Chatuchak Market (Sights & Things)

Chatuchak Market was the main reason we made a trip to Bangkok. Chatuchak is known as a very super big flea market (about 5,000 stalls according to Wikipedia) selling anything and everything.

To get to Chatuchak, you can either get a taxi or by train. Chatuchak market is adjacent to the Kamphaengphet station of the MRT Bangkok Metro Blue Line, or about a 5 minute walk from the Mo Chit station of the BTS Skytrain Sukhumvit Line and another MRT station of Suan Chatuchak (Chatuchak Park).



The market is so huge, you'll probably have a problem of where to start and how to get back to where you came from. Even before embarking on the trip, we've heard so much about the gigantic-ness of this flea market and some valuable advices about "don't even think of walking around to survey the price as if there's a good bargain at the first stall, you'll never be able to find the same stall back!"

In other words, See! Bargain! Buy!



Shoes and sneakers. They probably have all the fake Nike models here :p



One whole stall dedicated to white shirts, for those with white shirt fetish :p



Colorful accessories for the ladies, very cheap too!



Those colorful lights made from recycled paper!



Home deco items. If you like Buddha statues and carvings, you'll be spoilt for choice here too. Problem is, how to carry it back home??



Bags galore! A friend of ours had so much shopping bags that he got fed up and bought a backpackers bag to stuff all the shopping loot. Haha, real shopaholics I tell you.



Everything at 59 Bahts, about RM5.90? Mostly silver accessories, but nah we'll give that a pass.



Smileys in all colours and nationalities! Oooh I spot a Bob Marley color too.



And then there's this really awesome stall which sells paper flowers, in all species, shapes and sizes! They are all made of recycled paper and it's just so overwhelming. Perfect place to go if you like doing papercrafts, it's a craft haven :)


A mini chinese dulcimer


Street performers

We also managed to spot the Yang Qin (Chinese Dulcimer)! Well for those who know me, I play the Yang Qin so I was quite surprised to see it in Bangkok.

The other stalls worth mentioning would be one that sells laptop bags that comes in different fabrics, colors and graphics at 350 Bahts each. Then there's also the many stalls that sells t-shirts, jeans, hats, souvenirs, deco items, cooking utensils...

While it is exciting that Chatuchak is so big, it is quite disappointing in the sense that most stalls are repetitive, some things are not really that cheap, and it can be real stuffy and hot when you're walking in there. The good side though is you can get some really good bargains and out of the ordinary things here, so I would say it's a good experience.

Chatuchak food pictures up next!

Same Same But Different

Music of the night- taken with slow shutter speed at Suvarnabhumi Airport

I've meant to start on a proper post on Bangkok, but work has been so overwhelming I'm finding it hard to even breathe! A little exaggeration but you get what I mean ;) Today's post will be short and simple and hopefully entertains you guys for at least 2 mins. Here are some pictures I took during my Bangkok trip of some things that are common to the Thais but I find it really cute/funny/quirky/out-of-the-ordinary. I've got 3 pictures, so as HB puts it, here's a 3,000 words post :)


What comes into your mind?

While we were walking out from the hotel to the Skytrain station, I came across this sign and it instantly reminded me of our ruling government. Haha I nearly LOL-ed when I saw it! I suppose the Thais are giving us ideas on merging Barisan Nasional with PAS! The new name of the merged party shall therefore be called BAS :)

If my common sense serves me well, I think it's a sign saying "Tempat Menjaja" or translated- Hawker Place (??)

But oh well, whatever it actually means, it's still quite funny right???


Taxis... but in pink!!!

IMHO, Bangkok has the most quirky taxi colors. They come in bright fluorescent pink, red, yellow & green and baby blue. We were told that different color taxis are operated by different companies. Hmmm today good mood, oklah sit pink taxi! Today bad mood- sit red taxi!! The taxis are cheap (ranging about 35 Bahts-100 Bahts or RM 3.50-RM10), clean and most importantly cabbies there use meter unlike in M'sia!



To On the Nut or Not to On the Nut? Spotted this sign at the Skytrain station, "On Nut" is the name of a place. It's similar like our LRT heading to either Klang or Sentul. So if you wanna On the Nut, head this way!

;)

The T-Junction Question

Can you spot the pink, red, and yellow taxis?

I meant to start writing on Bangkok but I'm not done with editing the photos. So anyway, here's a 'Food For Thought' question for you guys today. It's just something that popped up in my mind when I was stuck in the horrible jam to work.

Imagine this,
You're at a T-Junction. The roads are jammed up. At one junction is a Fire Brigade truck with fully dressed firemen. At another is an Ambulance with its siren on. At the third junction is the King's official car with all His Majesty's police escorts and safety cars with their hazard lights blinking.

Question: Who do you think have the rights to be given way FIRST? The Fire Brigade, Ambulance or the King?

Remember, not giving way to anyone of them is an offence ;-)

There's no right or wrong to this question of course, just that I want to know how you guys will react if such a situation was to occur. Please state your answer and a brief explanation :) Thanks!

Icey Ice Snow Ice

Looks like my Perth post hasn't come to an end as I have missed out on an entry on this really awesome ice shaving. I also missed out on the popular Lotto (a form of gambling but in a subtle way). And the Roc Candy. And the very cute Ne-Yo (Fang's dog).

Heheh, maybe I'll put these in a filler post next time. But Icey Ice Snow Ice really do deserve a post on its own!! :D


Harbourtown Mall

Juen and Fang told me it's really good. We were at Harbourtown, a very awesome mall for shopaholics looking for a good deal as most of the shops there are always on sales (either factory outlet/ past season's fashion). I got a high waisted pants for only $9.95 and some other trinklets for as low as $2 and shawls for only $1 each (which I subsequently bought all 4 colors, heh)!



Anyway, Icey Ice specializes in flavoured shaved ice. If you are thinking of Ais Kacang or those Ice Balls with syrup, then you're wrong cos it's much awesomer than that! Oklah actually Ais Kacang is very awesome also. But this is like the Taiwanese Ais Kacang in Australia and recommended by Malaysians (they told me it's from Taiwan/ globalization yo). Juen recommended the Green Tea flavour with red bean topping.

I had expected it to be like a block of plain ice with toppings like the Ais Kacang but it turned out to be rather different! It is a block of green tea ice shaved to snow! Hence, the name :)



After that, the red bean topping was added on the ice shavings and it was good to go (into our mouths that is *wink).


Look at the snow shavings!

We had the large cup ($5.90), the regular cup is at $4.90. One spoon to the mouth and it was pure bliss, yum yumm! It's fluffy and light, and really does feel like eating snow! The red bean was sweet as well, and proves to be the perfect pair for the green tea ice. Whoever came up with the idea of pairing green tea with red bean must be a genius!

It's surprising that the ice shavings managed to stay in its original form for quite awhile. And when it did melt, it became like a sundae texture rather than like a watery Ais Kacang. Soft and creamy.......

****

On a non related note, I've just passed my 1 month mark at the new job. Tomorrow is pay day, yay! I'm now working on some tax project and work has become rather taxing (pun not intended). I had to text my friend this afternoon asking if he still has the Tax-book from college so that I can borrow to do abit of catching up in the subject. Speaking of which, have you guys done your tax submission? It's my first time doing it and I'm feeling quite blah about it, firstly because it's very ma fan to have to make a visit to the LHDN office and get the form/e-filing password. And then have to know what are things to submit to get relief/rebate. Perhaps this is the part of growing up that I really hate :(

The silver lining though would be officially having the rights to scold the government if they misuse the taxpayers' funds (which I'm sure they have been misusing for the past 51 years....). Hehe :p

All You Need to Know About AirAsia X

When I did my pre-trip research for Perth, I was trying to find out how Air Asia X would look like, the seats, the seating layout, the food offered on board etc. But to my dismay I couldn't find any, except one blog post which has no pictures to give a clearer view of the airplane. Just like every time before making a decision to try any eatery outlet, I'll do some reading on the place first on the internet. So, I expected there will be some bits of info and pictures on the internet about Air Asia X.

Sadly there was none to be found.



Well, I'm here to save the day! I'm going to do a post on Air Asia X to benefit those who are traveling by AAX for the first time and want to know if you're going to survive the long hours/long haul flight.

The Airbus plane's seating layout is 2-4-2, meaning 2 by the left window, 4 in the middle and another 2 by the right window. The older planes has a 2-3-2 layout. The walkway is extremely narrow, if you've taken the usual AK flights (domestic and overseas flight that is no more than 4 hours, ie. Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Bali etc), it's something similar even though the seats are 3-3.

Please let me quote from Walter who left a comment to correct me on my facts,
"AirAsiaX has 3 A330s, 2 is owned. 1 is leased. The two owned A330s have what we call the "sardine config". 2-4-2 leather seating, with seatback tv. The leased one has the 2-3-2 cushion seating (was an ex AirCanada plane), without personal tvs. But i heard the leased aircraft is fitted with sardine config now.

AirAsiaX does not operate any boeings at all. The flight used for KUL-PER is the Airbus A330."



Depending on aeroplanes, the seats do differ. For instance, when I was flying to Perth, I overheard from the speakers that we had the opportunity to fly the new Airbus, so the seats were lined with fabric rather than these so-called default black leather seats. I think the fabric seats were more comfortable but 'comfortable' by definition here actually means "better than the leather seats but you'll still suffer a backache nonetheless".



The black leather seats were horrible! First, the so-called reclining function is crap. It's not even reclining to start off with, rather the push of the button merely slides the seat by an inch and that's it. I was lucky to have all 3 seats by myself when I departed Perth but like I said, these black leather seats are horrible! I had a terrible bodyache during the flight. The fabric seats were better in terms of "recline" definition.

Don't even think about the 13 hours flight to London.



For the older planes, there's a screen behind every seat but don't be too happy if you're expecting movies/games/music to entertain you while you're suffering with the seats. Air Asia being Air Asia, "sells" these entertainment to you and it costs RM30. There are quite a number of movies to watch of course, but if you're scrooge, just bring your Ipod video or DVD portable player lah. Good thing with these screens though is that they provide information such as ETA, Time to Destination, the route map, and basically info about the journey.



Don't worry about the immigration cards that you're supposed to fill before entering a foreign country as the crew does go around distributing these cards. Oh and a note for those planning to enter Australia, there's an alternative to getting your Visas. Actually you can just apply it here. It only takes a few minutes to fill in the forms and pay AUD$20 and you're good to go. Don't panic when you see others having a Visa label in their passports because applying online means it's paperless and your info are already in the online database. I got quite panic when I saw everyone having a Visa sticker in their passport, for a moment I thought I wasn't gonna make it to Perth :-S



For meals, I pre-booked online and picked the International Meal- Big Bruce BBQ Chicken. It is RM15 if you pre-book online. The meal comes with a miniature 350ml Spritzer water (the bottle is really cute!!) and a bar of Kit Kat Chunky.



To be honest, the meal exceeded my expectation. It tasted pretty good and I love the potatoes!



When I went to Bangkok, I did not pre-book any meals thinking that it's just a 2 hour flight... but I was hungry during the flight and got the Roast Beef with Mushroom Sauce. It is at RM10, would probably cost RM8 if pre-book I guess. The picture looks pretty tempting eh?



AHAH! A case of "sample not looking like the real product" huh? Somehow the beef didn't roll out like it is supposed to be in the menu........ Hmmmmm.

Overall, my experience with Air Asia X is not too good. I won't recommend to anyone if you need to take a flight more than 3 hours. If budget is your main concern, then there's no other choice, but if it isn't, MAS or other alternative airlines would be the better choice. Oh a word of advice, always be early to check-in as the queue can get pretty long for popular destinations.

Another good news would be the new LCCT airport is more spacious and cleaner now, and if you're a Malaysian passport holder (provided your passport is embedded with chip) lookout for the passport machine so you can avoid the queues at the immigration counters!

Hope this bit of info and pictures helps :)

Work/Life Balance Regime

Believe me when I tell you I don't have any exercise regime to stay fit and healthy. For the past 21 years, the only forms of exercise I had was a little netball in school and college and walking from Point A to Point B for classes, climbing some stairs, walking to my car park...... and that's about it.



Until about 2 weeks back, I realized that my tummy is beginning to show an unsightly bulge. Oh the horror!! Who can I blame since I've been eating quite generously from the pizzas I had in Perth to the street food in Bangkok and not forgetting the wholesome meals at work (2 days of chicken chops in a row!), and then just recently 3 days of buffet lunch at PJ Hilton for some workshop (I'm telling you, my company really feeds us employees well!).



I'm a stingy when it comes to spending money to keep fit. I've never thought of even joining the GYM craze for obvious reasons- 1) Membership fee every month! 2) I'm lazy 3) Repeat #1 & #2
My favourite in-denial excuse would be... I am not that fat what. But reality is, being thin doesn't mean being healthy. That's what I always tell people when they come up to me and say, "You so thin! So nice!"



Yeah, "I so thin" but it's dangerous cos I won't know if I am diabetic or high cholestrol or high blood pressure etc. It's nice to be able to eat and eat and eat but still stay slim but it's not nice when the health issues kick in. Lucky for me, I'm still slim and healthy but that doesn't equate to being fit.

p/s: I have very low stamina.



I know I'm abit late when it comes to disciplining myself to exercise weekly but hey at least I'm trying to do so and considering that this wasn't even in my new year's resolutions, I'm giving myself a big pat on the back for the initiative! Heh.



I bought a pair of Nike Free 3.0 (Women) @ RM349 meant for running. It's designed to be light weighted, as though you're wearing nothing at all. I'm liking it so far for the simple design and striking colors but most importantly the comfort. I have never owned any Nikes before, the ones I had were normally hand-me-down by my sister or what I call "sharing is caring" hehe.



My Work/Life Balance regime will consist of 20 sit-ups daily and about an hour of weekend jogging by the lovely park in my neighbourhood. I'm looking forward and determined to improve my stamina and reduce the unsightly tummy in 6 months time.



But lest you worry, food posts will not diminish!

This is a community message by Live to Eat or Eat to Live and not a Nike endorsement post. TQ.

Cocktails and Farewells

Here's a compilation of photos of cocktails I had/tried in the Perth bars. I visited Minq's @ Burswood Casino and Broken Hill Hotel's Bar. The Chocolate Cocktails are really yummy, the one at Minq's uses Godiva chocolate while the one at Broken Hill Hotel uses Toblerone. The cocktails in Perth is not too expensive, some drinks starting from $17 (±RM42). Well of course that is if you don't convert lah... I think I spent about ±$80 (±RM196) on drinks :S


Mojito @ Minq's


Chocolate Martini @ Minq's


Cosmopolitan @ Minq's
(inspired by watching too much Sex & The City, Fang thinks it tastes horrible heh)


Diamond Martini @ Broken Hill Hotel
because diamonds are a girl's best friend...


Strawberry Truffle @ Broken Hill Hotel


Chocolate Cocktail (w Toblerone) @ Broken Hill Hotel

The thing that fascinates me about cocktails are how different combination of liquors and non alcoholic liquids can produce different flavours. Also if you really do observe how bartenders work their magic, it makes the drinks more interesting. The outcome of every concoction (ie. taste, presentation, color) is an art itself. Ooooh, cocktails are also known to have funky names too.

Cheers!



Goodbye Perth........!!!

A Tour Through Perth Parks

Breathtaking view of Perth City from Kings Park

The Mat Sallehs and Ang Mohs are known to have a liking for parks, trees, sunshine, and lying on the grass contemplating about life. So when in Rome, do as the Romans do, but it was a case of doing what the Australians do when I was in Perth.


Bush Tree

Strolling the parks... Lying around... Watching sunset... Enjoying life...



Fang and family took me up Kings Park, the most popular park in Perth. I don't see why it is not popular- it's up on a hill where one can overlook the city, the river and the brewery.


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...

Doesn't this picture reminds you of Robert Frost's poem- The Road Less Travelled? I would copy and paste the whole poem here but this is not the focus of today's story :)



Kings Park is a really really nice place to just chill and relax. While us Asians would run and hide at every point the sun shines on us, you have to give it to the Whites for being able to sun bake and still chill under the heat. These kids were having such a wonderful time rolling down the hill! I was tempted to do the same too....



Due to its strategic location of being up the hill, Kings Park is a popular venue for wedding receptions and sorts. When we were there, a wedding party was taking place at the gazebo. There were also people taking graduation photos, having picnics, reading a book, or making out but in a considerable manner :p



Smack in the middle of the park is the ANZAC Memorial Tower to honour those who perished during the war. There is a significant plague bearing the phrase, "LEST WE FORGET".



And if you do, there's always the names of those who perished to remind you that the freedom and democracy the Australians have today is not the sacrifice of one man, but many many men.
/cue for sad song playing



Perhaps this is what makes Kings Park immensely popular among locals and tourists alike- the spectacular breathtaking view of Perth City. I think it will be even more beautiful at night with the lights on.





On another evening, I was brought to Mill Point to watch sunset. We went to a nearby Dome and grabbed ourselves some coffee and juices, sat by the river and watched sunset.



It was such a wonderful thing to do. Spending quality time doing quality activities (ie. doing nothing = free & carefree mind), sounds like The Ideal Job to me. Pictured in the foreground is Denise, Fang & Hua's friend who tells us the funniest stories by translating them to BM!





We watched sunset :)



Final post on Perth tomorrow!