Bad Ass Coffee

Badass Coffee is a pretty decent alternative to the likes of Starbucks or The Coffee Bean. At the time of writing, I've made three visits to the outlet in Tropicana City Mall. The café's mainstay to being a viable competitor to the aforementioned coffee giants in Malaysia appears to be their beans, known as Kona beans that hail from Hawaii. These beans are supposedly among the best in the world, and rare enough that the café sells 2 blends of it, the 100% Kona and the 10% Kona blend, with the latter's beans mixed in with normal imported beans (most likely from Brazil or Africa). 100% blend brews cost roughly twice as much as their 10% counterparts (e.g. espresso, au lait,  cappuccino, etc).

I've given the Au Lait (both 10% and 100%) and Latte a try (don't ask me why they have both on their menu, I thought they were supposed to mean the same thing in French and Italian). Although I'm pretty certain anyone who's had their taste of Melbournian coffee will find this nothing to shout about, I can say that the taste of the 100% blend is rather rich and smooth, albeit a bit bolder than I'd like. Add the fact that they used Australian milk (Farm House) with their brew, and it makes for a rather pleasing taste altogether. As for the 10% blend, I found it slightly too diluted (could be the fact that I had it iced), but it was fresh and free of that sour aftertaste I sometimes get from Starbucks coffees.

The latte didn't really taste much better than the 10% Au Lait, but it was probably better to me because it was hot, and again better than SB and TCB's offerings, probably just based on the milk used.

I haven't tried enough food here to be able give any sort of solid verdict, but I have had the Oxtail Soup on my first visit (which was unfortunately without my camera, thank God for mobile phone cams), which turned out to be pretty good, if a little starchy. I intend to give some of the pastries a try on my next visit.

The café's surroundings are softly lit and comfy with a choice of outdoor and indoor seating, and there's the standard free Wi-Fi connection for the regular netbooker who drops in. The staff are friendly and patient, ask them anything about Badass and Kona and they'll try their best to help you :)

*Those who visit 8 times or more will also be granted a VIP card that entitles them for discounts on stuff bought there, including merchandise.

Sushi Tei

Dropped by Sushi Tei on recommendation from my brother one weekend, after his claims that food there was better than the currently (as of this post) ultra popular Sushi Zanmai. The outlet we visited was in Tropicana City Mall, PJ.

We had some of the monthly specials, as well as a couple of our common favourites. First off, the salmon moriawase, comprising a mix of select sashimi slices and lightly seared salmon meat. I found the sashimi here much fresher than Sushi Zanmai's offerings, and almost comparable to that of Kissaten's; excellent for its RM18 price tag.

Another item from their specialty menu I tried was the Spicy Chicken Karage roll. I personally don't consider chicken sushi one of my top choices, but the "Spicy" prefix attracted me, and at RM8, I felt it couldn't hurt. Turns out it's a surprisingly delicious dish, so good that I ended up ordering a 2nd one! The chicken was still warm from the pan, succulent and slightly crispy, and it all blended will with the sesame seed-peppered roll and spicy mayonnaise.

Carol ordered her usual Chicken Katsu Don, and according to her it was also slightly better than the one she had at Zanmai; great news for chicken katsu-don lovers :)

Apart from some sushi and various small dishes off the kaiten belt, I also tried the Chuka Ildari (Baby Octopus) and Chuka Wakame (Frozen Seaweed), which were both fresh and pretty tasty. The wakame was tossed with thin slices of 'cili padi', which I found a little strange, but I had no complaints there :)

Overall, I give Sushi Tei a thumbs-up, and recommend it as a great alternative to similarly-priced sushi hotspots like Zanmai and Sakae.

Kissaten Japanese Restaurant

I had dinner with the family at Kissaten Japanese Restaurant, seems their pork burgers are a hit. Since the restaurant has a fusion-esque theme to it, we decided to try a variety of dishes, from sashimi to pasta to steaks, and of course their renowned pork burger.

The sashimi turned out to be really fresh, something that's pretty rare among local Japanese restaurants - sweet, smooth, and doesn't feel like it was yanked out of a freezer and left to thaw. The miso ramen and gyoza turned out to be pretty standard stuff, taste and presentation-wise, a safe bet if you're not feeling particularly adventurous.

I had the Salted Pork Belly Spaghetti, which I'd say is a simple but nice fusion dish. The saltiness of the meat slices blended well with the lightly flavoured pasta, garnished with seaweed strips and a poached egg sandwiched under the meat. The Wafu Mushroom Burger was served in a manner more like a sizzling steak dinner, and the meat was juicy and tender, albeit slightly saltier than the salted pork pasta (?!) 

The pork burger was really quite good, juicy and tender, topped with egg, salad, cheese and a variety of japanese sauces. The top burger bun even had a Kissaten logo and name stamped on it!

Finished off with a cup of coffee, and it looks like they use illy beans in this resto. The coffee was smooth and not too bold, just the way I like it. My brother ordered a Banana Cheesecake for dessert. The texture was rather pasty, taste-wise it was pretty much like any good cheesecake, except that I couldn't make out any hint of banana! Give this a pass unless you're into plain ol' cheesecakes.

Service was good on the first visit, and the staff were friendly and helpful. This is an overall good restaurant to visit if Japanese fusion and pork dishes are your thing, and if you have a budget between RM30 - 80. I'll definitely be back for more.

Rolling With The Semis

This is a little dated, but given the lack of time I've had to really mess around with my equipment, it's good enough I'm not writing an historic article :p

I decided to step up to a mid-range/semi-pro DSLR body after some months playing around with my 500D and learning as much as I could about creative photography. Personally, I don't think I've come to even 1% of the framing and composition skills of the true pros out there, but I'm really enjoying myself with this stuff :)

A big thanks in part to Daniel and Anthony, who've been my sources of advice and support. Dan was the one who introduced me to the world of "L" lenses, and after grabbing my first one on his advice, became infected with what Canon shooters have come to know as the "L-disease" (*chuckles*). I've made a wish-list of all the L-lenses I plan to get, which is, of course, based on the kind of shots I would be taking.

The 7D was an unexpected upgrade for me, as I'd been planning to grab a full-frame DSLR early next year, but I figured that lenses would prove to be a better initial investment, and I should have my next lens before my trip to Africa. Though not a full-framer, I think I can safely say the 7D is no pushover (Read heaps of reviews to back it up). It'll be my main camera for a good long time :) I've sold my 500D since, but I definitely miss it. It was, after all, my first step into the world of photography. I hope its new owner takes good care of it and enjoys using it as much as I did :)

500D - The Ol' Faithful

7D (right) beside her older sister

Sample shot (7D w/EF 85mm lens)

85mm Pics

I finally got my hands on a Canon EF 85mm lens a few days back. I have to say that the 85cm MFD took some getting used to, but the quality of the shots taken was more than satisfactory in my opinion, for the price of the lens.. Some preliminary shots can be found below. I think this is one lens that'll stick with me for a good long time :)




























- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Washed out with hot water?

Uploading photos to the net seems pretty darn annoying when color reproduction accuracy goes all over the place during the file compression process. This is even more obvious on a color-calibrated display. Sigh..


See comparison below:

A photo image on iPhoto and the same one on Facebook. Notice any differences in color?

I thought JPEG compression worked by tossing information on redundant color information and the colors not perceivable to the naked eye (At least on the first level of compression). Annoying.

Stirring the dust

Hello, you familiar place.

I'm surprised Blogger didn't cancel my account after over a year of inactivity, but it looks like there's some cleaning up to do. There might be some purpose for this place yet. Updates will be in soon.

*dust* *dust*

*sweep* *sweep*

Restaurant Review: The Meat and Wine Co.

Note: I'm test-running a personal POV review style of blogging atm, not sure if I'll keep it up. If you know anything about the stuff I write about, feel free to leave comments ;)



Name: The Meat and Wine Co.
Style: Western, fine dining
Location: Southbank, Melbourne
Average spend: $18 - 35

I had dinner at this restaurant with Carol and a few mates from church. Stepping into the restaurant from a cold wintery evening, the warmth of the restaurant’s reception area was a welcome change. The receptionists were attending to the customer before us, but paused momentarily to assure us that they would tend to us soon. Within five minutes we’d been shown to our table, a makeshift booth seat using leather sofas with plush cushions. My first thought when I saw this was that I’d have to sit as straight as a ruler to avoid having my dinner two inches under my nose, but the height of the table was just right.

The lower area of the restaurant was actually an open-air section, but during the winter it’s been draped with a large clear tent-like material to keep the wind out. The lower section was also divided into sections for groups of four or more, while tables for one or two were situated on the upper level. The bar was also situated upstairs. This made the group dining area look and feel more lounge-y, and less cramped to boot. The lighting was a little dim but bright enough for me to see my food. Even with the plastic drapes next to me, I did not feel stuffy in anyway, suggesting that the place had good ventilation even though it was filled with people.

On to the important parts; the waiter was friendly and politely asked us if we’d like to have our dinner the traditional 3-course way or head straight to the mains. He did not write down our orders, but repeated it to us accurately before leaving, showing that he was attentive. I’d decided to go light this round due to a slightly moody stomach, so I had the Caesar salad, while Carol ordered the Hawaiian Burger. The food took slightly longer than expected to arrive, but that was because it was delivered all together and a couple of us had ordered steaks. The food was all hot when it arrived at the table (except for the salad, of course), so we were happy to be able to tuck in at the same time without having to wait for one of our meals to arrive.

The salad was fresh, but lacked any significant taste that would’ve set it apart from the Caesar salads I’ve had at other places. The greens were crunchy, but the bacon cuts were either too tough or too soggy. The sauce was slightly watery and i could not seem to make out which part of the salad was egg. It was average at best.



The Hawaiian burger was much better, with a well-cooked patty that was slightly rare at the core, giving the meat some juice and flavour. The top was layered with a ring of pineapple sandwiched between two slices of tasty cheese. It was served with a side of chips and onion rings, which was neither too oily nor too dry. One of the dishes I’d recommend to anyone visiting this restaurant.
I finished off with a flat white coffee that night, which was pretty average-tasting, on par with the one served at Starbucks. Nothing fancy here, just that it costs a tad more than a café’s brew.







All in all, it’s a nice place, with good food and excellent service for its price. Good for if you have a group of four or more for dinner. This is a place worth visiting again.

Food: 7/10
Coffee: 6.5/10
Ambience: 7/10
Service: 9/10
Value: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Tagged.

Replying a tag game. What a way to start off. Oh well...

Tagged by John Gan... apa la mate... haha...

Love Quiz
Game rules:

A． People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any question they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves. Tag 8 people. Those who are tagged cannot refuse.

B． These 8 people must state who they were tagged by. You cannot tag the person who tagged you. Continue this game by sending this to 8 other people. People who are tagged will be blessed and their wishes will come true in the future.

1.If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
Betrayed as in cheated on me? I would have to call off the relationship, but I'd still be alright with friendship, putting the initial awkwardness aside.

2.What will you do if you do not share the same feelings as the person who likes you?
I'm usually oblivious to this sorta thing. Or maybe it's never happened to me. Haha...

3.What will your dream wedding be like?
A small-scale garden wedding, where I actually KNOW all the people who're attending. Of course, I want my family and all my close friends there first and foremost. Followed by a month-long honeymoon in Paris and possibly other travel destinations...

4.Are you confused as to what lies ahead of you?
Who isn't?

5.What's your ideal lover like?
Check my facebook pics =P

6.Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone else?
I'm gonna have to go with the latter. Realise that most of the time you can fall in love with someone, but most of the time that someone won't love you in return?

7.If the person you like does not accept you, would you continue to wait for them to change their feelings?
There's a limit to that I guess.. But if it's crystal clear that person's said no, why continue? God has someone better in store...

8.If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
See answer above.

9.Is there anything that has made you unhappy recently?
Left it to God, so can't remember it now...

10.What do you want most in life?
What I REALLY want? Complete happiness within my family, and of course to remain healthy throughout life.

11.Is being tagged fun?
Sometimes... Like right now as I'm answering this I'm actually waiting for my download to finish. But sometimes it will take my time sommore, har....?! (Directed at John LOL)


12.If you find out that your best friend is going out with your boyfriend/girlfriend, how would you react?
I guess I would gain an ex-best friend and an ex-girlfriend.

13.Who is currently the most important person to you?
I don't have a most important one, but I guess I do have a top-5 list, heh...

14.What kind of person do you think I am?
John? Great guy, awesome friend, yumcha buddy, funny and caring towards close friends. Girls, what're you waiting for?!

15.What is the most unforgettable thing/event in your life?
Destroying an entire rack of clothes with a fire extinguisher at the age of 5...

16.If the person you secretly like cannot recognise you, what would you do/how would you react?
I don't know.. never happened to me..

17.Would you give your all in a relationship?
Definitely. I always regard my relationship as serious and everlasting.

18.If you fall in love with two persons simultaneously, who would you pick?
How in the world does something like that happen? If it does, I'm obviously not ready to commit to a relationship.

19.What type of friends do you like?
Those that like me for who I am, not what I've done. Other than that, it's always good to have a common point of interest...

20.If you played a prank on someone, and he/she fell for the trick, what would you do?
Erm, have a good laugh?

The people I'd love to tag either don't have blogs, or they've already been tagged, so I'm gonna have to end it here. Don't worry, I'm sure some other people will continue the chain. Toodles...

Abandon

This track I trudge along
The path seems not to change
Twenty years and a day forward
Am I still the same?

I thirst for a difference
I can't stand to stay
A minute more's too long
Take me, take me away

I'm abandoning all, reaching for You
Leaving behind what I once thought was true
This shell that I'm in, once bound down
Has been shattered and nailed
And I am new

I thought my past
Was all that I had
I held on for so long
How could I've not known
That my future was waiting
Have I been so blind?

I thirst for a difference
I can't stand to stay
A minute more's too long
Take me, take me away

I'm abandoning all, reaching for You
Leaving behind what I once thought was true
This shell that I'm in, once bound down
Has been shattered and nailed
And I am new

This life is no longer mine
This body no longer bound
I've chosen to leave it all
Abandoned to You

I'm abandoning all, reaching for You
Leaving behind what I once thought was true
This shell that I'm in, once bound down
Has been shattered and nailed
And I am new.

A layer of dust..

It seems like millennia have passed since I last posted here.. Anyway, my sincerest apologies go out to my dear companions out there whom I've not kept in touch with all this time, especially Cat, Pei Yin jie, Phoebes, Sharon, John Gan, Kev, KC, Fei, Jia and Ah Teng. Oh, and the rest of you as well. *Sheepish grin*

Anyway, in a nutshell (and as some of you already know), I've been really busy these past few months with stuff, mainly uni work. Also, I've been going through some shifts in church ministry here, so that took up part of my time as well (though I enjoy every moment of it). Oh, and not to mention my endeavours to survive living with "interesting" housemates... If any of you really wanna know what's been happening with me in detail, do drop me a text or gimme a call and I'd be glad to chat (If you haven't already guessed why I'm not elaborating further, try to remember that I DON'T condone blogging about everything that happens in my life; I'm doing this just to (hopefully) get things rolling again). For those who tried to reach me on MSN, most of you would have found that there was no reply (cos I wasn't there) or had someone else reply on my behalf - a case of bad timing, really... my bad..

I'm about to face my next wave of exams over the next couple of weeks, but I'll try to be regular again with my posts. Hope all of you who read this have been and still are doing well back home. Love y'all and miss ya heaps.

John, I'm Special Too!

Eeenteresteeeng...

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant. Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

Phrasing Everyday Life

Self-verbalized, self-thought, or quoted by some of the most interesting individuals in my life.

Mapleh!

Flipping!

Moo!

Sarm Patt...

Potatoes. They will kill you.

Eww NASTY!

Dope..

Yellow car.

If the Pope has a family, is his wife called the Mope? what about his kids? Popettes and Mopeds? ...........Dopes?!

If the plural of mouse is mice and louse lice, then is the plural of spouse spice and house hice?

Yellow car!!

I dislike you with the greatest intensity.

Bang lah, see who's stronger!

What time do you wanna have dinner? Dinner time lah!

Look, Bamboo truck!! Bibubibubibubibubibubibubibu!!!

tap. (indefinite echo resounds off into the void) ~ this quote is MINE by the way.

Yellow car!!!

Fuyoh! Yatta!!

Where did you park your car ah? Parking lot.

I saw some unwillingness in him..

Pink PS2 for the win!

Yeah, blame it on the coconut.

You got the wrong cable. This isn't for IDE, this is for SATAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but ugly's still ugly.

Say gwai lou, say gwai lou...

Hey, are there many asians in India?

Why la? Because hor.

Maaaangkuk...

I tell you what...................... Balik lah.

I fought with the kitchen today!

Okay, that's understoodable..

You my friend, have a fetish with teaspoons. That's not true! It can be any sort of spoon...

My @$$..

And that huge-ass cockroach came running at me, goin' "owr owr owr owr!"...

A big thank you to the people who have made my life more than a little interesting with some of the above phrases, like John Gan, KC, Phoebes, yellow car, Fei, Sharon, Nes, Loo Yee and lots of others (you know which quote's yours). There are lots more that have not been posted, and lots more to come, who knows, yellow car *you* could come up with the next fad phrase! Yellow car.

Outta complete boredom.

Notice: Inspiration works in progress.
We'll be back after these messages..

38%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Stand Up Again

There are times when I feel cold
Tired, weary, alone
Surrounded by the world
Yet I seem to see no one

And my heart is shattered once again
Dropping to my knees, I see no end

Who will come?
When my tears fall down
When the world has left me on my own
Hear my cry, feel my pain
Oh Lord, please help me stand
Stand up again

When I'm blinded by all the hurt
Stabbed, thrown to the ground
I raise my hand and scream out loud
But no one hears a sound

And my heart is shattered once again
Dropping to my knees, I see no end

Who will come?
When my tears fall down
When the world has left me on my own
Hear my cry, feel my pain
Oh Lord, please help me stand
Stand up again

I am wounded, torn, broken inside
I am bleeding, bruised and I'm losing the fight
I am dying now
So I need a place to hide...

And my heart is shattered once again
Dropping to my knees, I see no end

Who will come?
When my tears fall down
When the world has left me on my own
Hear my cry, feel my pain
Oh Lord, please help me stand...

You will come
Wipe off all my tears
Stay by me against my fears
Calm my storm, heal my pain
Lord You take my hand
My eternal friend
And You help me stand...
Stand up again.

Sudah Tua

Sudah tua, sudah tua
Umur dua puluh dua
Ada hari tak tahu bermula
Tak boleh makan banyak gula

Sudah tua, sudah tua
Bilik gelap macam gua
Selalu tidur pukul dua
Bangun sudah gelap juga

Sudah tua, sudah tua
Makin-makin botak kepala
Mata pun hampir buta
Banyak hal senang dilupa

Sudah tua, sudah tua
Isteri pun belum ada
Hari-hari jemu gila
Tengok TV apa pun takde

Sudah tua, sudah tua
Hari ini nak pergi mana
Baik duduk di rumah aje
Dompet syiling pun tak ada

Sudah tua, sudah tua...

Aw heck it, I was never good at BM anyway.. I'm OLD. Gotta live with that. Here's to mid-mid-life crisis sufferers, haha..

Healer

How truly amazing God is. Not only did He create the universe and everything that lives today, He pays attention to the most minute of details when it comes to us. He knows each and every one of us down to our very depths, even the sicknesses and pains that inflict us. On top of that, He wants to and will heal those that need that healing, should we ask Him and believe. I'm not just talking about the explicitly visible, but what stabs at our innermost selves. Not just cancers and life-threatening injuries, but even the deepest of sorrows and emotional scars. I'd just like to share this song that touched me the first time I heard it last year, and still continues to touch me today. The song was finally released today in recorded form, that's why I'd love for anyone with a few minutes to just listen to this if you need some form of healing.

The song is titled "Healer" by Planetshakers. I've added it to my imeem playlist on the right. I pray that you'll be as blessed by it as I was.

Never Stop

Forward ho, let us walk
Our treasures on our backs
While the light keeps guiding us
On this long and winding track

Forward ho, let us march
With our boots securely strapped
Though the road forks ever so often
Our path has already been mapped

Forward ho, let us sing
Of what we've seen, of what we'll see
Drawing more to join along
On this trip with you and me

Forward ho, let us rest
To tend to those who've become weary
To wet our tongues and fill our bellies
Then quickly get back to our journey

Forward ho, let us hurry
For the day is near its end
Cast off things that encumber us
Onward, quickly, let us wend

Forward ho, never stop
Lest weeds grow and entangle our feet
Take the hand of Him who guides us
On our path to Eternity.

Eric's bible quiz

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

A note to teng: Hey bro, this test tak boleh pakai la, the wrong answers are too obvious, hahaha...

Brand Power I

Ever wondered why we get so excited about certain brand names that are actually normal everyday words? Take for example, the brand PUMA...

it's just an ordinary animal.. maybe u can find this design on T-shirts everywhere.. like this one below..
..what if it wasn't a puma, but some other animal? would it be as popular as it is today? maybe something like..
Now that's something worth looking at twice! Edible, great source of protein and omega-3, and it swims! wonder if i can get my hands on one of these soon..