CHARITY CONVOY TO KEDAH - 24 March 2012

Just before briefing (Subang Avenue entrance)

Rise and shine, everyone. Grouping and briefing at 8.30am at Subang Avenue entrance before charity convoy begins. Amongst the group of bikers (organiser : UN Rider), Alex & Rocker57 were the only Chinese, ahem... not forgetting yours truly. 

Alex & Rocker57

Riders missing!! Breakfast-lah

 We were escorted by traffic police outriders. I noticed that when the police reached borders between states, they switch police escorts! I thought that only happens in movies!
There must have been some 60-70 bikers and this time around I saw many brought along their wives and girlfriends. Among the bikers were a handful of lady bikers too :)
We joined the convoy until Ipoh and then bade our goodbyes and proceeded on our own ride as the entourage were going to stay overnight while we weren't. 
In Ipoh, we brought Alex to savour the unique curry mee (stone's throw away from the police station. For more info, check out previous blog). He too concur that the meal was delicious. Mind you, that was our brunch and it was only 11am!
With nothing else to do, we toyed on where to head to next....Alex suggested Tg Malim. I've never been to Tg Malim, so why not? Once we were there, its time to look for a watering hole to chillax. Where else but Yik Mun!

Apparently, this place is famed for its Pau (dumplings). So we ordered one each although we just had curry mee about an hour ago. Didn't I tell you that bikers NEVER go hungry? Its amazing I've not put on weight since I started pillion riding almost 2 years ago. You know why? Firstly, the jackets are expensive. Secondly, its so darn hot riding under the immense heat in Malaysia. Thirdly, plump people don't look so cool on bikes. So....I had to workout and at the least sustain my weight. Lucky I don't ride that often as Rocker57, else I'll have to enlist in Biggest Loser Asia!

We ordered 'kacang' pau. Rocker57 and I both thought it was crushed peanuts with sugar but alas...it was red bean pau!! Oddly, as we were about to tuck in the famous pau, the vendor apologize and took the pau back! Eh? He then explained that he had forgotten to heat them up prior to serving us....Ahhhh....
Some minutes later, the pau arrived but not piping hot like those served in Chinese Dim Sum restaurants or stalls. It was warm. Verdict? Nothing great, just another pau that I can get from roadside stalls. But perhaps, it is something else for the Tg Malim folks.
Well or well...to each its own. Anyway, I can pride myself in having rode to Tg Malim and eaten their so-called famous Tg Malim Pau.
Incidentally, Yik Mun is a corner shoplot located at a big junction just across an Indian temple. No GPS so not longtitude and latitude only a good attitude!

Post Birthday Treat at ANDES

Andes - Aman Suria

On 21st March, 2012 I was chauffeured driven by my good and close friend Joseph Lee & accompanied by yet another good friend Nicholas Lim for my belated birthday treat. I was brought to Andes at Aman Suria (along the main road next to Alliance Bank, I think).
It's a family-run restaurant. Cozy ambient with friendly & efficient service. The place seats 60 and does catering for functions as well. Next, I learned that Andes's owners are Ong Ai Rin & Andy Lim (former colleague & her husband's family business)
All 3 of us ~~ Jo, Nic & I are T-Rex (cannibal dinosaurs), so Joseph quickly ordered some of the house specialties ~~ FYI...this restaurant is NON HALAL....OINK OINK OINK!!! Bring it on, we'll gobble down ALL!

Chicken Mignon with choice of side servin

The Chicken Mignon comes with a choice of side servings (pasta, mash potato & something else) and choice of sauces - black pepper or cream. We opted for Aglio Oglio Spaghetti with black pepper sauce for the chicken. Cole Slaw is part of the dish. The chicken breast was wrapped in two generous pieces of bacon. The chicken was moist and cooked just right. The juicy bacon with its saltiness complemented the chicken and the peppery sauce simply completes the meat dish superbly. Good choice, Joseph! The spaghetti was cooked al dante and tasted good but me being a spicy person would like it to be a tad more spicy and then the pasta would be just right!

Before the main meal, we had to have the FIRE BALLS!!! Meaty pork balls with bird's eye chili hidden within the balls! It was a B>L>A>S>T! I relish this dish but poor Nic, had to single out the chilies as it was just too hot to handle. This dish will be great complement for drinkers. The garlic was succulent and fragrant...Nice entree to kick start the night.
Next came the pork burrrrrger....What? Pork again? Hey, we aint OINKs OINKs for nothing, eh!

Porky-lisious Burger

The bun was soft and fluffy. The pork meat patties were soft, juicy and moist. Inside the pattie, they 'stash' a generous serving of cheeeeeeeese....Eat it while its hot! The cheese oozes out and blends well with the pattie. End result..the burger melts in your mouth with minimal effort to chew....Awesome with capital "A"! Also, generous serving of fries....ahhhh....glorious food!

BBQ pork ribs - smacking finger licking good

As if this was not enough.. Joseph had to top the night wiiiith....
PORK RIBS!!!! The meat was soft, easily slip off the ribs, well marinated and cooked to perfection! The smoked BBQ sauce does the ribs justice- not an overdose of sauce like some places do. The mashed potato was creamy and potato-ish but it would have been perfect if the serving was a bit larger, likewise the coleslaw. But I guess Andy knew we couldn't finish so much as we've eaten a mountain of food as is....but in anycase...I really like the huge portion served and recommend that it is shared.... for sharing is caring :)

WOW...between the 3 of us, we lapped up the entire course squeaky clean! And to burst our seams, Jo surprised me with an entire 500gms Tiramisu cake. House desert specialty. 

fr left : Ai Rin, Nic & Jo

The cake was superb! Baked with passion and love for baking. FYI, Ai Rin bakes all the Tiramisu sold in the restaurant. According to her, more cakes will be listed soon. Check it out! The liquor in the cake gave all 3 of us a good 'kick'. We each had a piece and I had the privy to take the balance home! Yuuuuuummmy!!
After the 'tummy threatening meal'....we all had to have lime juice to 'clear' our meaty head! But I headed back for more a week later with Rocker57 and son in tow....and the restaurant was packed to the brim with weekend crowd. Best to call for reservation first. For more info, check out their Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/andes/138644212872594?ref=ts

Olivia Newton John Concert - 29 Mar 2012

Attended Olivia Newton John's (ONJ) concert at the Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands on 29 Mar 2012.
Was looking forward to the event as always, it was good to see these legends LIVE!!
Most of the time, Arena of Stars starts promptly. However, this time it was delayed some 15-20mins late. When the lights dimmed, the opening act was by a singer named Farhan - don't know who she is. After 3 songs she made room for ONJ.  *clap clap clap*

Lo and behold, it was not to be! The lights were switched on! And then suddenly there was a mad rush for better seats by those who had bought cheaper seats, they were vying for vacant premium seats! I found it disgusting and ill organised. How can this be happening!!
Worse yet...we were made to wait some 20-25mins before ONJ came on. By then, the concert has lost its 'ooomph'! In between that, the techs came in to set the stage. OMG!!! International star but such poor organizing skills! 
Frankly, I was not happy with the entire bland set up. Mind you, the tickets weren't cheap and I felt cheated! There wasn't any backdrop and the entire set up looks like it was simply put into place without much thought, that's my personal opinion OK? Though I know many of her die-hard fans will disagree. Either that or I've set too high expectations. After more than a dozen live concerts, somehow, our expectations gets higher and higher.
The first 3 renditions, ONJ's voice was weak and pitchy. After that, I think she was more at ease and the songs got better. However, it seems to me still lacking in 'power'. To make matters worse, the PA system sucks and lacks the impact to create an awe & boom-boom feeling. Normally, I get goose-bumps when I attend concerts, sadly...this time around, I think they left for their vacation!
There were no dancers. ONJ's back-up singers acted as both dancers and duets. What a disappointment! Also, she wore slippers/sandals!!! Her entire wardrobe was merely a change of 2 jackets and a shawl. I felt a huge let down when I saw her in sandals. Perhaps, that led me to have negative opinion of the entire show.
The biggest insult was when she 'taught' her educated and affluent audience how to sing Country Road (sung by the late John Denver). Com'on...what the..... And then she went into a 70's & 80's medley but stops after each song?!?!?! Errr....shouldn't medley be continuous or overlapping sometimes? 
3 couples attended the concerts (rocker's brothers & spouses) and half agreed that the show was below par. I for one, being the vocal one had to hold my tongue as there were others who didn't share my thoughts. But I did admit it was a let down for me. I had to, or else its not ME!!!
Over the years I've learned...less is more! Like Rocker57 always reminds me "you win the battle but you lost the war". So I leave it to me myself to blog my views and let the ONJ fans to think otherwise. Afterall, to each his/her own. And I will honestly own up that ONJ's concert was a huge let down. It appears to me like everything was put up in haste for some fast bucks!
If u should notice, I didn't even bother to zoom-in to take the pix. Moodless!
Come to think of it...why all negative and nothing positive, right? Am I being unfair to her? 
Well, for one, she does look good for 63! But not sure if its plastic surgery/botox at work....oops, better stop! *less is more, less is more*

Birthday ride (2)

Sunvay Cycle now known as SC Premier Bike had their official opening on 18 March 2012 - also my 50th birthday!! What was supposedly a small event turned out to be a major highlight of the day! Rocker57 received the invite and told me we'll drop by but what we didn't expect was the huge turn out. It coincides with Kawasaki launching their cruiser W800SE in retro clothes. See, after less than 2 years, I've learned to speak bikers 'lingo'. Check out the pictures below! 
Ravi asked me 'Why W ah?' My idiotic reply was "Waaaah 800!" Come off it, now how the heck would I know? errr...I don't work for Kawasaki you know. Plus, my kids favourite reply whenever I ask them something "google-lah, mom"

Givi Booth

Rocker57 & superbikes

reception area with buffet

two rows of superbikers at the opening!

Ravi, Alex & Rocker57 ended up having lunch at the SC opening. I was turned off with the immense heat-wave and the bombastic PA system that 'killed' my appetite. Was glad that some of my fats melted that hot afternoon :)
We were about to leave when the lucky draw was announced, goes without saying we hung around to try our luck. It being my birthday, I half expected to get a lucky draw gift, at the least! As luck would have it.....we WON nothing!!! hahaha...but it was great to witness the opening.
After an early start, I had an afternoon siesta. Dinner with my loved ones was at Neroteca (Italian restaurant at Sommerset in KL). With salad, pasta, cold cuts & mix grill followed by desserts (tiramisu and something else which has gone pass me - happens quite often these days....signs of 'seniority' is catching up on me though I didn't try to avoid it - honest!) we were satiated to the max!!!

cold cuts

Mixed grill

      
It was a basic day but I just wanted to record the chain of events to be in my memory via my blog. Perhaps, when I'm 70, I'll look into my blog and say " I did that? WOW, cool man!" or maybe I would say " sigh...what a silly way to spend the day"....who knows what I'll think then....perhaps, if u follow my blog for another 2 decades, you'll find the answer.
Until then....have a great weekend ahead and stay happy always. Cheeeers!!!
And oh....of course I lugged my new LV speedy bag and wallet...a gift from my sweetheart...so loving it! Muaks!!

Birthday Ride (1)

Odd thing to do to usher in my 50th birthday recently. But I rather spend time with my loved ones on this special occasion than do something else. No regrets!
Was up early to meet Alex and Ravi, two of Rocker57's biker friends. We met at USJ2 Shell petrol station at 7am and headed to Janda Baik via Karak highway and then detour via the old trunk road. Mid way, we stopped at BHP petrol station for breakfast. If you do not know, this particular petrol station is like a 'renowned bikers rest stop' for those riding along Karak Highway (between KL to Genting/Bentong/Kuantan if you are unfamiliar). Today, was no exception and the crowd was maddening. We had the opportunity to witness the LOTUS group convoy meeting up there as well. Boy...the Vrrrooom & Revving of the vehicles can just drive your adrenaline up three folds....it was aaAawesooOome!!

Revvvvv!!!

Vrrrrooom!     

We have the Vrrroooms and the Revvvvs..... perfect 'marriage' of the two-wheelers & the four-wheelers! We stayed awhile longer than usual. Me, to 'suck-in' the powerful noise & check out any good looking guys!! Hehehe...my rocker's still the best-lah!!

We headed to Janda Baik via the old trunk road. It was a cooling slow ride as the 'blind was leading the blind'. As I suspected, the blind was really blind because we ended up in Bentong!!! Ravi missed the junction or thinks we actually passed the township?!?!!? 
Along the ride, we came across many cyclists. Perhaps, a good road for bikers are just as good for cyclists too. Easily 20-30 cyclists were sighted along the entire stretch right up to Bentong.
Bikers will not go hungry, I know because I've been riding pillion close to 2 years now. They always find a shop to 'chillax' after 1-2hrs ride. Following a quick chat, Ravi brought us to a corner shop in Bentong for 2nd breakfast and its not even 9am!!! We stopped at Lou Yu Kee for a good cuppa and Ravi slurped up a bowl of Bentong beef noodle. It's quite different from the beef noodles I've seen or eaten before. Unfortunately, I didn't get to taste it but I have a picture of it for u. Ravi says its delicious. Am making mental note to eat it the next time I'm in town. Or maybe you can check it out and leave a comment for me?

The black coffee was good. I find coffee served in small town coffee shops are thicker and the aroma intoxicating elsewhere most are diluted and lack the 'kick'. We met a sole biker on BMW800 eating by himself. Just before he left, we chatted awhile. 
 Strangely, I find it odd that superbikers or easy riders make the attempt to acknowledge one another when they 'bump' into each other. I wonder if the kapcai do that too? I have yet to see a Beemer owner say 'hi' to another beemer owner or other make of cars...guess its a 'unwritten universal guy thing'.

After Bentong, we headed to PJ for another event. The official opening of SC Premier Bikes Sdn Bhd or previously known as Sunvay Cycle. Also where rocker57 bought both his bikes.
Read more about SC in my next blog.....see you and don't miss out on it, ya.....till then.....
Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooom!! And ride safe.