Kopi Roti has reasonably priced food and comfortable surroundings. It’s a nice place to spend a quiet Sunday morning. 🙂

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