Breakfast at Levain Boulangerie & Patisserie!

I've been to this place once, with a friend's family. And I've heard so many great things about this bakery shop. Finally it is my turn to pay this stone oven bakery a visit!

No photos though. ):

Reached the famous bakery at around 9 and I saw big and small families rushing into the shop! I panicked for a little while because I know the crowd in Levain could be potentially huge during its peak hours! Anyway, RM2 for the jockey. Just a heads up.

After a walk around the bakery to see how nice the place is decorated, we set a place to sit and my dad, bro and I went to shop for breads! Somehow I thought the variety of breads was lesser this time around. But I was just too happy to see Turkey Ham & Eggs! It's super delicious! The egg matches just nicely with the ham and the bread, leaving a satisfactory taste in my mouth. Yum!

The chocolate log bread looked out of the ordinary. I was so intrigued by its texture, I put a piece of it on my tray without realizing it myself! The chocolate tastes great with the bread. Great texture too. Soft. It could be slightly oily to some people but for me it was just fine.

Mashed potato bun seemed ordinary. But I've read that it is very nice so I definitely wouldn't miss the chance to taste it! My mother thought it was normal but I love how soft and sweet the mashed potatoes tasted in my mouth. There was ham inside too. And the ham mixed perfectly with the mashed potatoes and created an great taste which I really liked.

Durian melon bun was quite normal. A bun with durian fillings inside. Could be a tad bit too sweet to certain people I think.

Walnut bread is very nice! I love how great it tasted and it smelt when I put it in my mouth! If you are a fan of walnut, you will definitely love this one!

Crispy walnut bread was slightly less flavorful as compared to walnut bread. But I love how it is shaped! And it's crispy, giving a different texture kind of bread as compared to walnut bread.

Apricot sunrise was just normal. Apricot tasted slightly sour.

Some cheese croissant (which name I forgot) was decent too. Nothing to shout about. Not too much taste of cheese though it was named something cheese croissant.

Some other famous delicacies in Levain which we did not try are its macaroons! They looked so colorful! It's like a children's world at that counter! I tasted once the last time, I think it was chocolate, and it was too sweet for me. But I bet many people love it!

I would order Spaghetti, aglio olio style, if it was lunch time. I heard that it's very nice. Same goes to its cakes.

Overall, the breads were above the average. I heard that it's comparable to The Loaf. The prices were slightly too high for us so we wouldn't be back anytime soon, I suppose. It's mainly self-service but the service at the counter was slightly not too friendly. It wouldn't hurt a little if the cashiers smiled when they looked at their customers for just that ONE time. But guess it would, for them.

And, Levain should probably hire people who aren't afraid to communicate. Either English or Malay, I don't care, as long as you can respond to me! My dad was asking this lady some questions about their wholewheat bread and she could barely utter two words.

But I would definitely recommend this place to my friends, you, that is, because the bread is really good!

Anger.

I have no idea where I got the inspiration to publish so many posts tonight.

It is amazingly shocking how anger be so frighteningly contagious. I have just watched a video, which I will post here in a while, of two women fighting.

Literally, fighting.

Well, it is more like a girl getting bullied by another one. There might be some stories behind this whole scene. I guessed, the bully's boyfriend dumped her for the bullied.

Or something like that.

I couldn't pay attention to what the bully was screaming and shouting about because I was too stunned at what she doing to the bullied! I was..shuddered! I couldn't believe she could do that to the bullied, and had this recorded by someone, and had no one around them helping the bullied at all!

I don't understand!

If we isolate the whole reasoning behind this incident and focus only ON this fight itself, shouldn't someone at least help the bullied out before she gets hurt? She was slapped, smacked, stepped on, hurled around. Her hair was pulled at like a bad doll getting mistreated by a baby. She was kicked, pushed, punched.

The words that came out from the bully's mouth was still manageable for me (though still vulgar). But what she did, was totally unacceptable for me.

Am I the one who has not seen enough real situations out there? Am I the one who is making a big deal out of something commonly taken place at our society?

If I am, there is clearly something wrong with this society. There is NOTHING common about bully. For whatever fucked up reason, bully is a no! Verbal bully is bad enough, let alone physical bully.

*edit*

Actually when I scrolled up and see what I wrote for my starting line, I realised that I have strayed from my original point.

What I wanted to say was, when people watch this video, people would naturally get SUPER angry at the bully. If someone righteous were to be present at the scene, what would that someone do? Separate both of them apart? Make them calm down? Drive the bullied away from the bully?

For me, while I was watching the video, I felt like I should really give the bully a huge heavy punch to the point of making her faint! I felt like she should be hit with a hammer or something!

But think again. Like I said earlier, anger is so contagious. As I watched the video, I felt so so angry, I felt like channeling my anger into, probably, even worse violence. And it may lead to more and more violence!

It will never end! Like a chain reaction!

Then, (here comes my main point) what should one do so that the anger does not take control of oneself?

I was thinking, if I were at the scene, I would probably act out unreasonably and harshly without thinking it through. I would probably be controlled by my anger and have acted regretfully.

Would there be a chance for me to suppress my anger and not let it control my actions?

I think that is a very good question for everyone.

I Want To Earn Money!

Private Tutor for A Level, SPM, PMR
Do you need tutoring? Do you know someone who might need tutoring? School teacher no good? Tuition teacher not so good too?

Why don't you try ME? Probably I can help!

I just recently finished my A Levels finals! I am a Math, Further Math, Chemistry and Physics student. I was a pure science stream SPM student who got 11A+ and 1A- for my Chinese subject. I am confident with my Mathematics, but you can still ask me Chemistry and Physics questions. For SPM level, I should be able to handle Bio too. I might need to make some reference, but I promise I would do my best!

How much do I charge? I have been doing survey of one-to-one tutoring and I am putting my price at RM50 per hour for A Level and RM40 per hour.

DON'T EXIT YET. Read on to see why you should consider my teaching skills!

I consider myself a decent student. You can see that from my result. I will try my best to explain whatever theories that you do not understand, FROM A STUDENT'S POINT OF VIEW! I understand that you might face this problem where you do not understand what your teacher says because your teachers seem to always complicate things. SO, why not try understanding the topics from a fellow student's point of view, right?
I am definitely dedicated! If, and only if, there is a question which you ask which I don't know, I would DEFINITELY check my references and get back to you! That is guaranteed!
Also, about my classes, you would not have to worry about fixed schedule or fixed subject per class. Time is negotiable. Place is negotiable. And during the class, you can ask ANYTHING from ANY SUBJECT. That way, you can learn faster. I am there to help you understand what you do not understand in the first place. But one thing I prefer is, to have the classes in places like McD or more public places for convenience's sake. But this is negotiable. Oh and I stay in Cheras!
Since time and place is negotiable, it means, you only have to pay whenever you have class! You don't have to pay monthly or within a fixed time. Pay per tutor, how does that sound? :D

Email me at [email protected] or leave a comment if you are interested!

Ps : I would really like to have serious and dedicated students. (:

Typing Job
Other than that, I am also looking for typing job that allows employee to work from home! Do you know of any jobs that you can introduce to me? Are there jobs like, making soft copy of story books or reference books or novels? Like, you just type the contents of a book into Microsoft Word. Are there such jobs? I would really want to do things like this, from home! Though it sounds lazy and all. If you do know, please introduce to me!

Note: This post has been edited at 1645 of 3rd March 2012

Post Exam Days

So what have I been up to?

I finally used my RM200 book voucher. Bought a few exercise books for my brother, bought a Chinese health-related book for my father and bought another three self-help books for myself. Used the vouchers at Popular (because my brother is a member, it's so much cheaper buying books there!) and Borders (because I WANT THE STARBUCKS VOUCHER!). And I am now a member of Borders. I silently promised myself that I would spend RM50 to RM100 to buy books from Borders if and when I finally have an income. Borders has so many good books that I want to buy! Of course not as many as Kinokuniya. But whenever I go to Kino, I always fail to find good books. Though Popular or Borders are smaller, I can focus better on the books I prefer. But Popular always has limited variety so I'll stick to Borders for the moment.

I am reading the first book that I bought : Robert Schuller's Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! It is a great book! It is not as great as I thought when I was browsing through it. Nevertheless, it is definitely an exceptional book to many people! It literally gives you a different perspective about life - your own life. I have not finished the book, almost have, but I have much to say about it already. It has already made me wondered how differently I could have led my life had I read what Robert had to say EARLIER (like, years earlier!). But there is one thing about the book and its contents that caught me by surprise (due to my own ignorance and naiveness) and it is the way the author relates all his principles and all his opinions based on the Bible. That totally caught me by surprise. Of course, it is because I didn't see the his biography - he is a pastor, and a pretty famous one! I would really recommend this book to many people! If you are a Christian, you should have no problem understanding Robert's messages. In fact, you should be able to appreciate more. To the non-Christians, this is still a good book because essentially the message that Robert is trying to convey to his readers, is so so important and useful and not taught of by many. Believe me when I say that his messages are very useful!

I also spotted another very interesting book, The Fine Art of Small Talk by Debra Fine. But I was debating with myself FOR ONE WHOLE HOUR (perhaps more!) on whether I should buy it, due to the budget limit! In the end I didn't buy it! I wish I had! But I found an online version of the same topic presented by Debra Fine. I think she gives motivational talks about such topics to many people. And one of her presentations was recorded and I downloaded it! It is very useful! Love it! Would listen to it again soon!

I have another two books which I still haven't touched. Would die to get them started as soon as I finish Robert Schuller's!

Other than these books, I have been diligently looking for a temporary job. Been to an interview. Looking forward to another one on Tuesday! I hope I can do well! I really really love that job! I hope it turns out to be as good as it sounds! And also I hope to do other part time jobs during the weekend, for example some part time tutoring or some typing jobs which do not require employees to work onsite. I think I should make another post and about it after this. Hehe.

I NEED TO EARN MORE MONEY, so that I have some extra to spend when I continue my studies at wherever! Money, come to me!

KL Room For Rent

Many of you may or may not have heard the name iBilik before today, but you have definitely, knowingly or unknowingly, seen this name when you're on the road. Don't believe me? Look at this.

Doesn't it look familiar? The name iBilik can be seen on taxis and cabs nationwide in Malaysia. But do you know what it is about? Let me tell you how useful this website can be to you!

iBilik, previously known as CariBilik, has Malaysia's LARGEST room database! It is the number one website for people to promote their house / room for let / rent / sale. It is also the top website for people who look for a homestay, a short term or a long term place to stay in Malaysia. There are over 100,000 listings published on that website, which includes places like Ampang, MidValley, Bukit Bintang, Damansara, Bangsar, Malacca, Port Dickson, Cameron Highlands, Penang Island and more! Best of all, it's totally free to post at this website!

What I like about this website is, it is very simple and organised. Straight to the point. On the homepage itself, there is a list of more common places, otherwise called hot locations, where people might be interested in looking for a place to stay in. Hence you can begin searching for a room / house by just clicking the name of an area of your interest. You can also narrow down your choices by deciding whether you want a long term rent or a short term one. Do take note that a short term rental also means a homestay or an accommodation for a vacation. Hence if you are looking for cheap, and I mean really cheap, apartment / hotel / room to stay in places like Port Dickson, Brinchang Hill, Penang and so on, this website can definitely serve its usefulness to you.

While searching for rental rooms, you have the liberty to choose if you want to stay with a male, or female, of so-and-so race, or so-and-so religion. The preference is totally up to you. There are even rooms which welcome expatriates! This freedom of choice is definitely appreciated by many as it would save the time and hassle, for renters or tenants, to reject the people whom they are not so keen to share an accommodation with.

Another aspect which I really like about this website is, the variety of rentals listed under the category "Short Term Rentals". You can sort the list by the price of rental or the most popularly rented accommodation. There are many photos of the accommodation shot from various angle, which would give a clearer and better picture to potential tenants about the facilities and the condition of the room. The services that an accommodation offers are also depicted clearly by the website so that tenants are aware of the amenities that they have access to. 

Every piece of information that you need can definitely be obtained from that website, from its exact location shown on google map to its availability. You can directly book a room from the website too! If you are uncertain or if you are not convinced with the descriptions stated regarding the accommodations, fear not, because commonly, there are reviews which could boost your confidence about the accommodation. Another aspect to take note is, when there are negative reviews regarding a room, the person in charged takes note of the reviews, makes the necessary changes and gets back to the review, confirming that changes have been made and actions have been taken regarding the complaints in the review. Such efficacy is definitely appreciated by many tenants. 

This website is definitely a highly efficient website and I would recommend it to many if such services is required. And guess what, its service is not only limited to the borders of Malaysia. This website can also be used to search for rentals in Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines! How convenient!

Another great place to dine in PD

It's here! Google it up and you can locate this place!

This place is famous for this particular big bun!

Inside the bun is one of the most delicious curry chicken I have ever had!

The worker preparing the bun for customers. He first sweeps a layer of butter on the bun, then cuts it open using a scissors. The bun will then open beautifully like a blossoming flower, showing its delicious content. He cuts open the packet of curry chicken and the bun is ready to be served.

Look at the rows of these big buns. Don't you find them irresistible?! According to the worker, these buns are self-made. Fresh from oven. And they can sell a few hundreds of these on a day with high demand!

However, it is slightly too pricey for me. RM28 per bun. The curry is definitely one of the best. But for RM28, I am not too sure I'll be back often. But, it is definitely worth a try!

That's all for the makan trip I had in PD! Really glad to have found these places. And especially glad to have found Blue Lagoon! Will definitely be back if given the chance!

Great place to dine in PD!

After doing some research, I found a great place to eat in PD. And my research did not fail me! So I am here to share!

Weng Yin Seafood Village. Very easy to be located. Parking space available.Open for lunch and dinner. Cheap and most importantly, NICE!

We went there for both LUNCH and DINNER on our second day in PD!

For lunch, we had...

Fried Calamari. RM14. It is to die for! It's crispy and tasty! It is definitely worthy of a try, and many more tries after that. However I have to say the best fried calamari is one which I had many years ago in Sekinchan. But I have already forgotten where it was. ):

Claypot Yee Mee. RM10. You can see from this picture that there are many ingredients. It is very fresh. It tastes decent. Nothing to shout for, in my opinion. 

Potato Leaves cooked with Belacan. RM8. The potato leaves are planted by the owner, making the dish healthier. I literally could taste the greenness of the vegetable.

We also ordered another noodle called Mamak Mee. As it was the first dish to arrive, and we were so hungry, we finished it before I had a chance to take a picture of it. It's very nice! Worthy of a try!

For dinner, we went back to the same place for more great food! As the place is famous for its Bamboo Crab and Self-made Tau Fu, we immediately ordered those. But those two dishes were unavailable on that day! I was so upset! Luckily the restaurant is famous for other dishes as well!

Gam Heong Lala. RM18. Apparently there is two ways of preparing Gam Heong Lala, and this is the wet style. This tastes slightly sweet, and less spicy, which is surprisingly good. I like it. I would recommend this to people who can't take spicy food.

Butter Crab. RM32. Absolutely fantastic! A to-die-for! Highly recommended! We only ordered two crabs (as I think I am the only crab lover in the family). The butter doesn't taste too butter-y, which could taste fattening. It's just nice! The only bad thing is that the size of the crabs is a bit too small.  ): But the taste is awesome!

Gong Bo Prawn. Highly recommended too! I love the taste of it. And it goes along with rice very well! Very nice!

Black Beer Chicken Meat. RM16. Another great one! Highly recommended! I've never tried this at another restaurant before but I like the taste of this one. However, I couldn't really taste the taste of beer. Probably it's because I've never had one. Nevertheless, a must try!

Local Tau Fu with minced Chicken Meat. RM8. As they did not prepare their famous tau fu dish, we could only order another type. It's decent. A bit too salty to my parents' liking. But I found it okay.

Oyster Omelet. RM9. Normal. Too much egg, too little oyster. I've had better ones in Sekinchan.

Vegetable. Yao Mak. RM8. Simple and nice. A nice tone down from all the other heavy dishes.

Overall, the meal was great! The place was okay. Cleanliness is fine. Friendly staff. Relatively cheap meal. The only disappointment was that there was no bamboo crab! ): But I would definitely head back for the good food again!

PD Getaway with Family!

It has been a BLOODY long time since I had a vacation with my family! Most of the time, at least one of us would be busy with something therefore we always failed to plan a vacation. I have to say part of the reason would be my constant having to face exams. But I really am glad that we could make PD work, and it was also a rather successful vacation!

There is nothing much to say about Port Dickson actually. There isn't anything to play in PD except the beach, which most people find dirty and,..the beach again.

We stayed in Sri Intan Resort because they offers discounts to TM staffs. The accommodation was decent. Hot water provided. Clean bed sheets. Functioning air conditioners. Overall cleanliness in the room is decent. Refrigerator provided. Television is provided, together with Astro. Rather bad couch. However the resort ages over 1 a decade or even more. So we didn't expect anything more. The bed was great and that's all that we're asking for. The only shortcoming is the mosquitoes in the room! Nothing could be done about that I guess. We complained to the staff there but they said there was nothing they could do. The mosquitoes always bug the tenants especially after a rain. They did provide an electrical thing which helps to get rid of mosquitoes, though I am not sure if they function at all. But their service was very good. After we complained, they bought Ridsect and sprayed our room the second evening. At least they took the trouble to help us. So I do appreciate that.

Sri Intan Resort is located along Teluk Kemang beach. So naturally we would play at that beach. But apparently that beach is the most popular one in that area. And it is really very heavily crowded in the morning and evening. So we went to the beach at Blue Lagoon! I really have to recommend this beach because it is AWESOME! Let the pictures show you how awesome it is!

Can you see the crystal clear water? You can see the sand! The seawater is so clear! It's awesomeness!

This picture is taken at the direction of the sea. You can see that even at the distance far away where my camera cannot reach, the people are still standing as if the sea level is very low. Indeed it is low even at a few hundred meters away! That's why the sea is so crystal clear!

Can you see how clear the sea water is?! It's so exciting!

Ah! The beautiful beach! It's amazing!

I have no idea what this is but this is the only sea-living-creature I could capture with my camera. The fishes and the prawns swam away so quickly, I couldn't get a shot of them!

All of this can be seen in Blue Lagoon, PD. And I highly recommend this place to you! (:

When a phase of your life has ended..

Crap! I am one day late! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIENDS! Wish the year of dragon brings everyone a different and better kind of luck in everyone's lives!

Just went out for a catch up session with Jona, She Mei and Serene Liew! So excited to see SereneL because I haven't seen her in a LONG LONG time! She has changed a lot! I am probably the only one who can detect the changes she has gone through because I am the only one who hasn't seen her for so long among us. And she has become (I hope she doesn't read this) prettier! I am amazed!

I would love to elaborate more about the meetup but after second thought, I decided that it is best to let what was discussed / gossiped in Time Square stays in Time Square. But I really enjoyed my time! Hope to have more meetup with other friends!

Anyway, Gong Cha is not a bad drink! I should have reduced the sugar amount in my drink but I really like the green tea flavour. Just nice and not too strong. I recommend it to anyone who loves the taste of green tea in other drinks or food.