Nurin

Magic Ring Allows You to Control Every Gadget Remotely, No Buttons Needed

2009-03-12T02:54:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe it either, but this ring—called Yubi-nya—will allow you to remote control any device just using your fingers. And yes, it has the shape of a cat face. For good reason, I'm sure.

According to researcher Saori Noda—who works for Denso Corporation, a big automotive electronics supplier in Japan—they are "working to make it smaller and less noticeable." This doesn't explain why they decided to make it the shape of a big honkin' cat face, but sounds good enough to us.

The device can detect tiny electrical currents going around the body. To work, it generates a current that goes into the index finger. When you press your finger and thumb together, the ring detects a closed circuit and interprets it as a signal, sending a device a control order wirelessly.

According to Noda, this could be used to control any kind of device without touching it, including phones, music players, cars,and whatever you can imagine

Olympus Calls a Truce in the Megapixel War

2009-03-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

Olympus has decided to stop all of the childish marketing gimmicks and step out of the now meaningless megapixel race. In a recent interview, manager of Olympus Imaging's SLR planning department stated:

Twelve megapixels is, I think, enough for covering most applications most customers need...we have no intention to compete in the megapixel wars for E-System.

He's referring to cameras like the $700 Olympus E-620, which like most cameras, could benefit a lot more from an engineering focus on low-light performance and color reproduction than just some extra megapixels.

Now if only we can explain that more megapixels isn't always better to every consumer at best buy picking out a camera from an endless line of point and shoots. [ZDNET via bbGadgets]

Microsoft Notebook Cooling Base Could Be Cooler

2009-03-12T02:49:00.000-07:00

Microsoft has decided to conquer the exciting world of notebook accessories! And their first product in this "new notebook accessories category" is the Notebook Cooling Case!

Suitable for both desks and laps and said to fit all laptops, the Cooling Case is 1.16 inches thick, but it still manages to squeeze a USB-powered fan into the design! The Cooling Case will be available this July for $30 in both white and black!

Microsoft, I did my best to get excited about this thing...it's just so typical Chinese OEM! [Microsoft]

Microsoft Arc Mouse Special Edition Colors Salute Vegetables, Nature

2009-03-12T02:43:00.000-07:00

Microsfot's collapsible Arc Mouse will be available this month in frost white, eggplant purple, deep olive green and marine blue for $50. Nice, but I do prefer my colors marketed under one umbrella theme. [Microsoft]

Honeywell Touchscreen Thermostat and Portable Remote Review

2009-03-12T02:36:00.000-07:00

With two products, a touchscreen thermostat and a wireless portable thermostat remote, Honeywell has changed how I control my heating and cooling forever. In a good way.

The system I have here consists of those two parts: a touchscreen, full color thermostat that takes the place of your current thermostat called the Prestige, and a black and white wireless thermostat remote called the Portable Comfort Control.

The Portable Comfort Control is what's the most revolutionary about this package. It's about the size of two Wiimotes, it's touchscreen and can basically take the place of the thermostat from anywhere in the house. You can set both heating and cooling temp for as many zones as your house has, as well as read the current temperature from the thermostat, the remote itself or an outside sensor.

It works perfectly. Its backlit touchscreen lights up when pressed, and is responsive enough that you can actually control it without letting a bunch of expletives fly at how lousy the screen is. It reaches every corner of my three-story house, even with multiple floors and walls and doors in the way. Basically, it lets me turn on the heat from the ground floor without having to run up two flights of stairs. Every house needs one.

The Prestige, which is the color touchscreen thermostat, works just as well. The touchscreen is bright and responsive as well as intuitive—something even simpler thermostats are not. It too can sync up with an outside sensor to display the current outside temperature, and does everything that a thermostat is supposed to do (schedule, hold, etc).

Installation was pretty easy. Ours was done by a professional Honeywell installer, but with enough knowledge Gizmodo readers should be able to do it themselves. The entire process, from hooking up the thermostat to syncing the remote to drilling in the outside sensor, took only about an hour.

New iPod Shuffle Moves Buttons to Headphones, Adds Text to Speech

2009-03-12T02:33:00.000-07:00

Apple has quietly released a new iPod Shuffle design that mimics the original's pack of gum aesthetics. It costs $80, holds 4GB of songs, uses inline controls and boasts text-to-speech.

• 4GB or 1,000 Songs
• Silver or black color options, stainless steel clip
• Controls have been moved to the earbud line
• "VoiceOver" Text to speech artist and track names and battery life in 14 languages
• 10 hours of playback (Down from 12 hours in previous gen)
• The 1GB, 2nd gen iPod shuffle is still around for $50

So what do you think? Is this design better than the last iPod Shuffle? Personally, I really dislike that the new form costs users 2 hours of battery life.

CUPERTINO, Calif., March 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Apple® today introduced the all-new iPod® shuffle, the world's smallest music player at nearly half of the size of the previous model, and the first music player that talks to you. The revolutionary new VoiceOver feature enables iPod shuffle to speak your song titles, artists and playlist names. The third generation iPod shuffle is significantly smaller than a AA battery, holds up to 1,000 songs and is easier to use with all of the controls conveniently located on the earphone cord. With the press of a button, you can play, pause, adjust volume, switch playlists and hear the name of the song and artist. iPod shuffle features a gorgeous new aluminum design with a built-in stainless steel clip that makes it ultra-wearable.

"Imagine your music player talking to you, telling you your song titles, artists and playlist names," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPod and iPhone™ Product Marketing. "The amazingly small new iPod shuffle takes a revolutionary approach to how you listen to your music by talking to you, also making it the first iPod shuffle with playlists."

iPod shuffle is based on Apple's incredibly popular shuffle feature, which randomly selects songs from your music library. And now, when you can't remember the name of a song or an artist playing, with the press of a button iPod shuffle tells you the name of the song and artist. iPod shuffle can even tell you status information, such as battery life. With the ability to hold up to 1,000 songs and the VoiceOver feature, you can now easily switch between multiple playlists on your iPod shuffle. iPod shuffle can speak 14 languages including English, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

The new iPod shuffle comes in silver or black and features a sleek and ultra-wearable design with a built-in stainless steel clip. iPod shuffle is the smallest music player in the world and is incredibly easy to clip to almost anything and take with you everywhere you go. iPod shuffle features up to 10 hours of battery life.*

Pricing & Availability

The third generation 4GB iPod shuffle is now shipping and comes in silver or black for a suggested price of $79 (US) through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. iPod shuffle comes with the Apple Earphones with Remote and the iPod shuffle USB cable. iPod shuffle requires a Mac® with a USB 2.0 port, Mac OS® X v10.4.11 or later and iTunes® 8.1 or later; or a Windows PC with a USB 2.0 port and Windows Vista, Windows XP Home or Professional (Service Pack 3) or later and iTunes 8.1.

*Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings. Seewww.apple.com/batteries for more information. Song capacity is based on four minutes per song and 128-Kbps AAC encoding; in 256-Kbps AAC format, song capacity is up to 500 songs; actual capacity varies by encoding method and bit rate.

Yamaha Deus Ex Machina future concept motorcycle

2009-02-25T16:48:00.000-08:00

Jake Loniak, a student of Art Center Pasadena has crammed the combination of motorcycle and tech-skeleton into an awesome looking Yamaha branded Deus Ex Machina. Jake has beyond his wild imagination to design this concept. The vehicle will be powered by ultra-capacitors and doped nano-phoshpate batteries. It is controlled using 36 pneumatic muscles with two linear actuators set along a spine consisting of seven artificial vertebrae. Even the helmet is pneumatically attached.

The motorcycle would be able to accelerate from 0 to 60 in just 3 seconds.

Jake believes that this vehicle can achieve a top speed of 75 mph. The recharge time of this vehicle is 15 minutes and cycle time is of 1 hour. The qualities are more than the qualities found in hybrid cars.

Yamaha Deus Ex Machina is an "electric, single passenger, vertically parking, wearable motorcycle,

Can't wait this vehicle to come on roads…!!

Malaysia: Proton Exora MPV

2009-02-24T17:25:00.000-08:00

Malaysia's Proton will roll out its new self-developed Exora MPV (pictured) in April.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian automaker Proton has announced that dealers will get its new multipurpose vehicle in April. This will be the first truly home-developed MPV for the automaker, and it will be built alongside Proton's Waja for home use and export to Thailand and Indonesia.

The Exora is named for a red flower, the ixora, that is common in the tropics. The moniker was chosen from among 251,763 entries in a contest held last fall. The winner, a teacher from Changlun, will be getting an Exora as her prize. The company says it chose what it considers to be a more "global" name rather than a Malaysian name to reflect Proton's ambitions.

The Exora is built on an all-new platform, the second developed by Proton, and can be expected to be used on a future large vehicle as well. The new MPV will have a 125-horsepower 1.6-liter engine, standard dual airbags and dual-zone air-conditioning — an important feature in Malaysia and something Proton calls a "specialty" of its cars.

It will compete against such vehicles as the Nissan Grand Livina and the Toyota Avanza. The project team also reportedly studied the Toyota Wish closely and even bought 11 copies to study.

Orders will be taken starting on February 21. Final pricing will not be revealed until the April rollout date, but the company's managing director, Dato bin Syed Mohd Tahir, said the price will not exceed the equivalent of $21,900.

Inside Line says: All-Malaysian product is expected to be a source of pride for the company and the country. — Chips Yap, Correspondent

2009 Honda Fit

2009-02-24T16:55:00.000-08:00

Its upper body narrows to the rear for a sporty stance and aerodynamic face.

The Fit’s interior is widely regarded as the most spacious and versatile in its class.

Fit

117-hp, 16-valve i-VTEC^®, 4-cylinder engine
Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags (SRS)
Front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
Side curtain airbags
Active front head restraints
Drive-by-Wire™ throttle system
10 beverage holders
MP3/auxiliary Input Jack
160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with MP3/Windows Media^® Audio (WMA)² playback capability and four speakers

Fit Sport

Adding to or replacing features on the base Fit

160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with six speakers
USB Audio Interface³
16"alloy wheels
Chrome exhaust finisher
Body-colored underbody kit
Body-colored rear roofline spoiler
Fog lights
Security system with remote entry
Cruise control and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters on Sport models equipped with the 5-speed automatic transmission

Toshiba TG01

2009-02-15T23:07:00.000-08:00

Toshiba TG01 Preview

Toshiba TG01 Overview

Toshiba TG01 is the first smartphone announced that uses Qualcomm's 1GHz Snapdragon chipset. It features a massive 4.1" WVGA (800x480 pixels) touchscreen display and is powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with a custom 3D user interface.

Sony Ericsson C903

2009-02-15T23:04:00.000-08:00

Sony Ericsson C903 Commercial

Sony Ericsson C903 Overview

Seeing is believing with the Sony Ericsson C903 Cyber-shot. The slick and stylish 5 megapixel camera phone has a unique sliding lens cover to make great photography. Other features include Bluetooth, USB, FM-Radio, Media Player, A-GPS, 2.4 inch LCD display, TV-Out, and support of HSDPA.

LG KP500 Cookie

2009-02-15T22:44:00.000-08:00

Introduction / Preview : LG KP500 Cookie

LG KP500 UI Demo

LG KP500 Cookie - an attractively-priced full touch screen handset is complete with the latest touch technology and features found in the existing high-end full touch screen handsets currently available on the market.

With continuous advances in touch screen technology, the LG KP500 has LG's latest precision refinements for when the human touch meets the vivid digital screen. From LG's experience in producing stylish and sophisticated handsets, the LG KP500 also receives the same attention to the finer details. Slim-profiled and lightweight, the LG KP500 comes in black, Vandyke brown, Anodizing silver, and Elegant gold, giving consumers more choices for their personal tastes.

As a slim and stylish handset, the LG KP500 is a GSM phone which can operate in four frequency bands, giving it a far-reaching reception range, and upon its global release, the LG KP500 can be used in 39 languages. But no matter what language one speaks, the vivid and intuitive user interface of the LG KP500 is simple for anyone to understand with vivid icons on the wide 3 inch screen.

Keeping in touch with friends has never been easier as the LG KP500 has the latest UI that allows the user to attach a friend's photo for the speed dial feature and then page through the portraits and touch the friend to be called. "We optimized the user interface to keep the tactile operations smooth and simple which is necessary when you’re opening up a new technology to a wide group of people," said Skott Ahn. With such ease of use, LG expects to broaden the base of touch screen handset consumers around the world.

The LG KP500 has an embedded stylus pen concealed in the base that can be easily removed for the advanced handwriting recognition program that allows the user to write memos and text messages, and also edit photo images by touching the screen with the pen tip. The QWERTY onscreen keyboard slides into view when the LG-KP500 is held horizontally, and the auto rotating display always shifts images or documents for proper viewing no matter which way the handset is turned.

Also packed into the LG KP500 are motion sensor games that are played by turning, flipping, and shifting the handset for a more active and fun gaming experience.

Laptop...Technology Never stops

2009-02-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

Tablet PC Made Of Wood

Nokia 888 Mobile Phone

2009-02-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

A personal mobile communication device which lets you be free and fun. It is light, simple and carefree. You can change its form according to your needs during the day. You dont have to carry it in your pocket or on your wrist. You can carry it anywhere, in anyform. You can roll it, bend it, put on your clothes like a clip. It also makes some form changes that makes it more ergonomical: i.e. when you want to talk on the phone, the body form turns into the form of the good old telephone. You can personalize these forms and record them. So it fits you the best in the way that you have chosen. Also e-motions let you send forms to other 888 users: i.e. you can send a heart shape to your girlfriend or a dancing figure to your friends to call them to the party tonight. This way you can talk without words.

2008 Pontiac G8 Buzz Station

2009-02-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

Both versions of the G8 ride on the same 114.8-inch wheelbase.
(Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation)

The G8's front fender flares and fender vents make the car look like it means business.
(Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation)

At 362hp, the G8's 6.0-liter V8 makes 22 more ponies than the Dodge Charger RT.
(Photo courtesy of General Motors Corporation)

No, production G8s will not have leather-covered dashboards. They will, however, be offered with the six-speed manual transmission like the showcar.

With Pontiac, it's all about the twin-port grilles. Unlike the last Australian GTO, the G8 GT arrives in the U.S. with twin hood scoops.

The tail is probably the least inspired angle to the G8. But the double-twin tailpipes do speak of power.

First Drive: 2009 Honda FCX Clarity

2009-02-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

Honda's Fuel-Cell Electric Car Is No

Trailer Queen

The high-pitched whine as the 2009 Honda FCX Clarity's "engine" spools up is a sound as futuristic as any to be heard aboard the Millennium Falcon. Except the Star Wars ship is all fiction and movie magic. The FCX Clarity is all fact. The future — green, fuel-efficient and petroleum-free — is here.

The whine, thrilling in its own way as the scream of a Formula 1 engine although not nearly so loud, is the song of the compressor pumping air into the Clarity's fuel-cell stack. There, the air mixes with hydrogen gas flowing from the car's cylindrical fuel tank, where it's stored at 5,000 psi. The compressed air and hydrogen mix in the fuel cell and flow through a gas-permeable membrane coated with a platinum catalyst.

The result — Shazzam! — is electricity, the stuff that powers this deep garnet-red sedan as it swoops silently along the highway, spilling a drizzle of distilled water (and nothing else) from its tailpipe.

If we sound like converts, we are. Sign us up for the 2009 Honda FCX Clarity. We want one.

First Impressions:
The 2009 Honda FCX Clarity is fun to drive and also fun to be seen in. Best of all, the hydrogen fuel-cell sedan gets you where you want to go without burning a drop of gasoline.
Electrifying Performance
Fuel-cell cars are electric cars, loaded with low-end grunt. The Clarity won't snap your head back when you stuff your foot to the floor, but it moves out smartly just the same.

The electric motor delivers the equivalent of 134 horsepower and 189 pound-feet of torque when it's spinning at 13,500 rpm, and peak torque is available between zero and 20 mph. This is sufficient power to give the Clarity off-the-line acceleration that pushes you firmly back into the seat.

Honda says the power plant, fed with 100 kilowatts of electricity from the fuel cell, will propel the midsize sedan from zero to 60 mph in about 9.2 seconds — the same time recorded by the similarly sized 2008 Honda Accord sedan equipped with its 177-hp 2.4-liter inline-4.

Yet we thought the FCX felt faster than this, and when we made a comment, someone from Honda quietly confirmed that the company is "conservative" in citing acceleration numbers. We didn't put a stopwatch to the FCX Clarity, but would guess that we got to 60 mph in just under 9 seconds.

We also weren't able to test Honda's claim that the Clarity will achieve 100 mph, but 77 mph did come up on the speedometer before prudence dictated we try out the regenerative braking system. It works just fine, and also pumps almost 60 percent of the car's deceleration energy back into the lithium-ion battery pack that supplements the fuel cell's output when extra acceleration power is needed.

It Drives Like a Car
The ride in the Clarity on the Coast Highway is smooth and even a little cushy, as the double-wishbone independent suspension has been tuned for comfort, not for sport. The front-wheel-drive sedan has its 3,582 pounds apportioned 55 percent to the front and 45 percent to the rear, just like a conventional Accord.

That slightly front-heavy load means the hard-compound, low-rolling-resistance 215/55R16 tires have to work pretty hard, and it's no surprise that the FCX developed a bit of understeer when we hit the tighter turns on Malibu Canyon Road.

The FCX achieves the equivalent of 68 mpg from its hydrogen fuel cell. Since a kilogram of gaseous hydrogen fuel is roughly equivalent to a gallon of gasoline, this Honda's 4.1-kg tank delivers a cruising range of 270 miles with 0.2 kg of fuel in reserve.

New Perodua Myvi SE Launched

2009-02-02T01:18:00.000-08:00

The Perodua Myvi is a supermini/subcompact hatchback manufactured by Malaysian car maker Perodua since 2005. Based on the second generation Daihatsu Sirion/Boon and Toyota Passo, the Myvi is the result of Perodua's collaboration with both Toyota and Daihatsu.

Myvi

The Perodua Myvi has received a facelift 3 years after it was launched, at a time which would appropriately be mid-point in its lifecycle. There are updates with the exterior, interior, equipment as well as price, which naturally have been revised higher.

Performance and design

The Myvi boasts either one of two water-cooled, four-stroke engines derived from the first generation Daihatsu Sirion: A 1.0 litre EJ-VE engine with three in-line cylinders, or the Toyota Passo: 1.3 litre K3-VE engine with four in-line cylinders; both engines employ dynamic variable valve timing (DVVT) systems and conventional electronic fuel injection (EFI).

In addition to raw performance, features previously uncommon on Perodua cars were inherited from the Sirion to the Myvi. Among them are 4-hole injectors, foamed urethane injected to the A-pillar, centre pillar and B-pillar for noised insulation, immobiliser systems and pedestrian injury reduction body construction. Other notable features include underbody air flow regulating items, resin intake manifolds and cylinder headcovers integrated with air cleaner cases (for 1.0 engines) and flexible flywheels for reduced vibration during running (for manual transmission

The enhancements that the Myvi SE carries are basically aesthetic. It still runs on the same 1.3-liter unit producing 86 ponies at 6,000rpm and 116Nm of torque at 3,200rpm and to keep the ponies under control, Perodua has entrusted the same set-up of steel discs up front and drum brakes at the back.

SAMSUNG Debuts OMNIA ,Everything You Wish For In Your Mobile

2009-02-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

Samsung Malaysia Electronics (SME) Sdn Bhd today announced the launch of Samsung Omnia (model name: SGH-i900). It brings together high performance business content, top of the range style and a fun, dynamic multi-media experience, to ensure consumers are always connected both at home and at work. , meaning ‘everything’ in Latin and ‘wish’ in Arabic, goes beyond the current top-of-the-line features available in today’s mobile phones.

eatures

Bringing a PC environment to Mobile The new Samsung allows users to switch seamlessly between Microsoft Outlook email and productivity applications that replicate the look and feel of their PC - with a stroke of their finger. Based on the most up to date Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system, Samsung gives users a mobile extension to their PC experience, with access to MS Office documents such as PowerPoint, Excel and Word. Users can also send and receive email and manage their appointments in Outlook while on the go.

The Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system means users can download additional programs as they would on their PC and customize it for their individual needs. For ease of navigation, an optical mouse similar to those on laptop computers offers improved usability and one-handed control.
Vivid, lively multimedia experience

Samsung Omnia delivers the ultimate in digital entertainment thanks to a wide 3.2-inch WQVGA LCD screen for viewing videos and slide shows in high-resolution and advanced audio capabilities. MultiCodec support for DivX, Xvid and other video formats eliminates the hassle of file format conversions. Users also have the assurance of a long-life detachable battery for extended playback.

The Samsung Omnia also comes with a five-megapixel CMOS camera with the latest value-added features, which include auto-focus (AF), face and smile detection and auto-panorama shot. The handset’s generous internal memory (available in 8GB or 16 GB capacity options and extendable slot for additions) ensures ample storage space for digital assets. Rounding out the fully comprehensive feature set, Samsung Omnia also offers Global Positioning System (GPS), including navigation and geo-tagging capabilities, so users can get their bearings wherever work or life takes them.

The One and Only mobile with everything in touch

Samsung’s patented TouchWiz user interface makes entering data and text simple. With unique widgets, users can customise and personalise the way they use their phone. The Samsung Omnia's high resolution touch-sensitive screen uses intuitive tap, sweep, drag and drop operations as well as an on-screen qwerty keyboard. It also facilitates easy and convenient calling and texting with a dedicated dome key for controlling communications.

Samsung’s pursuit for design perfection

The Samsung Omnia presents Samsung’s leadership in design. With maxi-phone capabilities, it boasts a slender, chic form, so users can step out in style. It features an ultra-slim 12.5-mm profile and a platinum-look finish that fits snugly in the palm of the user’s hand. The elegant hairline patterns on the back of the phone bring the perfection in style.

Wong Man Ngee, Head of Marketing, Mobile Phone Marketing, Samsung Malaysia Electronics (SME) Sdn Bhd said, “I am very excited to introduce Samsung Omnia, a mobile device that truly delivers the best possible features for today’s busy, on-the-go consumer. Samsung demonstrates our vision for the Samsung mobile business, which is to provide premium phones for users who desire functionality, style, usability and entertainment in one innovative device.

The mobile range will help users to be at the forefront of work and play and at the same time, to stay connected anytime, anywhere.” The Samsung has a recommended retail price of RM2, 799.00 (8GB) and RM2, 999.00 (16GB) and is now available in Malaysia.

New Honda City

2009-01-29T18:29:00.000-08:00

Colours

Our selection of colours is the embodiment of style and exceptional taste. Personalise your Honda with the colour of your choice.

Price List for Peninsular Malaysia	RM
Selling Price	82,272.50
Road Tax (1 year)	90.00
Registration Fee	150.00
Number Plate	50.00
Ownership Endorsement Fee	50.00
Retail Price (Without Insurance)	82,612.50
Insurance	2,367.50
On-The-Road Price with Insurance	84,980.00
Sum Insured	82,000.00

Interior

Exterior

Samsung Intros 24mm Ultra-Wide Angle HZ10W

2009-01-29T17:21:00.000-08:00

Las Vegas -- Samsung’s new HZ10W is a compact, 10.2 mega pixel digital camera that takes wide-angle to a new level. Featuring an ultra-wide angle 24mm Schneider lens, the HZ10W goes beyond the 28mm wide angle focal length offered by other manufacturers while adding a powerful 10x optical zoom with telephoto capabilities of 240mm (35mm film equivalent).

Opportunities to enhance one’s creativity thrive thanks to the wider focal length offered by the HZ10W’s ultra-wide angle, 24mm lens. With the ability to fit more of a desired scene into the shot, users no longer have to worry about asking a group of people to stand closer together to make sure everyone is in the photo. Users can also capture even more impressive landscape images, communicating the full beauty of a mountain range or even cityscape, as they see it, without having to decide what to exclude when pressing the shutter button.

The HZ10W’s 240mm (35mm film equivalent) telephoto zoom also allows users to be more creative and flexible when they shoot, adding peace of mind knowing that they can rely on the camera to help them capture the image they want, at any distance. Such a long zoom is ideal for sporting events, especially when far away from the action, or travel, when unable to determine what shooting scenario you may find yourself in. For added stability and blur-free images, especially when using the HZ10W at its maximum zoom, Samsung has incorporated both Optical and Digital Image Stabilization. The shooter has the option of simply using Optical Image Stabilization to help reduce blur caused by hand shake, ideal for well lit environments, or choosing Dual Image Stabilization and combining the strengths of Optical and Digital Image Stabilization. Dual Image Stabilization is ideal for low-light environments where the use of a flash is not desired as it activates both forms of stabilization simultaneously.

For shooters who wish to be in more control when it comes to taking digital images, the HZ10W offers a host of manual controls. Users can manually configure shutter speed, from 16 ~ 1/1,500 seconds, as well as adjust focus and aperture settings. Users can also dial in exposure in 1/3EV steps at a maximum of ±2EV and select a desired ISO value with options of 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and even 3200 at a reduced resolution of three mega-pixels.

The HZ10W also incorporates Samsung’s proprietary Smart Album program. Smart Album is useful tool which allows users to search through the various files they have saved on their memory card for a specific image. Smart Album automatically organizes the user’s digital images and gives them the ability to narrow their search based on the date or month the image was taken, the file type, whether it’s a photo, video, or voice memo, and the overall color tone.

“The mega-zoom HZ10W is one of the most feature-rich digital cameras in Samsung’s wide ranging family of digital imaging products,” said Tony Sorice, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Digital Imaging, at Samsung Electronics America. “The camera addresses demands in the marketplace, not only for longer zooms, but for wider focal lengths as well. Such powerful optics, combined with other advanced features like the ability to record HD video, will undoubtedly make the HZ10W an attractive model for anyone in the market for a new digital camera.”

The HZ10W gives shooters the ability to capture video in 720p high-definition at 30 frames-per-second (fps). Thanks to H.264 compression, users can record video for longer periods of time, allowing them to better utilize the remaining memory capacity on their SD or SDHC memory card. Shooters can utilize Optical Image Stabilization and the camera’s 10x optical zoom while recording video, as well as Samsung’s Successive Recording mode, which allows the user to pause and then resume filming without having to save the clips as individual files.

Designed to help capture better images, specifically portraits and group shots of family and friends, the HZ10W’s Face Detection technology detects up to nine faces and automatically adjusts focus and exposure to ensure better composition and image quality. Smile Shot automatically triggers the HZ10W to take a photo only when the camera detects smiles on the subjects’ faces, and Blink Detection will automatically fire three consecutive shots if the camera detects that a subject’s eyes are closed – a useful feature as it’s often difficult to distinguish closed eyes when composing a shot on an LCD screen.

Another unique, automatic functionality of the HZ10W is Beauty Shot, which will automatically brighten and even out skin tones as well as remove blemishes. The HZ10W’s comprehensive suite of automatic controls also includes 13 scene modes, which give users the ability to effortlessly adjust the camera and capture the best image possible in any situation.

The camera is available in black or silver, with silver trim, measures 4.13”W x 2.4”H x 1.4” D, and features a large 2.7 inch (230K pixels) LCD screen.

Upin & Ipin is a series of animated shorts produced by Malaysian

2009-01-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

Upin and Ipin are five-year-old identical twin brothers living in a well-off Malay-Muslim household with their sister Ros and maternal grandmother Uda ("Opah"), albeit being orphans (in episode six, the twins, Ros and Opah were seen to visit their parents' graves), in a village known as Kampung Durian Runtuh in Malaysia.

The two seasons released thus far dealt with the young twins' ordeal with Ramadan, the most venerated lunar month in Islam in which the faithful oblige themselves to abstain from consuming any food and beverage

from dawn till dusk in every day of this period. Opah is seen as the boys' main source of significant religious and traditional wisdom. Despite the hunger from fasting, Upin and Ipin still maintain their mischievous tendencies which tends to annoy Ros.

In season one, not only they were induced by their elder sister and grandmother in honouring the holy month, yet their friends, including some non-Malays, helped to keep their religious obligation in check. In season two, Upin and Ipin are already in kindergarten, having known some new friends. This time, they are more prepared and delighted to usher Ramadan.

Tony Jaa Halftime show -Ong Bak 2

2009-01-27T19:21:00.000-08:00

Tony Jaa Halftime show

Tony Jaa fight demonstration

Ong Bak 2 Reviews

2009-01-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

In Tom-Yum-Goong, Tony Jaa demonstrated a style of muay Thai that has moves that imitate an elephant.

Directed by	Tony Jaa Panna Rittikrai
Starring	Tony Jaa
Distributed by	Sahamongkol Film International
Release date(s)	Thailand: December 5, 2008
Country	Thailand
Language	Thai
Preceded by	Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior

HP iPaq 910

2009-01-27T17:37:00.000-08:00

HP iPaq 910 Unboxing and Review

HP iPAQ 910c

The HP iPAQ 910c has QWERTY keyboard, Tri-band HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and 3-megapixel camera. Though no release date is decided for this Windows Mobile 6 based Smartphone but it is believed it will be released in October.

Acer Ferrari 5000 Top Performance

2009-01-27T17:19:00.000-08:00

Ferrari 1000 and 5000 notebooks equipped with latest dual-core technology, unite performance, design and reliability

The Ferrari 1000 and Ferrari 5000 are the world's first notebook series offering the exclusive and cutting-edge technology pioneered and perfected in the world of Formula One racing. The carbon-fiber casing of the Ferrari 1000 and Ferrari 5000 conceal the very latest dual-core technology, highlighting a notebook that offers all the performance and elegance gained from the alliance between two companies constantly focused on innovation and renowned for pushing the boundaries of technology.

"After almost three years of partnership and successful and innovative notebooks such as the Ferrari 4000 and 3400," says Gianfranco Lanci, President of Acer Inc, "Acer has designed a truly exclusive notebook range that expresses our firm intention to stay at the forefront of innovation, an ambition that has always characterized both the worlds of Formula One and information technology."

"Technology is essential to achieve objectives," says Jean Todt, General Manager of Scuderia Ferrari. "We believe that innovation leads to constant evolution, and we are delighted that one of our Sponsors places such importance on the research and development of advanced technological solutions."

The Ferrari 1000 and Ferrari 5000 are based on the latest AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Mobile Technology. Harnessing the natural power of the latest dual-core technology, the new Acer systems deliver added performance with intelligent power management features. In addition, the new 64-bit architecture delivers leading-edge power and provides a taste of the performance gains promised by future 64-bit applications.

Nokia N85 – Music, gaming and internet in one sleek package

2009-01-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

Nokia N85 Overview

Nokia N85 features 5 megapixel camera, running S60 3rd Edition software, integrated GPS navigation and photo geotagging, 2 flash LED behind and a secondary video call camera.
Nokia N85 is a key product of the final quarter of 2008 and the first two quarters of 2009.

Let’s have a closer look at the positioning of N85. First of all, it’s meant to be a sequel to the musical N81 handset, claiming the throne of an ultimate gaming / music phone. The price bracket and target segment are all the same, as well as the starting amount of memory; on the other hand, every other aspect of functionality has been improved. Nokia N85 can also pass for a very good replacement to N95 8GB sporting almost the same functionality, yet implemented on a remarkably higher level. The same saying can be applied to the model’s positioning. The company are counting on N85 as the most likely candidate for becoming a mass market bestseller, massive investments being made into the promotional campaign. Nokia N85 has no direct competitors save for N95 8Gb, but in all senses the former is preferable. The price gap between N85 and N96 is going to constitute 100 euros, that’s basically how much you’ll be charged for the extra memory and the DVB-H unit. N96 doesn’t offer any other practical advantages, and N85 is obviously preferable for better materials, size, screen quality, design and battery life. A comparison article pitting N96 against N85 is already available on the site, we hope you’ve already had a chance to skim through it and come up with a pretty clear idea of how things go for these two models.

LG KC780 Slim 8 Megapixel Portrait Phone

2009-01-25T09:25:00.000-08:00

Seoul, Korea, October 9, 2008 -- LG Electronics, a worldwide technology and design leader in mobile communications, announced today the launch of its LG-KC780, a slim 8 megapixel camera phone with special features that make it ideal for shooting portraits.

The LG-KC780 is a slim slider phone at just 13.9 mm thick, but manages to include a large 2.4-inch widescreen LCD. The phone is designed to ensure that its myriad camera features are convenient and easy to use. A Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens ensures that the LG-KC780’s camera takes high quality photos that are sharp and clear.

“We found that most of the time people use the cameras on their mobile phones to take pictures of themselves, their families, friends and significant others,” said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “With this in mind, LG developed the LG-KC780 with a number of face-enhancing features to augment its high quality 8 megapixel camera.”

Several of the LG-KC780’s smart technologies focus around the most expressive part of a person, the face. Face Detection automatically finds and focuses on people’s faces to allow photographers to take clearer pictures. Part of this feature relies on LG’s Smile Detection technology, which can recognize the angle of people’s mouths and adjust focus for faces.

Other people-focused features on the LG-KC780 include easy-to-use shot modes that help make people look their best. With Smile Shot enabled the camera automatically triggers the shutter when it determines that the subject is smiling. And with Beauty Mode users can remove spots and imperfections on people’s faces, making sure the faces appear bright and clear in photos.

Great memories can happen anywhere and the LG-KC780 has a number features that ensure great shots no matter where they are taken. The LG-KC780 can almost see in the dark with adjustable light sensitivity up to an amazingly high ISO 1600. If an image is too bright, however, LG’s SmartLight™ setting automatically fixes it. A built-in Image Stabilizer ensures that pictures come out clear and sharp, even in shaky situations.

For those times when a picture is not enough, the LG-KC780’s D1 Video recording captures DVD-resolution video of every exciting moment. This means that movies captured on the handset will still look great when played back on a large screen TV.

The LG-KC780 is a full featured handset and includes the latest in mobile phone technology, including Smart Bluetooth, which opens up a number of new options when the phone is connected to a personal computer. For example, the phone’s camera can be used as a webcam for use in online conversations. Unlike USB webcams, this world’s first feature means that the camera can easily move with the user, as long as the phone stays within Bluetooth range.

Transferring the 8 megapixel photos that the phone takes is also far simpler thanks to Bluetooth. In addition, Smart Bluetooth makes it easier to send and read text messages, allowing them to be typed and viewed on the computer. The LG-KC780’s fun goes beyond its picture-taking capabilities; Motion Sensor Games make it easy to get into the action.

LG-KC780 will go on sale in November 2008, in Europe, later expanding to CIS and Asia, including India, Thailand, Hong Kong and China. LG expects that the LG-KC780 will build on the leadership the company established with its multimillion selling Viewty and enhance its lineup of 8 megapixel camera phones, along with the recently released an 8 megapixel touch screen multimedia phone, LG Renoir (LG-KC910).

Palm Pre Phone

2009-01-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

Palm Pre Overview

Featuring a smooth, rounded ergonomic design and a physical keyboard that slides out only when needed, the Palm Pre is engineered to feel natural in the hand and comfortably small in the pocket

Introduction / Preview : Palm Pre

The Palm has an interface and hardware design that makes it the most integrated and user-friendly phone for mobile users. Featuring a smooth, rounded ergonomic design and a physical keyboard that slides out only when needed, Pre is engineered to feel natural in the hand and comfortably small in the pocket.

When closed, the phone is ideal for phone calls, web browsing, music, photos and videos; when open, Pre is optimized for email and text messaging. With its curved slider and gesture-controlled touch interface, Pre fuses exquisite design with the revolutionary webOS software for fast access to anything on the device or web. It’s an instinctive user experience that seems to anticipate your needs.

Pre will support a variety of differentiated on-device Sprint services, including Sprint TV, offering an extensive selection of live and on-demand programming. Sprint Navigation provides GPS-enabled audio and visual turn-by-turn driving directions, one-click traffic rerouting and more than 10 million local listings. Sprint also offers more than a dozen streaming-radio applications, including Sprint Radio with more than 150 channels.

Palm Pre is scheduled to be available first in the United States exclusively from Sprint in the first half of 2009, and will be followed by a world-ready UMTS version for other regions.

Palm Pre features include the following:

High-speed connectivity (EVDO Rev. A or UMTS HSDPA)
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g⁽⁶⁾
Integrated GPS⁽⁷⁾
Large 3.1-inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320x480 resolution HVGA display
Gesture area, which enables simple, intuitive gestures for navigation
Slide-out QWERTY keyboard
Email, including Outlook EAS (for access to corporate Microsoft Exchange servers), as well as personal email support (POP3, IMAP)
Robust messaging support (IM, SMS and MMS capabilities)⁽⁴⁾
High-performance, desktop-class web browser
Great multimedia experience and performance (pictures, video playback, music), featuring a 3-megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack
Bluetooth^® 2.1 + EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support
8GB of internal user storage (~7.4GB user available)
USB mass storage mode
MicroUSB connector with USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Proximity sensor, which automatically disables the touch screen and turns off the display whenever you put the phone up to your ear
Light sensor, which dims the display if the ambient light is dark, such as at night or in a movie theater, to reduce power usage
Accelerometer, which automatically orients web pages and photos to your perspective
Ringer switch, which easily silences the device with one touch
Removable, rechargeable battery
Dimensions: 59.57mm (W) x 100.53mm (L, closed) x 16.95mm (D) [2.35 inches (W) x 3.96 inches (L, closed) x 0.67 inches (D)]
Weight: ~135 grams [4.76 ounces]

Mac BookAir

2009-01-25T09:05:00.000-08:00

A noticeable graphics boost.

With a new integrated graphics processor, MacBook Air changes the game and just about everything you do with it. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M provides up to an amazing 4x performance boost over the original MacBook Air.¹ Photos appear in iPhoto quickly. Transitions in Keynote are seamless. Games play more smoothly. And movie and video playback is better than ever before. No other ultraportable offers such amazing performance in such a slim design.

Product summary

The good: Incredibly thin yet surprisingly sturdy; new trackpad gesture controls are very useful; remote optical drive makes living without a built-in drive much easier.

The bad: Very limited connectivity; slower than other MacBooks; SSD hard-drive option is ridiculously expensive and standard hard drive is small; battery is not user replaceable.

The bottom line: The design is revolutionary, but Apple's MacBook Air will appeal to a smaller, more specialized audience than the standard MacBook, thanks to a stripped-down set of connections and features.

Specifications: Environmental & energy standards compliance: EPA Energy Star , EPEAT Silver ; Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo (1.6 GHz) ; RAM installed: 2 GB DDR2 SDRAM ; See full specs

BlackBerry Bold

2009-01-25T08:29:00.000-08:00

Features

The BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphone is pure innovation. Discover how it can power the passions you pursue.
Specifications

Available Features

Camera (2.0 MP)
Built-in GPS
Media Player
Video Recording
BlackBerry® Maps
Wireless Email
Organizer
Browser
Phone
Corporate Data Access
SMS/MMS
Wi-Fi® support

Learn more about the features available on BlackBerry® smartphones

Size and Weight

Height:
4.48 inches (114mm)

Width:
2.6 inches (66mm)

Depth:
0.59 inches (15mm)

Weight:
4.8 ounces (136 grams)

Organic Workstation By Miles Brewu

2009-01-17T21:47:00.000-08:00

The revolutionary concept of the Organic Workstation from the house of Miles of Design 07 - London is a wonderful solution for all computer centric beings. Designed by Stevie Miles Brewu, it’s the closest one can go to create a fully adjustable ergonomic, interactive work and play environment. The features include; adjustable positioning with respect to angle of seating, screen, keyboard and foot rest. The overall feel is highly ergonomic with a clutter free interactive environment. Thus, one’s productivity and comfort levels are greatly enhanced as this state of the art device provides a highly ergonomic and interactive environment. So go ahead and enjoy your work.

Say Good bye to Computer mouse - Video

2009-01-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

Mgestyk Gesture-Based Gaming and more.
It's nearly 40 years old but one leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered.

A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the computer mouse in the next three to five years.

Taking over will be so called gestural computer mechanisms like touch screens and facial recognition devices.

"The mouse works fine in the desktop environment but for home entertainment or working on a notebook it's over," declared analyst Steve Prentice.

He told BBC News that his prediction is driven by the efforts of consumer electronics firm which are making products with new interactive interfaces inspired by the world of gaming . Via

Vivendelstien House in Norway

2009-01-16T00:32:00.001-08:00

If you were to ask me what my dream home would look like, the answer would be modern, minimalist, with lots of space and with a nice view over the beach or maybe over the woods. I’m not sure if the Vivendelstien house in Norway is close to a beach or a mountain but I do know it’s close to what I would expect when it comes to interior design.

Designed by Norwegian architect Tommie Wilhelmsen this house won’t impress you with its exterior, but will do it as soon as you enter the front door with its interior. A warm “gigantic” living space that puts the white in contrast with little things like the ottomans, the colorful pillows, the couch or the relaxing looking chairs. If you ask me, the guy managed to get the best harmony possible.

2009-01-16T00:25:00.000-08:00

Modern White Sea House

No, the Japanese are not only good with Sushi and electronics. Apparently they also have great designers and architects or at least that’s how I jump to conclusions after seeing thie modern white sea house. It was put up by Takao Shiotsuka Atelier in Japan and is a 237 sq m two-floors white buildng with a shape that spreads gently towards the sea. Painted in white, with extremely large windows that allow sun-rays inside and a modern but minimalist interior, it’s a stunning piece of design. If I were to change something, that would be a little bit of contrast … it’s too whitey, don’t you think? How about some black and red shapes? - Source

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Hideaway Island House in Australia

2009-01-16T00:23:00.000-08:00

In case you wish to purchase real estate in Australia and have loads of cash in your bag waiting to be freed, then we quite simply cannot suggest you a better way to let go of your fortune other than spend it on this spectacular home. Located on a hideaway island in Noosa region of Australia’s Sunshine Coast and designed by local architect Frank Macchia, this scenic home is up for auctioning on January 10of 2009. The 4 bedroom-4 bathroom house is located on a beautiful island overlooking gorgeous landscape and is lavish and luxurious in design. The interiors are grand and yet elegant making this home a settlement in paradise. - via

Lavish Three-storey House in Manhattan Beach

2009-01-16T00:21:00.000-08:00

Luxurious living - something that we can’t afford but damn it we dream of it - it’s what this modern, three-storey house in Manhattan Beach, California, is all about. With a stunning view over the Palos Verdes Peninsula in Malibu, the house manages to pack a small but luxurious backyard in the tight space, a lush living space with large floor-to-ceiling windows, numerous skylights, an amazing pool and an elevator - that’s a pretty high building out there.. Designed by MAP Development & Aidlin Darling Design, if you were asking, this dream house sells for $5.6 million.

Floating House in Ontario, Canada

2009-01-16T00:20:00.000-08:00

If you ever thought that building a home on water is easy stuff, you got that wrong. There’s weather you should consider, water levels and so on. Located on an island on Lake Huron in Ontario, Canada, this floating residence is work of MOS Architects; and they did a great job with their steel platform structure with incorporated pontoons that keeps it floating. The guys are not only great with structures, but also have taste for interiors. With large windows, open spaces, contemporary furniture, lots of wood and an amazing view of the lake, the floating house sounds like a great retreat for those hot summers, isn’t it?

Open Door House by Meneghetti Architects

2009-01-16T00:18:00.002-08:00

Building your home from scratch must be really powerful, but if you’re an architect then it has to be the ultimate challenge. On a 2,600 m2 plot, the open door house was designed by the guys from Meneghetti Architects as a weekend retreat. With a lavish interior that promotes large windows and breathing spaces, the house has elegant shapes, exquisite furniture and a great view of the trees nearby. They did an amazing job if you ask me. It’s a great place to relax after a hard week at the office, isn’t it? [via NoticiasArquitectura]

The Ivy Lamp

2009-01-16T00:18:00.001-08:00

The Ivy Lamp is what you might call an organic lamp because it combines a lighting fixture with a potted plant. The combination of an ivy climbing up a LED light is beautiful as the light appears to make the plant glow. The plain light fixture is placed in a flower pot which is then filled with soil before the ivy is planted. What’s more, the fixture is modular, allowing the user to customize the shape by connecting the components as they wish.

The Ivy Lamp was created by Izabela Cichecka & Marcela Kawka who wanted to combine two very dissimilar worlds - nature with technology. They succeeded by a large margin! - Via

The Dip Vase by Robert Bronwasser

2009-01-16T00:14:00.000-08:00

Designed by Robert Bronwasser and his Dutch design company - Smool, the Dip Vase is a functional and logical product. This cool form of interconnected cylinders looks like it is made of porcelain but is actually a soft unbreakable vinyl which has been formed with a dip-molding technique. This was looks amazing when it has flowers inside, but even without flowers this vase looks gorgeous. The Dip Vase can be purchased from here or here and could be a great gift for someone who loves flowers for this Christmas.

Contemporary Heater designed by Red Rabbits

2009-01-16T00:11:00.000-08:00

Most heaters are just there to distribute heat around the room to keep those affected by winter nice and toasty without freezing to death, but how many of them can actually be detached to be hugged? Today you’re gonna see a contemporary heater that has a beautiful design, and something more than an usual heater. Designed by Red Rabbits, these three cassettes can be removed and used in any manner you like, including placing your feet on them or even keeping your food warm. It heats through convection and radiation, with and without the cassettes mounted. In addition, the heat is experienced through conduction when interacting directly with the heating cassettes.

Rubik’s Cube Lamp

Did you ever play with the Rubik’s cube? It was a puzzle first invented back in 1974 by the Hungarian professor, Ernő Rubik and it quickly became popular. Now a designer, Eric Pautz has taken that toy and transformed it into a lamp. It provides illumination that you can play with ! By turning the each face of the cube, you’ll be able to get an enormous number of different arrays of colored light. Solve the puzzle and you get the original cube configuration but I think it is much prettier if you left the faces scrambled.

There is also a plain, non-coloured version which might appeal to those with aesthetic tastes. The lamp is not available yet but the designer is currently looking for producers. - Via

Rubik’s Cube Lamp

Easy unplugging : Universal Plug by Kim Seung Woo

2009-01-16T00:10:00.000-08:00

Designed by Kim Seung Woo - Universal Plug is a very simple idea that should be implemented on all electronics. Pulling out a plug is not a hard work, but it is not always an easy task. This plug comes with a circular cut-out which can help you pull it out easily and encourage users to save energy, because we all know by now that leaving your electronics plugged in can suck away unused energy. I hope that some people who work in the electronics production see this idea …and who knows we will see it more and more in use, is very useful I think. - Via - 1, 2

Liquid Lamp : Appears to have no stand

2009-01-16T00:08:00.000-08:00

If you are a loyal reader of this website then you might remember our collection with the 40 of The Most Creative Lamp Designs Ever, that we posted a few months ago. Today here is an unique yet bizarre home accessory that might also fit pretty well in that collection. This artistic looking lamp appears to resemble an overturned bucket spilling milk ( the white version ) or blood ( the red version ). Not only that, the lampshade also appears to have no stand - it’s held up instead by the “frozen” liquid oozing onto the table or down the wall, depending on the lamp’s style. The design looks pretty cool, and I’m sure that a lot of guests will want to take a second look at this lamp. For those interested this lamp is available now in two different styles (wall-mount or tabletop) for 19,950 yen (about $227) for white and 23,100 yen (about $262) for red from here. - Via

Dodol – A Pictorial Timeline

2008-12-24T00:28:00.000-08:00

Spurred on my last year’s success at making the dodol, I’ve decide to make it a yearly affair for the family in preparation of the upcoming Hari Raya festivities. I had to make sure I planned it weeks in advance to make sure that I had my complement of helpers from my family members as it would be crazy to try to attempt to make it alone. After much cajoling and less than veiled threats on their physical wellbeing for some, I managed to get all to come back to my parents house last weekend to make our yearly dodol. There was some low grumbling but as the eldest brother I get to throw my weight around at least once a year on this.

This year, we decided to switch things around and make the dodol from black glutinous rice flour (pulut hitam) instead of the normal glutinous rice flour that people normally use. I was told that the taste of the dodol made from the pulut hitam is quite different from the normal dodol so I wanted to see if I would prefer it more than the normal type. Since you can’t really get black glutinous rice flour from your neighborhood shop, I had to ask my mum to get it from one of the Indian spice shops in Chow Kit market. The shop would grind up the pulut hitam into flour that they would sell in bags of 1 kg. I wished that I got a chance to go to the shop as it’s not very often you get to see people grind their own flour, even if they do use a machine to do it.

Once we got the flour, next major items to get would be the sugars and coconut. Since I will be using 2 kgs of flour, I had to get an equal amount in weight of palm sugar (gula melaka) and equal amount in weight of brown sugar (gula merah). For the coconuts, the ratio is coconut milk for 10 mid sized coconuts for every kg of flour used. Since we will be using 2 kgs, I had to get 20 coconut’s worth of finely shredded coconuts. Since the coconut milk to be used in making the dodol has to be freshly squeezed, I had to take it back to be squeezed by hand instead of getting the shop to squeeze which they could for a nominal fee if requested.

Once all ingredients were assembled, it was time to put everything together. I took pictures of the process this year to share on the blog for people who have never seen how it’s made. Had to be a wee bit creative in explaining why I’m taking pictures while making it since I didn’t tell them that I have a blog out here. While there will be pictures this time instead of just the recipe, they are no way as good or as artistic as on the other blogs (*waves hi*) so please don’t compare what you see here with them. I count myself lucky if I could keep the pics in focus even when using an auto-focusing camera.

First step is

Chopping up the gula melaka and mixing it with gula merah with just enough water to mix them together. Drop in a knotted bunch of pandan leaves for aroma and boil on a low flame until all the sugar has melted. Make sure that the mixture is stirred to avoid burning the sugar.

After all has melted and left to cool.

Result of the 1st squeezing of 20 coconut for thick coconut milk. It took me nearly 1 ½ hours to go through it for the first squeezing.

OK .. I cheated and used the blender to make it easier to extract the coconut milk from the shredded coconut. It was still murder on my hand since I’m not used to the type of work required. Good thing that I only have to do it twice a year.

The first thick coconut milk batch goes into the kawah with a knotted pandan leave bunch and a handful of salt to be heated under a medium flame.

After about 2 hours, the coconut milk would start releasing coconut oil which signaled the start of the next stage.

The cooled sugar syrup is then strained through a fine sieve to remove any particles before added to the bubbling coconut milk mix. The resulting mixture is stirred using wooden cooking paddles to reincorporate the coconut milk and old with the sugar syrup. The whole thing it left on the fire until it starts to boil.

In the meantime, the coconut is squeezed for the second time to get a thinner coconut milk to be mixed in with the flour. I prefer to do the mixing by hand as you get to feel if there’s any flour bits that were not mixed together properly. The flour mixed is then strained through a fine sieve to ensure that there were no lumps. I also added a bit of rice flour into the mix so the end result would be easier to cut into pieces and not be as chewy when people bit into it.

Once the mixture in the kawah has started to bubble again, the flour mix is added to the kawah. At this point the whole mixture starts to thicken and the heat begins to cook the flour. This is when the back breaking effort of making dodol starts. You can’t stop stirring the dodol from this point onwards or you’ll end up with a dodol that has burnt bits in it which would be hard to bite into.

1 hour into the process – the dodol was still easy to stir and did not look slick to the eyes.

2 hours into the process – it starts getting harder to stir the dodol. You really had to start putting your backs into the process.

3 hours into the process – the stirred mixture darkens considerably. It got easier to scrape off the side of the kawah to be folded into main mix.

4 hours into the process – the total volume of the dodol seems to have reduced to half of what it was but weighs about 5 times from where it started.

5 hours into the process – the dodol looks shinier as coconut oil is released from the heated mixture. The more oil is released in the cooking process, the longer the dodol will last in storage.

6 hours into the process – a reasonable pool of pure coconut oil coming out from the dodol mixture that signaled that the dodol was ready to be taken off the fire. It took 6 of us working in 20 – 30 minute turns stirring the dodol mixture non-stop for 6 hours to finally get the end result. Fortunately we didn’t use a traditional wooden fire to cook it on or else would need to add at least another 4 hours for the cooking time.

The amount of pure coconut oil collected after the process which would be used for cooking.

The dodol was then taken out of the kawah and put into a metal tray to cool down before it can be cut into bite sizes. It would continue to darken as it cooled down and more oil will be released during the process.

Completed dodol. Ready to be cut up into bite sizes and enjoyed as a traditional Hari Raya sweet treat.

Making the dodol was hard work but the end result is quite worth the effort. Not many people can say that they still make dodol the old fashion way. We also got to spend time together as a family to make it since it has to be a group affair instead of an individual effort. They may grumble at the beginning but every bite would be a reminder of how we came together as a family to make it. To say that I am proud of the end result it a bit of an understatement since to me the dodol itself was not just a sweet treat but also represented a link to our family past as well as a reaffirmation of our family bonds.

When I tell people that my dodol was made with love, I know I can really honestly tell them it was.

Etak

2008-12-23T23:05:00.000-08:00

eTAK oh eTOK

Fresh etak being soaked in water

kerp (ph.d) of Let's Go Land has been persistently asking me about etak, so to answer your questions about etak, I dedicate this post to you for being interested in this bivalves and hopefully one day you will get to taste it the way the Kelantanese has been enjoying it for generations. Kerp, this blog is dedicated to you.
Raykinzoku wrote a great informative piece about etak which he called etok (the way the Kelantanese called it is somewhere in between etak and etok) in his blog: Distinctively KeLaTte : ETOK This is how Ray describe the etak.
Etok is a small, pebble-sized, freshwater corbicula clam which lives at the bottom of rivers and canals, alongside scavanging fishes and crustaceans. Mostly found in the shallows and sandy parts of the river, they are least known or simply neglected by most Malaysians.
A very apt description. I can't do any better than that.Via his blog we now know that etok is not only found in Kelantan but also in other states of Malaysia and as faraway as Japan! Only thing I would like to add is it is found only in fresh waters and it is very sensitive to the quality of the water.
When I started schooling in 1957, I went to school in Kampong Kangkong about 5 miles from my home in Kg Chekok both in the district of Pasir Mas to live with my maternal grandparents. The river was our source of life. We get our water for cooking and drinking from there carrying by the pails. My being small I have to carry a small container which is a kettle. We depend almost everything that has got to do with water on the river. Washing, bathing and as the toilet. A floating raft complete with cubcles with a gunny sack of a curtain as the door was the public toilet! Transportation back then was by river boat plying downstream to Pasir Mas and around noon upstream back home. Tarred road only became available much later.
Above all that we get some of our food like freshwater fish and prawns and etak from the river too.
Every time we go to the river for whatever activities especially bathing where we will get wet, we will use the opportunity to collect some etak. Without the pengokok, we either use our hands or feet to search for them. To use the hands was easy provided the place is muddy and there is no pebbles in that area. Most of such areas are by the river bank and much deeper than the sandy area. The way we do it is to dive in and feel for the pebble like etak among the mud and throw them on the bank or put them in the part of the cloth we wore to cover our 'aurat'. I was considered to small then and can just dip in without covering the 'aurat'. The etok from muddy areas are usually darker in colour and larger. The sandy areas where the water flows mcuh faster the etak is of much lighter color and look very clean.
For the sandy areas usually towards the middle of the river where the water level is much shallower due to flat sandbank, etak can be collected by shifting the top 2 or 3 inches of the sand on the river bed to one side using our bare feet. If the etak were there they would be exposed and become visible to the naked eye provided the water is clear which was often the case in the olden days. The water should be shallow enough to bend down like you are in the roko' position when doing the prayers. Another condition is there must not be ripples on the surface of the water which was usually caused by the wind if it was a windy day. The ripples will prevent you from seeing the etak when it was exposed. During the dry spell some parts of the riverbed will be exposed. If it was recently exposed many etak will still survive and there are tell tale signs to show where the etak are. Digging it with the finger will expose it and if it is big enough, it will be collected. If the sandy river bed is exposed to the sun for too long the etak will die off.
Using the pengokok needs some strength.The pengokok is made of metal bars of about 2 mm diameter strung together with wires to form an open cage attached to a long bamboo or wooden pole for handle like in the picture below. A bamboo pole is preferred as it is lighter.
Syed Azmi demonstrating how the pengokok is used

Details of how the pengokok is made

It is like a sieve to filter out the smaller sands and keep the etak inside. Some pebbles that are larger than the gaps between the metal sieve will also be retained. At the stage where the etok and pebbles are caught in the pengokok, an expert can segregate the etak from the pebbles using the principle of differences of specific gravity between the etok and the pebbles and the water flowing through the sieve. While the non expert will have to collect the etak by sight. In places where the sand is fine, only the etak will remain in it.
My activities of collecting etok ceased after I went to an English school in Pasir Mas. The occassional weekend trip home didn't provide enough time for such activities. Only after 1981 when I started working with Kumpulan Fima and based in Kuala Besut that I began to go to Sungai Besut to collect the etak. The locals there who were mostly descendents from Kelantan knows how to collect and consume etak. So whenever I feel like having etak, a trip to the river near Kg Amir will yield enough etak for my small family.
Later in 1996 when we moved into our own house in Kg. Kasa, Pasir Mas that we were able to enjoy etak again. Kampong Kasa is located on the bank of Sungai Kelantan and lots of etak were found. They were gathered and cooked by roasting it on a small fire after marinating it in a paste made of salt, blended with lemon grass, shallots, ginger and garlic. I suspect monosodium glutamate is lavishly added. Some may deny using it entirely to entice those non MSG consuming etok lovers. The marinating process takes at least an hour.
Before marinating the etak it must be washed clean and soaked in clean water. The soaking will make the etak purge all sand particles and mud within itself which may make it feel gritty when eating it if it is not totally purged. Soaking it over a minimum of 3 hours is necessary and overnight will be best.

Washing the etak

Roasting platform

Lighting the fire.

As Ray correctly said it, etak are mainly used as light snack but some people use it as appetizer to go with their rice ecpecially nasi kerabu. It can also be taken as lauk which I will describe later.
Roasting over a small fire on a platform raised 2.5 feet above the floor. The platform is made of long split bamboo pieces spaced close enough to each other to prevent the etak from slipping through. Over a slow fire the etok are constanly turned with a piece of plank attached to a wooden handle. The constant turning over is necessary to ensure eveness of exposure to the heat below. An hour of roasting is enough. Overheating or too long an exposure can result in the split up and the flesh to dry up and become less succulent. If there are extremely large etak in the mix, they must be seperataed and roasted first before adding the rest to it.

Turning ove the etak

Other than roasting over a fire, the etak can also be roasted in the hot sun. Some people love it that way. This way will ensure that the flesh will be succulent enough. For those who make a living out of roasting and selling etok, the sun is not a reliable source of heat and the timing isn't suitable. Grilling job must be finished by the latest at 11 am for them to start selling.
Roasted etak or etak salai as the local term for it is highly hygroscopic due to the salt coating on its shell. The best container to keep it is a badang which has more surface area or a bakul. A badang is best. Both are made of plaited bamboo slices and so has better breathing quality compared to metal containers. Thus the etok will not become wet too soon due to the hygroscopic nature of the salt coating it. If metal containers are to be used, absorbing materials are necessary to be placed on the container before putting the etak in it.

A badang

Etak in a badang

Newspapers being very good material to absorb moisture is the best material to use as wrappers. Unfortunately the ink used for printing is hazardous to health and the sellers are often reminded by health inspectors to refrain from using newspapers as wrappers. If you care for your health, better don't buy them when they are wrapped in newspapers. If you still have to use newspapers, quickly transfer them to some other containers so as not to allow the newspaper ink to stick to the shell of the etak.
Etak salai can be taken as snack or as lauk with rice be it nasi kerabu or nasi putih.

Etak salai showing the succulent flesh.

Beside roasting, etok are also consumed by making it into a dish called sayur etok where the gravy becomes opaque like, after adding pounded shallots, garlic and crushed lemon grass with salt and sugar to taste. MSG can be used instead of sugar. For etak masak lemak, santan is used instead of plain water as in the case of sayur etak. Why the word sayur etak is used by the Kelantanese really confounds me. It must be the misuse of the word like they say makan air or makan rokok. Makan angin is of course a different matter altogether.

Etak sayur

Etak masak lemak

Eating sayur etok or etok masak lemak is easy as the shell will be split open when subjected to heat but eating etok salai is a different ball game altogether. To retain the flesh succulent, the shell must not be allowed to split. If it is splitted, the flesh will dry up.
Lots of practise is required to acquire the skill to open the shell of the etak. Unlike the cockles which merely needs sufficient force to open them, the etak is too small and smooth to grip the shell the way you do to cockles. The regular eaters will just use their teeth to split them using the incisors (the front teeth) without breaking the two sides apart. The shell should open outward with the hinged part intact. The next act is to suck out the flesh from the inner side of the shell. The ingredients sticking to the external part of the shell will give flavour to the flesh. That is why splitting it with the teeth always taste better.
Those without the incisors or using dentures can still enjoy etak salai as there are other means of opening it. Ray's mother taught him how to use the knife to open the shell to save his teeth from wearing out faster. In Ray's case his mother taught him to scrape the edge of the etak to reveal the slit between the two sides. Inserting the blade of the knife and twisting the blade to either side will open the shell. In my case I will just put the knife blade across the slit and slowly turning the blade to align with the slit with a little pressure will make the blade penetrate the slit. A slight twist of the blade will open up the shell.

Using the knife to open the shell

Using half a shell

If you dont have a knife around, using one half of the shell can be a substitute for the knife.Using the sharp edge of the shell, use it the same way as a knife. With some practise, it will get just as good as a knife and less dangerous.
My two grand daughters Lis 8 years old and As 6 yrs from Puchong which I used to call Budak Puchong in my earlier blogs is back in Pasir Mas for 2 months. We have introduced them to etak salai and they are learning up on how to open up the etak with their teeth. For the moment they could open them but the shells spilt apart. Give them abit more time they will soon get the hang of it.
Lis and her sister As enjoying etak

Etak salai can be purchased in many places like the markets and roadsides. Near my home in Kampung Kasar there is a special gerai constructed by the Majlis Bandaran Pasir Mas solely to sell etak. Unfortunately not many sellers prefer the place and only one or two sellers use the place. Others prefer their own spots down the road.

Mak Su Minah selling etak

I told you when I first returned in Pasir Mas in 1996, etok was still available in the Kelantan river. A few years later they were not there anymore. What happened?
I asked Syed Azmi a regular etak gatherer whose livelihood solely depends on etak. He said etak disappeared from the Kelantan river some years back. The reasons was the proliferation of the use of chemicals to catch udang galah, the fresh water prawns. The other reason is the many sand mining operations along the river. The spawns of the etak were sucked up by the powerful water pumps used to suck up the sand being mined.
So where does the etak come from now?
He said he has to go everywhere as far as Pekan in Pahang, Terengganu and Perak to get his supplies. He will go in a mini lorry with his other brothers and brother in law. They now know where the locations are and every trip will secure about 100 kg. His own need is about 30 kg perday so he had to store them somewhere. Earlier they tried putting them in the Kelantan river and harvest them again for use on the day itself. To his consternation he found that only 50 percent survived.That was a heavy price to pay. Now he kept them under referigeration. At RM8.00 a kg, his loss was quite substantial.
A commentator at Ray's blog said etak was a nuisance at his place in Pahang. During the dry season they had this vast expanse of flat sandbar near they village which they use as a football field. They even call it the stadium. The problem is the dead etak leave behind sharp shells that often cut up the players feet as 'beach soccer' is of course played bare footed in his kampong in Pahang. He is appealing to anybody to come and harvest all the etak from his place. It will be a gold mine to people like Syed Azmi if he were to know the place.
The only solution is to educate the people there on how to consume etak. Once they have acquired the taste, they will harvest them for their own consumption. Another way is to teach them how to harvest the etak and sell them in Kelantan. It will be an economic activity and contribute to their income. Hey isn't that an easy way to make money?

Ikan Bakar (Asli) Pak Din @ Tanglin Food Court, KL

2008-12-23T19:08:00.000-08:00

I get super excited whenever I find anything new and recently I discovered the joys of ikan bakar at the Tanglin food court. I originally visited the place for the famous Nasi Lemak which was also extremely good and will be in a seperate post. A friend mentioned that the Ikan Bakar there was also nice hence we gave it a try. I'm glad we did as it turned out to be the best I have tasted so far. Yes, even better than the famous Ikan Bakar stalls in Jalan Bellamy.

Sorry for the not great looking pictures as they had added the sauce on top of the Ikan Bakar but believe me it tastes yummy. Pak Din who runs the stall with his wife is the one manning the ikan bakar at the back. The difference between his version and Jalan Bellamy's ikan bakar is his is grilled over a charcoal fire using those racks we use in barbequeing. This reduces the oil used as it drips in the fire unlike the Jalan Bellamy's ikan bakar stalls who use a hot plate to grill their fish and the oil is retained within. Moreover with Pak Din's ikan bakar, you get the aroma from the charcoal fire.

Besides all the health benefits, their sauce is the winner and like I told Pak Din, it's kawwww! (The Malay terminology for thick and yummy) It's thicker than the normal sauce and you definitely can taste the asam jawa (tamarind in English) in it. Filled with lots of chopped onions and chilli padi, it was delicious to the last drop.

They serve lauk with the ikan bakar but I am totally happy with just plain white rice with the ikan bakar and lots of sauce. The stall also does great cucur udang from 2.30 pm onwards - I haven't tried them yet but my friend said it's nice and fresh but the prawn is quite small.

When you are there, try also stall no. 1's tea with milk served in old fashioned cups which is great. Sadly because Ramadan is just round the corner, they will be closed but they are opening a Ramadan stall in Bandar Tasik Puteri near Country Homes in Rawang as Pak Din's family has a house there.

Ikan Bakar Asli Pak Din
Stall No. 5
Tanglin Food Court
Jalan Cendarasi
Kuala Lumpur

(Ikan Bakar is available from 10.30 am and until it runs out. The fish is priced around RM3 to RM4 depending on what you order. For the map to the place, refer to the Sun's write up on Nasi Lemak Tanglin.)

*Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here is entirely based on my personal tastebuds and may vary for others. The reviewer also declares that she has not received any monetary or non-monetary compensation from the restaurant for writing this review.

Cheap Airlines To Malaysia

2008-12-23T18:09:00.000-08:00

Cheap airlines to Malaysia was unheard of before the launched of no frills carrier called AirAsia Airline in January 2002. The airlines then was serviced mainly by the national carrier called Malaysia Airlines System (MAS). With the tag name of "Now Everyone Can Fly", AirAsia has managed to turn the airline industry in Asia where many who have never flown before is now able to fly due to the reduction of air ticket. The airline no frills concept has managed to cut the cost of tickets to more than 50% to some destination compared to the conventional airlines.

The no frills concept work in that meals will not be provided in the standard air fare. However, one can still purchase the meals on the airplane from the air stewardess. Ticketing is made simple where there is no seat number, the seat is on first come first concept. However, an option for seat number was introduced in the year 2007 for a fee.

In 5 years, AirAsia has become one of the most successful airline both within Malaysia and in Asia. The domestic destinations that are served include Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Terengganu, Kelantan, Johor, Labuan, Kedah, Sabah and Sarawak.

The airline recently won the "Best Low Cost Airline - Asia" during the World Airline Awards 2007 organised by Skytrax. It is a reflection of the commitment to continue giving you value for money by the staff and management of this airline.

International flights include Thailand, Indonesia, Phillipines, Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, Vietnam, Macau as well as mainland China.

Check out the many offers that this airline offer throughout the year. The faster you book your flight, the cheaper the price of the ticket. Weekends and public holidays fares are generally higher than weekdays fares. You can book online by going the AirAsia website. There are counters that sell the tickets as well. One of them is located at Kuala Lumpur Central, the new transportation hub of Kuala Lumpur.

However, take note that the advertised price which can be as low as RM9.90 does not include airport tax, fees and fuel surcharge. You will be able to know the actual fare that you have to pay after keying in your departure and destination city. Usually, these extras can be a few times higher than the advertised price but in general it is still lower than other major airlines.

The other cheap airlines to Malaysia is the Jetstar low fares airlines.

Jetstar Airlines

If you are traveling from Kuala Lumpur to the three major cities of Australia, Jetstar is a low fares airlines that you can consider taking. The three destinations with cheap airlines to Malaysia are Sydney, Melbourne-Tullamarine and Brisbane. This airline is Australia's and Singapore's

new low fares airline for Australia and the Asia-Pacific. The direct flights between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney three times a week will commence on Sept 9, 2007. Flight days are on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

The introductory one way cheap airlines to malaysia KL-Sydney starts from RM850. Surcharges, fees and taxes will cost another RM409.50. As this is a low fares airline, this price exclude meals, refreshments and entertainment which can be purchased separately.

Jetstar's Asian operation is owned by Quantas, Temasek Holdings and two local businessmen with the hub based in Singapore. This budget airlines has become one of the popular low fares air lines with destinations which include the United States, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Phillipines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

You can book online at Jetstar website or call Tel: 1-800-813-090 for more information.

Malaysia Airlines

Competition from low fares AirAsia has caused Malaysia Airlines to offer competitive price for their air tickets. As one of the pioneer airlines in Malaysia, Malaysia Airlines was established in the year 1947 and the national carrier has been recognized as one of the leading carrier in Asia, flying across 6 continents of the world to more than 100 destinations everyday.

The airline was not doing well in the past few years and was re-energised with the appointment of the new management team. MAS has now turn-around and has started making profit. It has won many awards which include the "World's Best Cabin Crew" by Skytrax UK consecutively from the year 2001 to 2004 and No.1 for "Economy Class Onboard Excellence" by Skytrax UK in the year 2006.

The latest award won was the "World's Best Cabin Staff" at the World Airlines Award 2007 organised by Skytrax. This survey is regarded as the main benchmarking tool for passenger satisfaction levels of airlines around the world. There were more than 3 million respondents from 90 nationalities that took part in this survey. If you have yet to try this carrier, give it a try and you will be able to see for yourself the service level provided by the staff of MAS.

Check out the bargains at Malaysia Airlines website.

Other Airlines

Check out the Firefly Airline deals and information with domestic and Thailand travel destinations. Price ranges from RM0.99 to RM39.99 excluding taxes and surcharge.

Malaysia Public Holidays 2009 Calendar

2008-12-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

Malaysia School Holidays 2009

Dec 14, 2008 in Malaysia Info

Malaysia School Holidays 2009 :-

Malaysia School Holidays 2009 - First Term Break

14 - 22 March 2009 ( 1 Week )
13 - 21 March 2009 ( Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu Only )

Malaysia School Holidays 2009 - Second Term Break

30 May 2009 to 14 June 2009 ( 2 Weeks )
29 May 2009 to 13 June 2009 ( Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu Only )

Malaysia School Holidays 2009 - Third Term Break

22 - 30 August 2009 ( 1 Week )
21 - 29 August 2009 ( Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu Only )

Malaysia School Holidays 2009 - Final Term Break

21 November 2009 to 3 January 2010
20 November 2009 to 2 January 2010 ( Kedah, Kelantan & Terengganu Only )

Malaysia State Public Holidays 2009

Dec 14, 2008 in Malaysia Info

Malaysia State Public Holidays 2009 :-

1 January 2009 (except Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan & Terengganu) - New Year’s Day

18 January 2009 (Kedah only ) - Birthday of Sultan Kedah

1 February 2009 (Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur, Labuan & Putrajaya only) - Federal Territory Day

8 February 2009 (Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur, Johor, N.Sembilan, Perak, Penang & Selangor only) - Thaipusam Festival

4 March 2009 ( Terengganu only ) - Anniversary of Installation of Sultan Terengganu

30 & 31 March 2009 (Kelantan only) - Birthday of Sultan Kelantan

8 April 2009 (Johor only) - Birthday of Sultan Johor

10 April 2009 (Sabah & Sarawak only) - Good Friday

15 April 2009 (Melaka only) Declaration of Melaka as a Historical City

19 April 2009 (Perak only) - Birthday of Sultan Perak

7 May 2009 (Pahang only) - Hol Day of Pahang

17 May 2009 (Perlis only) - Birthday of Raja Perlis

30 & 31 May 2009 (Federal Territory Labuan & Sabah only) - Harvest Festival

1 & 2 June 2009 (Sarawak only) - Dayak Festival

29 June 2009 (Johor only) - Hol Day of Almarhum Sultan Johor

11 July 2009 (Penang only ) - Birthday of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Pulau Pinang

19 July 2009 (Negeri Sembilan only ) - Birthday of Yang di-Pertuan Negeri Sembilan

20 July 2009 (Terengganu only ) - Birthday of Sultan Terengganu

20 July 2009 (Kedah, N.Sembilan & Perlis only ) - Israk and Mikraj

22 August 2009 (Johor, Kedah & Melaka only) - Awal Ramadan*

7 September 2009 (Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Selangor & Terengganu only) - Nuzul Al-Quran

12 September 2009 (Sarawak only) - Birthday of T.Y.T Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sarawak

16 September 2009 (Sabah only) - Malaysia Day & Birthday of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sabah

10 October 2009 (Melaka only) - Birthday of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Melaka

24 October 2009 (Pahang only) - Birthday of Sultan Pahang

11 December 2009 (Selangor only) - Birthday of Sultan Selangor

* Subject To Change

The above dates are the announced Malaysia State Public Holidays for 2009.

Malaysia Public Holidays 2009

Dec 14, 2008 in Malaysia Info

Malaysia Public Holidays 2009 :-

26 & 27 January 2009 - Chinese New Year (Kelantan and Terengganu One Day Only)

9 March 2009 - Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday

1 May 2009 - Labour Day

9 May 2009 - Wesak Day

6 June 2009 - Birthday of SPB Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King’s Birthday)

31 August 2009 - National/Merdeka Day

20 & 21 September 2009 - Hari Raya Puasa *

17 October 2009 - Deepavali*

27 November 2009 - Hari Raya Haji* (Kelantan and Terengganu Holiday for 2 days)

18 December 2009 - Awal Muharram (Maal Hijrah)

25 December 2009 - Christmas

* Subject To Change

The above dates are the announced Malaysia public holidays for 2009.

Malaysia Travel Info

2008-12-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Get to know the general Malaysia travel info and it will greatly enhance your stay in this beautiful country.

COUNTRY

The Federation of Malaysia comprises Peninsular Malaysia which is made up of 13 states, the states of Sabah and Sarawak in the island of Borneo, 3 Federal Territories in Peninsular Malaysia and 1 Federal Territory in Labuan, Sabah. The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur and the government administrative centre is in Putrajaya.

Flag of Malaysia

LANGUAGES and RELIGION

Malay language is the official language of the country and English is the second language. Most Malaysians are able to converse freely in both languages. The various ethnic groups also speak dialects and languages such as Mandarin, Tamil, Hokkien, Cantonese, Hakka, Teo Chew and Hindi.

Islam is the official religion of the country but other religions are practised freely as provided by the constitution of Malaysia.

CLIMATE

Malaysia has a tropical climate with temperatures ranging from 21 °C to 32 °C. The highlands of Malaysia have cooler climate due to their higher altitude and temperatures can range from 16 °C to 24 °C.

CURRENCY

The currency of Malaysia is RINGGIT and its conversion rate is approximately RM3.2 for USD 1 based on January 2008 rate. The denominations of RINGGIT are RM100, RM50, RM10, RM5, RM2 and RM1. Coins are also widely used and the denominations are 50 sen, 20 sen, 10 sen, 5 sen and 1 sen.

24 Hour Emergency Hotline

The number to call in the event of emergency is now 999 be it to report a crime, fire or accident. Previous emergency lines of 994, 991 and 112 will no longer be used. This common line is to improve the response time of the police, hospitals, Fire and Rescue Department and Civil Defence Department. These call centres are supposed to answer all calls within 10 seconds.

Other related information on Malaysia travel info can be obtained from the links below.

Malaysia Visa Requirements
See the listing of nationality of countries that need to apply for visa in order to enter Malaysia.

2007 Holidays of Malaysia
Provides the National, States, Federal Territories and school holidays of Malaysia for the year 2007.

2008 Holidays of Malaysia
See the holiday dates of the National, States, Federal Territories and school holidays of Malaysia for the year 2008. A good Malaysia Travel Info while travelling in Malaysia.

2009 Holidays of Malaysia
See the preliminary holiday dates of the National, States and Federal Territories of Malaysia for the year 2009.

Malaysia Chinese Calendar 2008
Know the Chinese festivals and day of the month by looking at the Chinese calendar.

Malaysia Distance Chart
See the approximate distance in km between major towns in Malaysia to help you calculate an estimated traveling time.

Malaysia Tourism Centre Kuala Lumpur
A one stop centre for tourists. Brochures, internet facilities, currency exchange, souvenir shops and booking of domestic tour packages can be done here.

How is the weather of Malaysia Like?
Find out the overall weather of Malaysia, today's weather and the weather forecast when you plan your travel itinerary in Malaysia.

Malaysia Hospitals
Find out the listing of major private and government hospitals in the Klang Valley.

Converse In Malay Language
Learn 25 simple conversational Bahasa Melayu while you are in Malaysia. It is easy to learn and you will be able to use it in no time.

Visit Malaysia 2008 Events
Look through the many interesting monthly events that will take place in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2008.

Visit Malaysia 2007 Events
Here is the archive of the monthly events that took place in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2007.

Banks and Offices Working Hours
The working hours the government offices and banks for the whole of Malaysia is provided here.

Pulau Redang, The Island of Paradise

2008-12-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

"The Plane, the plane, the plane" would be the words of announcement by Tattoo played by Hervé Jean-Pierre Villechaize when accompanying his boss Mr. Roarke played by Ricardo Montalban in the television series Fantasy Island (1978-1984) to greet their guests who would be arriving by plane to Fantasy Island. In this case there won't be any Mr.Roarke or Tattoo to greet you and the guests don't come by an aquaplane but by a DeHeaviland Dash 7 turboprop instead.
We didn't come to Redang by plane but we drove to Kuala Terengganu on the 17th of August 2008 evening to reach the town at 10.30 PM. We had booked at Kak Chik's (Wani) lodging earlier but had to find alternative accommodation as Kak Chik had confused herself on the date of our arrival. Thanks to that confusion, we managed to have a big enough accommodation at Aimi Homestay belonging to Haji Ayim Che Endut. Our group of 14 adults and 6 kids ranging in age from 5 months to 9 years had comfortable accommodation there even though not all the rooms were provided with air conditioning. The night temperature was cool enough to sleep without it. We couldn't find any vacant hotel room in Kuala Terengganu due to the school holiday season.
Ample parking for three cars and Haji Ayim allowed us to park two of our cars in his house compound for free while we were on the island. (Parking at the Shahbandar's jetty would cost us RM10.00 per day per car and exposed to the salt laden sea breeze).

The toilet was clean which went well with us. Above all the Pasar Chabang Tiga was close by for us to buy breakfast for the next day. The food there were cheap. Inflation is an unknown term in Kuala Terengganu as far as food was concerned. Location wise, the place was perfect as we were not that far away from the Losong Mosque and The Crystal Mosque which could be visible from the jetty at the end of the road.

When we arrived that night, they were testing the lighting in preparation for the Quran Recital Competition. Unfortunately when we reached the Taman Tamaddun at 11.00 PM they had just switched off the light.
That's the number to contact if you need no frill accommodation in Kuala Terengganu.
The package to Pulau Redang was arranged by my daughter in law Yani via Azhar of Wisana Beach Chalet. She had been vacationing at this budget resort since her younger days with her friends and now she has managed to get the husband and family hooked to the picturesque island of Redang with the beautiful underwater life.
Here we are waiting for boarding of the ferry to Pulau Redang at the Shahbandar Jetty. For the uninitiated, the jetty is located along the waterfront near not far from the Express Bus Stand and the Pasar Payang on the other side.
The first stop of the ferry was mid sea in front of this post resort on Long Beach. As the ferry had a deep draft, a shallow draft boat came to fetch the guests to transfer them to the beach.

Our turn to board the transfer boat

Wisana Resort ain't really visible from the sea.

Walking off the transfer boat to shore was easy as the gangway touched dry shore.

The restaurant was the reception area. The resort is really laid back and peaceful.

The restaurant is name the Tupai Restaurant. This rodent known as squirrel in English and tupai in Malay gave the restaurant it's name.
0This was one of the four chalets with a double bed and a single bed and an attached bathroom. The electricity supply was only 12 hrs a day at night so don't expect any air conditioning in the daytime. Anyway you are not supposed to be in your room during the day with this kind of beach at your door step. Since the resort faces east, the beach was shaded in the afternoon.
The beach can be considered as a private beach since it is the only resort there.
While the parents went snorkeling on Pulau Lima, the grandchildren were left for us to mind and they didn't take long to start enjoying themselves on the beach with such fine white sand.
Lis and Az had themselves buried while cousin Irsyad just looked on.

Building sand castles is fun.

After dinner we were taken on an optional boat ride to Long Beach where most of the posh resorts were located. I didn't bring my camera along so I didn't manage to record any night scene from the place. Suffice to say Long Beach looked something out of the world from being an island in Terengganu. Just imagine yourself in Phuket or Koh Samui. Lots of bars with three discos to boogie the night away. One of the bars had a Filipino trio performing. Ahh this is life.
At 11.00 PM we went back to the jetty where our boat was moored. After waiting for half an hour, the reserve boatman started the boat and we left home minus the boat man. However he managed to find his way home the next morning and was ready to take us snorkeling by 10.30 AM the next day despite him having to sleep the night at the jetty.
Food was to our taste at the resort. Our first breakfast at the resort was nasi lemak.

Most of us were happy with it. Anyway there is always a supply of bread and butter for those who are not happy with the food being served for the day. Ingredients for making your drink was always available so you can just fix your own drink to suit to your taste. Cold orange drink is always available throughout the day.
Water supply to the resort is from a spring in the hill behind the resort. Thus the water is free from any salinity or added chemicals. The water is gravity fed so it is free to the resort. This is a priceless asset and should be a selling point for the resort.
With a full stomach we headed for dive center to collect our snorkeling gears. Even the young ones were eager to have a go.
In our case the snorkeling was already within the package otherwise the following rate will apply.
This diving outfit known as Belukur Dive stock some good equipments like Prestige, Sea Pro and Tusa.

The boat which will be taking us will be a traditional wooden fishing boat. It maybe old but it served the purpose. After all most of the dive and snorkeling sites are just a short distance away.

The dive and snorkeling sites around the main island of Redang.
The one they are taking us to today is the Redang Marine Park a short boat ride away from the resort.
Of course this is not the boat pilot, just someone pretending to be one.
This is Bahari the guide. Remember we left him on Long Beach last night and yet he came back to take us for snorkeling around Redang Marina Park.

Upon arrival, the guide gave us some instructions about the dos and the don'ts while snorkeling before letting us jump into the sea.

Even the jetty was crowded with people snorkeling blow it and those from the top watches the colourful fishes feeding on the bread crumbs thrown at them. Hey they feed them with only high quality Gardenia Bread! If only we had an underwater camera or a casing for underwater photography. Only later we learnt from the guide that such underwater cameras can be rented from the nearby resort at about RM100 per day. The next time I go there, I will sure rent one. The cost can be splitted among all the members.
I took time to explore the rest of the island.
There is some development going on the island. New pavers were being laid and a few other facilities too. As a reminder, entrance to the marine park costs RM5.00 per head. Don't forget to bring the ticket when going to the park.
By 1.30 PM most of us were feeling hungry and wanted to go back to the resort for lunch.
When the temperature had cooled substantially, we played a game of beach volleyball.

The final night we were there, we served with fried rice, fried mee hoon with grilled fish and squid. Water melon was served for dessert. Since there were two groups at the resort that night and the other group came early for dinner, the delicious grilled squids were finished before some of the late comers from our group could reach the restaurant. The fried rice were finished early too. The moral of the story, never be late when you are served with buffet dinner when there is no guarrantee that more will be replenished later.

Ketupat Daun Palas

2008-12-22T23:12:00.000-08:00

This is my post for the coming Idul Fitri. This post will also serve to satisfy the craving for ketupat daun palas (palm leaves rice cake) by my brother Pakpayne who is so lucky (or unlucky) to be working in faraway land where the sands of the desert is more abundant than the green grasses and leaves back home in Malaysia. He had been salivating since I mentioned to him that I will be making ketupat daun palas(lets just call it ketupat) this coming Raya. Making not buying as I usually did. He wanted it so much saying that ketupat is his favourite and ordered some to be sent to him before Raya.
It's a no mean feat as this is the first time in my life I am doing this one delicacy that the rural Kelantanese must have on their table when it is time to celebrate Hari Raya. I was thinking of making the specialty from 2 kg gluttinous rice and my elder sister told me I could make 40 pieces of KDP and she wants half of it because she couldn't place any order for it and she doesn't know how to do herself. I doubt that I can make more than 40 as I am doing it for the first time after seeing and helping my late mum did it some 40 years ago.
When I mentioned to Pakpayne the cost of the delivery maybe prohibitive, we agreed on the ultimate solution of sending the daun palas instead via his friend Nik who is back for Raya. Pakpayne and his adorable wife Lil will attempt to do it on their own based on my description of how it is done in this blog.
Actually I have tried doing it with my wife Fatthiyah some 2 weeks ago. She herself had never done it at all as her family had been ordering it from their neighbour who made ketupat for a living. So it was really me recalling from memory, giving her instructions and ensuring her to do it the way I saw my late mum did it. The purpose then was to take some photographs to illustrate my article for a soon to be published magazine.
Fortunately the ketupat came out alright and we actually enjoyed eating it compared to those that I bought from the makcik at the last Friday sermons in Kota Bharu. Now I am resolved to make ketupat as my special dish for the coming Raya. My daughter who is coming back from Labuan is excited too because of the chance for her to learn handsdown on how this ketupat is made as her mum has never made it herself in the 25 years after she was born.
Pokok palas (licuala triphylla) grows in the wild in Kelantan. I saw them at Taman Negara Kuala Koh.I saw them near my mother inlaws home in Pasir Mas too.

To those who don't use the leaves for making ketupat, the plant is a weed. It is only for such occassions as Raya that the demand for the leaves increases. Then you will see people selling them in the market. The unopened shoot in the shape of a sword is the part required. Once it is opened the leaves become useless.
When the Hari Raya draws near, daun palas can be bought in bundles with the smallest bundle being sold at RM2.00 containing about 5 stalks which can yield about 30 casings.People selling daun palas at the Pasir Mas market.

I bought a small bundle and took it home to begin the first step in the making of ketupat. The first step is opening the leaves to make the casings. A casing is the leaf being folded into a triangular shell before it is filled with the steamed glutinous rice.

A few fronds of the palas shoot.

The end a single leaf is trimmed at the tip with a sharp knife so that the end will be straight and not serrated. One hand is used to hold the tip of the leaf while the thumb of the other hand is used to flatten the many ribs on the leaf. The process is repeated until the whole leaf is comparatively flat. It is quite a task as the leaf tend to close up again just like a concertina. When it is able to hold the flat shape, the first fold can be made.

Followed by more foldings. Care must be taken not to flatten the casing as the folding may result in ugly creases.
When the end of the leaf is near, the last fold will be a loop that will secure the leaf from opening up.

Making the last loop (above) is important before tightening up (below)

The picture below shows the correctly made casing (left) and the wrong last loop (right) which we call 'caping'.

It is ok if you dont get it right as it will hold just as well only that it is not right by the traditional way. Anyway this can be corrected later at the time of filling up.
The next process is preparing the glutinous rice to fill u the casing. This is usually done on the last day of the fasting month and this special day is called 'Hari Membuat Ketupat' (ketupat making day). In the days of old when the day of Raya was determined solely on the sighting of the moon determining the Ketupat Making day was a problem and thus the ketupat making is delayed till last so that should the moon be not sighted and Raya is delayed, the ketupat will be fresh and not hard.
'Beras Pulut' (glutinous rice) now costs at least RM3.00 a kg. My late mum would be shocked to hear of such a price. Anyway we are making our ketupat from 2 kgs of rice. The rice will be washed and soaked in water for an hour to soften it. This will hasten the steaming process.Then line up the steamer's bottom with sheets of banana leaves after making slits along the grain to allow steam to penetrate through. These banana leaves are necessary to keep the rice form falling through the many holes at the bottom of the steamer tray. If you in Dubai I guess you wont be able to find any banana leaves so you can use any other material like a muslin cloth or or new unused baby cloth napkin. Banana leaf is best because the cooked rice will not stick to the leaves.
At the same time santan (coconut milk) from 3 coconuts is put to the boil with a pinch of salt added. Add sugar to taste. If you like it sweet add more of course. Let it boil for ten minutes.
After an hour of steaming the glutinous should be done. Transfer the whole lot of cooked rice to a large container such as a basin or a large periok. Add the santan little by little while turning over the rice with a large spatula. When the rice is cool enough, use a plastic bag to cover your hand to turn over the rice so that it will be thoroughly mixed with the sweetened santan. This process is called 'mengarong'. Care must be taken to avoid any use of the bare hands as any contamination will shorten the shelf life of the ketupat.

When you are satisfied that the rice is thoroughly mixed, it is time to fill in the rice into the ketupat casing. By this time the rice should be cool enough to handle with the bare hands. If you have surgical glove it is best to use it. The fingers must be used to push the rice into the corners of the ketupat casing as tight as possible. After filling half way, put in some sambal daging or serunding daging as the non Kelantanese or meat floss if you cant pronounce the earlier two names. Fill up with the steamed rice till the casing is filled up to the brim while pressing the rice to compact it. When that is done continue wrapping the leaves until the ketupat attains a solid triangular shape.

Ensure proper compaction by pulling tight the leaf casing at every turn of the wrapping. Make sure that no rice oozes out from the corners called 'bucu' by the Kelantanese. To avoid the goey glutinous rice from sticking to your hand, apply some lime (kapur makan) to the fingers of your hands.

As in the making of the casing, the last loop must be correct and not 'caping' and pull it as tight as possible. Ensure that the casing won't open up by tying up the end of the leaf as per the illustration below.

The ketupat is now ready for the last process of boiling. The boiling can be done in any containers with a lid. The boiling will take an hour and should kill most of the contamination at the time of filling up.
Putting the water to the boil.

Immersing all the ketupat in one go.

Putting the lid will ensure the heat to remain within the pot

Remove all the water and after cooling down, cut the long stalk to make them look nice.

Ketupat ready to be served to your guests.

Ketupat lemak is not sweet as there is no sugar added. It is served with 'manisan cair' which is coconut sugar before it solidifies into gula melaka.
Do you know how to open the casing? Get some ketupats and start finding out how. If you try to open the knots, you may not be able to consume much because others will have eaten the rest by the time you finish opening up the knot. There is an easier way to do it. It is for you to find out.

Hopefully the above description is good enough to help you try it out. Should you fail to make it yourself, a visit to most pasars in Kelantan will ensure you will get your supply.

To all visitors to LAISI I would like to wish you Selamat Hari Raya. Should I have teased any of you in such a way as to hurt your feelings in whatever way, I beg for your forgiveness and likewise I will forgive you for any chiding which I believe to be all just for fun and never meant to hurt anybodys feelings.

Gulai Ikan Patin - Head

2008-12-22T23:05:00.000-08:00

Gulai Ikan Patin - Head

Ikan Patin Gulai Tempoyak Slice

But, like all Malay dishes, this dish is not taken on its own but is eaten with rice. And the Malays normally eat rice with at least three different dishes, comprising of fish, meat (like chicken, beef, lamb, mutton) and vegetables.

If you come to Temerloh -- the home of the Patin -- then this Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak dish can be found in most of the restaurants and food-courts in the town.

The ikan patin masak tempoyak dish is not that complicated to cook, except that the durian paste or tempoyak must be available as it gives the special flavour and hence the name of the dish.

The durian is a seasonal fruit in pahang, but the tempoyak (durian paste) can last for many months. Many rural Malay households keep the tempoyak in big bottles for use during cooking, and they are normally sold and found at shops and Sunday markets in smaller amounts.

Well, to all the chefs and cooking buffs out there, here’s the typical recipe for the Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak (for one fish weighing about two kilograms): -

INGREDIENTS

Patin fish (cleaned and cut into three or four pieces )
4 or 5 tablespoon of tempoyak (durian paste)
5 -10 pieces (depending on how hot you want it to be) of "chili padi" (small chillies with simmering hot taste)
3 pieces of "bunga kantan"
2-3 stalks of lemon-grass
5 pieces of "daun kesum"
3-4 cm of ginger
2 – 2 ½ cups of plain water
Salt, cooking oil and fine sugar

COOKING METHOD

Warm oil in the pot. Saute the chili padi and ginger and stir them for a while.

Throw in the lemon-grass, bunga kantan and daun kesum into the pot.

Then add water into the pot. Add the tempoyak and mix them all together. Stir until they all blend nicely.

Then put in the pieces of patin fish.

When the pot is boiling, put in salt and sugar according to taste.

Boil until the fish is fully cooked.

Smell the delicious aroma and hear your hunger pangs clammering!

SERVING

Serve with boiled rice, and then see the greedy ones mouthing them all before you can even start!

Do you have a favorite eating place in Pahang?

Holiday in Kuala Lumpur

2008-12-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

That's it. I'm taking a break from following up on our country's political front. It is eating me alive and doing me no good, and my mood is swinging left, right, centre because of it. It was Juergen's birthday yesterday and he had been such a sweetie. Instead of me making him feel good on his birthday, he spent his time consoling me instead and asking me to take care, try not to go down to the embassy today for fear of god-knows what's gonna happen etc. I felt so bad after that, but I guess I have to learn to let go of certain things that's beyond my control now.

Moving on, as many of you are aware off, I'll be leaving this August 6th to Germany to be with Juergen. Its a big step in my life, and I'm truly excited and looking forward to a new beginning there. But due to lengthy process period of permit application and me required to start my language course there in September, I will be entering via normal visa first. I will be there until November 4th, no longer than 3 months which is the period Malaysian's are allowed to stay in and afterwhich I will return to Malaysia with Juergen to complete the last part of my permit application. I didn't mind returning alone at all for a short trip to get it all done but him, being a real sweetie, would like to come down and meet up with my parents, friends and all before officially entering via a sponsored permit.

But this is not the reason why I'm blogging this. The reason is, I'd like to share you Starwood Privilage Membership goodies, which we will use/claim during our stay in November!

Unlike the previous year, this year's package came with a total of 28 pieces of vouchers covering accomodation, dining and side incentives from reknown KL hotels under its belt such as Westin Kuala Lumpur, Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur, The Imperial Hotel and Sheraton Subang.

For a mere RM599 (or RM548 for renewal case) per year membership, we get the following;

1 complimentary room certificate in either Le Meridien, The Imperial or Sheraton Subang.
2 pcs of accomodation certificate in Westin Kuala Lumpur @ RM250 nett each.
1 pc suite accomodation in Sheraton Subang @ RM699 plus incentive
2 pcs room upgrade voucher
1 pc Weekend Escape Package in Le Meridien KK, or Sheraton Utama, Brunei @ RM650++
1 pc Weekend Escape Package in Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur for 2 nights @ RM650++
1 pc Weekend Escape Package in Westin KL at RM800++, The Imperial at RM650++, Sheraton Subang at RM600++ or The Westin Langkawi at RM1,200 nett.
3 pcs RM50.00 Cash Certificate for Room Rebate
3 pcs RM50.00 Cash Rebate Voucher at The Imperial for Lunch at Essence, Celestial Court and Villa Danielli. Can be used with membership card.
3 pcs RM75.00 Cash Rebate Voucher at The Imperial for Dinner at Essence, Celestial Court and Villa Danielli. Can be used with membership card.
3 pcs RM50.00 Cash Rebate Voucher at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur in Latest Recipe. Can be used with membership card.
1 pc Complimentary Dining Voucher at Le Meridien (3 course set lunch at Al Nafourah for 2 person)
1 pc Complimentary Dining Voucher at Sheraton Subang (4 course set dinner at Italian Terrazo for 2 person)
1 pc Complimentary Dining Voucher at Westin Kuala Lumpur (2 course Prego Pronto Set Lunch, Hurry Slowly Set Lunch at EEST or Buffet Lunch at The Living Room, or Weekend Dim Sum Brunch at EEST or Malaysian Affair/Afternoon Affair at the Livingroom for 2 person).
1 pc Splash Kid Party Voucher at The Westin Kuala Lumpur.
1 pc Complimentary Celebration Cake
1 pc Complimentary Bottle of Selected Starwood Wine
1 pc 25% Discount Group Dining
and more ...

And that's excluding the 50% off discount when you dine with another person using the card, 33% off for 3 person dining or 25% off for 4 person dining, applicable in all their F&B outlet.

PHEWWWW ... its amazing deal isn't it? I remembered having a hard time trying to finish up my previous year's voucher, and was contemplating to renew them or not, but when Juergen mention hotel accomodation for our KL stay, I immediately thought of this membership savings.

We will be staying in Le Meridien Deluxe Room on the first 4 nights, using a combination of complimentary room stay and Weekend Escape Package. I've not stayed in Le Meridien before so I hope, the real room live up to the photo shown here.

Have our romantic meal in Al Nafourah, which is a very special place to us coz it was where we first met, our first date. This restaurant was one of the main reason why we eyed on Le Meridien at the first place *smile*

We will than move to Westin Kuala Lumpur for another 3 nights of Heavenly Bed and Heaven Shower experience by utilising their special rate vouchers and more. This was the same hotel I'd claimed using the same program for my birthday celebration this year, and I could not rave enough about this wonderful hotel. I'm pretty certain Juergen would love it too.

Feast a little in EEST with their complimentary makan voucher, or perhaps pay half price :-) whichever coz its fabulous deal anyway.

All and all, we anticipated about 30-40% savings in such luxurious, beautiful hotel which by any normal means, we would consider twice. But not with the special card, and we couldn't be happier.

Oh good, I'm feeling a lot better now after blogging about this instead of having clouds above me since yesterday *smile* Like anyone else, don't you just loveeeeeeee a good deal?!

Kuala Lumpur 2008 Trip

2008-12-22T22:27:00.000-08:00

Although I had been back for more than a week, it was only two nights ago that I managed to squeeze in some time for some photo touch up. The first week back here had been solemn as I had a gastric attack that lasted a good 14 days. The only thing comforting to me than, was to sleep like a baby, curling myself up or hybernate myself infront of the telly. Eating normal was out of the question and all I survived on during the few days of ordeal were juices, yoghurt and milk. Nothing else. But now that I am in pink of health; so to speak .... I´m ready to blog again and boyyyy ... there´s so much that I wanna share!

The Hotel

We checked into Le Meridien when Juergen arrived from Germany during my second week stay. The hotel was spanking new nonetheless, but it lacks the vibrancy of its neighbouring Hilton. BUT I am not complaning because its how we like it. Quiet and comforting. Their rooms were nothing short of expectation. My only complain was its french inspired toilet, which was a tad too small and hmmm .. the design were somehow a mismatched as compared to its modern looking rooms. We were given the best room in its category. In every floor comes 3 rooms with extended balcony overlooking the city, and we got one of them. This means that our rooms were off bigger size and we couldn´t be more thrilled. Its bed were plush, clean and comfortable.When it came to amenities, Le Meridien KL has them all. The only thing that puzzled us during our 4 nights stay were their car park system. We wanted an unlimited entry ticket but were given the runaround by the hotel frontliner staff and the respective car park system manager. It was only on day 3 that we found a special exit that was able to issue us an unlimited entry ticket. The frontliner could have saved us from all the headache!

The First Date and Engagement Story

I was very, very puzzled when my other half wanted to come along with me to KL when we did my flight booking. I could not understand why would he want to spent hundreds of Euros on his flight ticket just for a week of doing nothing much but meeting up with my friends. His word. What puzzled me more was, he had very little off days left at work place. But soon, I found out the real reason the moment we stepped into the hotel.

The bellboy had our luggage tucked neatly before gesturing us to the check in counter ... but my other half signalled them for more time. I though it was rather strange but thought nothing about it. All I remembered was him holding my hand, and we going in circles infront of the lobby.
You see, it was in Le Meridien´s hotel lobby that we first met each other about a year and a half ago. He than found the same spot we first met, and sat me down. Than what came next were unexpected (should be expected actually but I was still puzzled to why are we not checking into the hotel yet! It was already half past 9!) Hahaha ...

And so ... he popped the question and I said YES.

Everything made sensed than ... the 13,000 miles ticket to meet my friends :-) On why he wanted us to stay in Le Meridien instead of our usual Mutiara Crown Plaza. Sure.

We had a wonderful lunch in Al Nafourah, another sentimental place for us and had a great time. Nothing had changed except of its service level which we find were at right speed and were not as intruding at our first visit.

Te-a-tete Session with some aromatically brewed Hilly. Ich habe mit meine mann Hilly Kaffee getrunken. Es ist sehr lecker.

The BIG Le Meridien Breakfast

I shall let the pictures say what I wanna say about Le Meridiens breakfast.

A Celebration

We celebrated our engagement with a cake and it came with a warning :-)

What´s with the Hazardous warning! And to be consumed within 4 hours? A bit difficult lah wei ...

In the course of our stay, we met up with my friends several times. We tucked into some yummy Malaysian cuisine in Madam Kwans.

We threw a small Octoberfest Party in Lye´s place during one of the evening. Lye brought out her super LECKER cheese which she bought all the way from Amsterdam. Yup, that was when we met up with her, AP and Christine and she had saved those precious cheese for this very night.

The two of us had some kick ass dessert and juices at Delicious, BV2 ... a mere 100 metre walk from Lye´s home in Jalan Terasek. Lye not only hosted us in her place to the T, she had us a spare car to zoom around too. Occassionally too, we would drop by her pub in Bangsar for free drinks and food. Vielen Dank Lye! Everything was so well taken care off and I am such a lucky girl to have such fine friends :-)

Not forgetting, The Flogger´s Meet Up with WMW, Teckie and KampungBoyCityGal at Ang Kee Restaurant in SS2 Chowyang. Food was excellent, tasty, reasonably priced and company was comforting and familiarly Malaysian. Eat and yak like there´s no tomorrow, indeed. But I would like to take this opportunity to apologize for not meeting up with more food bloggers. I hope I can do a better job in organising a better eating session next year!

Without realising, our trip came to an end. We accomplished a lot during our weeks stay, or my three weeks stay. I get to spent quality time with the ones I love and I´m just so thankful for it. I am glad that my mum is well now with everyone else in pink of health. My sis did an excellet job arrangement for a proper care and I could not thank her enough for it. My niece ... what can I say. If only I could pack her in my suitcase ...

Overall ... my trip home had been blessed with many good memories, surprises and good news. With the exception that my mum got robbed while seated in my dad´s car and Lye´s precious handbag got picked just outside her house - and all within a week´s time. Sigh ... is it a mere coincidence or has the crime rate in KL risen so much since I was gone?

We bidded adious, goodbye, selamat tinggal, chai xian, sayonara, auf wiedersehen to everyone back home ...

And am leaving you with this picture of food served in Lufthansa coz I have something to say. There´s nothing wrong with the food served, but I just had to note this down so that someone from Lufthansa (I hope) would read this and realise that some of their CABIN CREW are downright RUDE!

I had an unpleasant experience during my flight from KUL/BKK to Frankfurt during mealtime when their chicken dish RAN OUT and there were only Beef left - and seriously, they better get their act together because it was a BKK stop and most of the passengers than were Thais and they probably are like me, don´t take beef for religious reason.

And so, I told the stewardess that I cannot eat beef when she asked me if I would like to have one. And guess her reply.

So, don´t you want your dinner?

Of course I want my dinner, but you don´t have anything else but beef and I cannot eat beef.

So, you don´t want your dinner? (raising her voice)

WTF ... is she stupid or what? And I HATE the look from her face!

But luckily, came this very nice, polite stewardess asking me what the problem was and quickly arranged for some leftover meals from business class to be substituted. And the first stewardess did not even make an effort!

And so .. this was my meal from Business Class. A vegetarian dish made of mashed potato with tomato based sauce. Looks weird but, it sure is tastier than any meat dishes I´ve tried in flights.

Pasar Malam - Kuala Lumpur

2008-12-22T22:20:00.000-08:00

Monday

Seksyen 1 Wangsa Maju
Taman Len Seng, Cheras
Jalan Air Panas, Setapak
Kampung Kerinchi, Bangsar (I)
Sentul Pasar Dalam 4B
Jalan Kangsar Off Jalan Ipoh
Desa Pandan, Kampung Pandan
Taman Miharja Fasa II
Taman Koop Polis Fasa 2
Taman Sri Sinar, Segambut
Taman Sri Murni

Tuesday

Taman Desa Bakti, Selayang
Kampung Kasippillay Off Jalan Ipoh
Rumah Pangsa Razak Mansion
Jalan Bangsawan, Bandar Tun Razak
Taman Datuk Senu, Sentul
Rumah Pangsa Gombak 1A
Taman Kok Lian, Segambut
Kampung Pasir Lama Off Jalan Klang Lama
Rumah Panjang 1A, Jinjang
Taman Pertama, Cheras
Jalan Chemur, Pekeliling
Taman Sri Petaling, Sungai Besi
Jalan Air Bah, Setapak
Taman Intan Baiduri, Kepong
Jalan 133 Kepong
Jalan 25/56, Keramat Wangsa

Wednesday

Taman Desa Petaling
Kuchai Enterprenurs Park
Jalan Kolam Air Off Jalan Ipoh
Rumah Pangsa Sri Melaka, Cheras
Jalan K, Taman Batu, Segambut
Taman Connought, Cheras
Taman Beringin, Jinjang
Kampung Malaysia Tambahan, Sungai Besi
Kuaters Hospital Kuala Lumpur
Pantai Dalam, Bangsar
Jalan Wira, Kampung Pandan
Jalan Gempita, Salak Selatan
Seksyen 10, Wangsa Maju
Rumah Pangsa Sri Pahang, Bangsar
Jalan 2A/146, Desa Tasek, Sg Besi
Jalan Batu 2, Taman Batu Muda

Thursday

Jalan Ikan Emas, Cheras
Jalan Berhala, Brickfield
Jalan Hujan Emas, OUG
Flat Sri Terengganu, Sentul
Taman Sri Rampai, Setapak
Taman Taynton, Cheras
PKNS, Jalan Kuching
Jalan Kas-Kas, Taman Cheras
Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum, Bangsar
Taman Sri Sentosa, Klang Lama
Pasar Malam Awam Bandar Tun Razak
Jalan 4/146, Bandar Tasek Selatan
Jalan A1/6, Taman Setapak Indah

Friday

Taman Melati, Gombak
Taman Desa Off Jalan Klang Lama
Taman Mastiara, Segambut
Jalan Sibu 6, Taman Wahyu
Taman Segar, Cheras
Taman Kok Doh, Segambut
Taman Sri Endah, Sungai Besi
Jalan Ang Seng, Brickfield
Bandar Baru Sentul
Kampung Cheras Baru, Cheras
Kg Kerinchi, Bangsar (J)
Jalan 20/2A, Taman Wilayah Selayang
Jalan 31/10A, Taman Perindustrian IKS

Saturday

Taman Bukit Anggerik, Cheras
Lorong Tuanku Abdul Rahman
Jalan Udang Siar, Segambut
Pekan Sungai Besi
AU2 Keramat
Jalan Rejang, Setapak Jaya
Jalan Kelab, Jinjang
Taman Sungai Besi
Taman Miharja Fasa 1
Jalan Lazat, Happy Garden
Pantai Dalam, Bangsar
Taman Midah, Cheras
Taman Sri Bintang, Kepong
Taman Koop Polis Fasa 1
Pasar Malam Awam Bandar Tun Razak

Sunday

Titikaya, Jinjang
Jalan Semarak, Setapak
Taman Maluri, Cheras
Jalan Selesa, Happy Garden
Jalan Telawi Bangsar
Taman Bukit Maluri, Kepong
Taman Tun Dr. Ismail
Jalan Mergastua, Kepong
Jalan Kelapa Gading, Segambut
Rumah Pangsa Sri Selangor, San Peng
Taman Sri Kuching, off Jalan Ipoh

See also Pasar Malam - Petaling Jaya

Guys please let me know if this list is accurate and when it needs to be updated. Post your comments.