Melaka Trip, Again!

Monday, July 30, 2012

We, consist of Wai Hoong, Yee Lim, Kin Ho and I, departed from Ipoh around 10.15am after our breakfast and reached Melaka town at 1.30pm. Along the way, we saw numerous shopping complexes such as MyDin, Aeon, Dataran Pahlawan and of course the famous Mahkota Parade.


Since we have already booked 2 rooms in The Baba House situated along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, we decided to check-in first and unload our back packs. It was only RM105 for 3 days 2 nights in that hotel because Wai Hoong had booked the coupons earlier from groupon.com. We went from Thursday (26th July 2012) till Saturday (28th July 2012).


One good thing about our hotel is that it is located just beside the vibrant Jonker Street which is a huge tourist attraction. Just opposite our hotel is the Eng Choon Association.


After that, we went hunting for a nice chicken rice ball shop to satisfy our hunger. We were quite disappointed because it was a glaring hot Thursday afternoon and the renowned Chung Wah Restaurant and Hoe Kee Restaurant were closed.


After deep consideration, we headed to Famosa Chicken Rice Ball shop. Sadly the rice balls were not as tasty as expected and the chicken was not as good as the one we have in Ipoh.


The only nice food in that restaurant is the Fish Otak-Otak which I think it deserves a thumb up. We spent RM41 for that lunch.


We walked along Jonker Street after lunch and came across a shop named Jonker 88. The shop is crowded with customers because of its' Cendols and other Ice drinks. Yee Lim and I had Passion Fruit Ice whereas Kin Ho had Gula Melaka. The Passion Fruit Ice is selling at RM4 and it was a bit sweet but overall it is still nice especially when we are dealing with burning hot weather.


We went back to our hotel before coming out again at 7.00pm. Since most of the shops along the street were closed by that time, we went to a nearby hawker center for our dinner.


The fried oyster that was sold there was awesome. I love it~


There is a river nearby and we decided to go for a boat ride with only RM10 per person.


The 45-minute ride brought us along the river cruise and throughout the journey, we saw many hand-painted buildings and old-English style cafeterias.


We went to visit Muzium Samudera after the cruise but it was close at night so we decided to come back the next day. Since Mahkota Parade is just a walking distance, we went and explore it! I came across Kenny Rogers in the mall~


Before bed time, we went to a nearby mamak store which serves North India and Pakistan cuisine. We ordered Tandoori Chicken and try out the Egg & Cheese Naan. What a delicious night~ =)

Our second day started new with the breakfast served in the hotel with the choice of Western Style or Local Style.


We came across an old, gated western style building at the same row with our hotel. I believe it belongs to one of the rich there.


After that, we went to Jonker Bird House which is included in our 3 days 2 nights coupon.


According to our tour guide in the bird house, the owner used up around RM 5 millions to renovate and refurbish the bird house after he found out that swiflets had migrated into the house. It is definitely a money-making business by just selling the bird nest alone!


We went to the renowned Red House where the Christ Church of Melaka is situated after that.


Taking any photos inside the Church is prohibited but I tried using my phone to snap photos there, in the end I got scolded badly by the church keeper in front of a swarm of people. =(


Trishaws are popular among the tourists. The standard price is RM40 per hour and they are not allow to negotiate or set their own price.


Along the way, we visited the Dutch Fort and the Water Mill too.


Further up along the street, there are a few museums located just beside the river bank. One of it is Muzium Samudera which we did not enter last night. The museum was built the same design as the ship, Flor De La Mar.


Histories of Melaka as well as local heroes were displayed there.


Not forgetting various models of ships used by the Portuguese, British and the locals before independence.



When the clock struck 12 noon, we headed back to Jonker Street to have a taste of chicken rice balls, again. Fortunately Chung Wah Restaurant is open for business!


Not surprising though, there was a queue in front of the restaurant. The 3 of us decided to visit San Shu Gong shop opposite the restaurant while leaving Kin Ho to perform the holy task - queue up. xD


San Shu Gong is known for its local products such as dodol, biscuits, nyonya cakes and many more.


One of it is the Durian Cendol. I did not try it because I dislike durian all along but Yee Lim tasted it. He said the durian essense is too strong and it actually cover up the cendol taste. RM5.80 for one, anyone interested?



After approximately 15 minutes, finally it was our turn at Chung Wah Restaurant. We have a whole bird and 5 rice balls per person and it only cost RM40+. Rice balls are being sold at 30 cent per ball in every restaurant as of 28th July 2012.


Since it was a steaming hot day, we decided to try out the sparkling juices that were sold along the street with just RM10 for 3 bottles. We went to Dataran Pahlawan situated beside Mahkota Parade after that to escape the heat out there.


We came across a 6D Motion Theater in the mall and decided to give it a try. RM13 for a mere 8-minute 3D clip with water being sprinkled constantly and some gush of wind shooting at us repeatedly. Not worth the pay!


When we left the mall before 6.00pm, we saw St. Francis Institution! It was founded in 1880 which is 32 years older than St. Michael's.


We headed to a shop named Capitol Satay to try out the renowned Satay Celup. It was a very shocking long queue but Wai Hoong insisted to try it out. After approximately 45 minutes of lining up, finally it was our turn.


It was just some normal ingredients-in-a-stick. What made it special is the Satay sauce. They have their own recipe for the sauce and it is incredibly awesome!!! With only 90 cent per stick, we have spent RM66 just for the meal. It is a must-try when you come to Melaka one day but try to avoid coming on weekends as the queue will be unimaginable. I had a friend who queue for 3 hours!


We were lucky as Jonker Street night market only operates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. So we went there after resting at our hotel. The street is crowded with locals as well as tourists who opt for a drink in the bars.


It is the same as our local pasar malam, with more lively and they even have a stage set up for the old folks to show their 'talent' in singing.


I was lucky as I had the chance to meet Madam Hoe. She is definitely a person I will salute.


Without her limbs, she is able to perform Chinese calligraphy with just a brush. How many of us actually able to do that with our perfect limbs?


Third day started with a buffet style breakfast at our hotel.


After that, we went to San Shu Gong again as Wai Hoong wanted to try the Durian Cendol. We bought some kaya cakes called Amoy with just RM7.50 for 6 pieces.


After some time spent on the street, we started our journey back to Ipoh and ended our delicious 3 days 2 nights trip in the historical city.

Nike Phang 20th Birthday!

Monday, July 23, 2012

It was Nike Phang birthday on 24th July this year! Since most of us were not in Ipoh on that day, we decided to celebrate it 2 days before, that is a Sunday. After much consideration, we have chosen Nando's in Aeon, Station 18 as the venue of our plan and kept it secret from the birthday guy. 

We arrived half an hour earlier before him and he thought it was only another normal yumcha session.


He was quite surprised because he did not realise it was a planned birthday celebration for him. After our deliciously-spicy peri-peri lunch, the cake was presented! We bought him a blue Nike tee shirt and a lovely Angry Bird cake.

When we ask him to cut the cake, he actually removed the chocolate sticks first, which resulted the fierce and angry face of the cake to become...


THIS!!

It was freaking hilarious and a day to be remembered~ =)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

The month of July is full of birthdays! Firstly, it was me, followed by my sister, and it's my mom's turn now. This beautifully-crafted handbag birthday cake was designed by my Uncle Michael. Amazing right?


We had a simple dinner at Momo Cafe, Ipoh Garden East on this auspicious day. =)
I love you Mom~

SMI's Speech Day

Friday, July 13, 2012

This may be the last school event I'm attending. I was invited to St. Michael's Speech Day on this lovely Thursday. To be frank I realised that I actually don't miss the school building that much, what I really miss are the friends that had gone through the good and bad times with me. Without all these Michaelians, it will never be the same for me anymore.

I was invited to receive the Pelajar Cemerlang certificate along with a small token. Since there were only RJ Kevin and I who got A for Biology in STPM, I was hoping to get the Subjek Terbaik award for Biology. Unfortunately, the award falls to RJ Kevin. Well, I think he deserved it better than me, he had work so hard for it prior to STPM and most of us can see his effort, congratulations~ =)

Besides that, I saw most of my teachers who attended the Speech Day too. One of it was Pn. Thevanei. She was my Chemistry teacher for 2 years. Not forgetting Mr Peter Khiew who congratulate me when I saw him, and the first question he asked me was, 'still active in blog, Ivan?'. He used to cane me in Form 2 when I was caught chewing Mentos during examination. Haha

It's hard to believe that my 7 years in this prestigious institution have made a huge difference in my life. I have met many wonder makers along the way including some teachers who inspire and motivate me. Hereby, I thank everyone who made my journey meaningful and shaped me into who I am today...

My 20th Birthday!

Monday, July 9, 2012
Photo taken and edited by Vizent  -  www.vizent1207.blogspot.com

Celebrated my birthday at few places this year. One of it was at Yeolde English after my last day of work at Kenny Rogers. I was quite surprise because the cake that my friends bought was an iPhone shaped cake!


Superb isn't it? The celebration started at 12.00 midnight which was the beginning of my birthday. On the same day, I had movie with huiling and we watch Ice Age 4: Continental Drift. It was quite a touching and awesome movie although I did not watch the previous episodes. Later at night, my family along with my relatives went to Black Canyon for dinner. ^^


Deliciously-served Thai food along with refreshing beverages definitely made my day! Since my elder sister's birthday falls on the next day, we celebrate on the same day every year. 


Finally, the person who actually celebrated my birthday the earliest was~~


TA-DAAA! <3 

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