'Tis Not The Season To Be Jolly

but we be jolly anyway.

or at least for awhile.

this is the first time in my whole and entire life that i'm not spending Christmas with my family. saddest part is, this is the first of many years to come. for the next 3 years i'll be in Manchester (hopefully. oh God please let me pass EoS please please please) experiencing what Christmas is ideally like (you know, with snow and shit...), and the years after that are a blur.

lately i've been convincing myself that Christmas really isn't a big deal and that all those pomp and circumstance are exaggerated by moneysucking card&candy&christmastree&ornament-producing factories and top hotels enticing people with extravagant buffet spreads that cost equivalent to my monthly room-rent.

although there's truth to whatever said above, i know i was also merely trying to come up with excuses to console my pathetic self. sure, Christmas is overly commercialized these days, but it still means the world to those who believe in its origin. and so Christmas IS a big deal although i try so hard to convince myself otherwise. it IS supposed to be celebrated with the people close to us.

and we are NOT supposed to be studying!!!!!

so what is this! why am i here burying my head in all these books and notes when i should be back home in Ipoh with my family? WHY? it's bad enough that i didn't get to go home for CNY this year (again, same reason - IMU's just sadistic aren't they), and now the whole world is on holiday except for my whole batch. so bloody unfair. but we all know that we've got to do what we have to do and make this little sacrifice to ensure our one way ticket to clinical school.

so stop whining, Swee Leen.

stop whining.

.

i'm thankful for church today. it was good. very packed, but that's a good thing i suppose. haha.

i'm also thankful for my other family, the family whom i had gone through the last 2 1/2 years with, whom i will unfortunately have to bid farewell to in about 2 weeks time (boohoo). we had one last blast together (missing a few) in what was supposed to be a sad, miserable and cheap Christmas eve celebration (seriously, we were contemplating between McD/KFC/Ramly burgers), but it turned out to be rather splendid. :) as luck would have it i happened to stumble upon a simple little café less than 5 minutes away from Vista, and instantly decided that it would be the perfect place to spend Christmas Eve with close friends.

and the perfect place it was indeed.

decent food at reasonable prices and the whole cosy nicely-decorated upper floor to ourselves (and not to mention Michelle's new DSLR - oh DSLR i love thee), we couldn't have thought of a better way to spend our night. besides, since it's only a 5-minute drive from Vista, we didn't have to worry about traffic jams and crowds AND we managed to balance between having fun and rushing back home to satisfy our nerdy needs (i.e. study).

happy happy! :)

mi familia.

Edwina i'm going to miss you. :( nvm nvm but notts is quite near to manchester hor?


nice winddddddddddddddddddddddd


from the fan.


hahaha Kwan is a weirdo.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Mind Your English

i'm not one who uses big fancyschmancy words in my daily conversations or even in my blog, but one thing i'm exceptionally particular with is ensuring that my word-spellings are correct and that my sentences are strung well with flawless grammar - or at least i try my best to.

as i browse through our local newspapers each day, i can't help but to be irked by the numerous grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors in many of the articles. seriously, does the editor know that his/her job is to proofread all his writers' works? many people say reading the newspapers will improve your language. hah! with the standard of english rendered in our msian papers, i beg to differ, please.

today i got so appalled after spotting a few unforgivable mistakes that i just HAD to send in a complaint, in which i stated that "dessert" and "desert" are two very different things. harhar. call it an oversight, call it a typo, but i don't think the newspapers should leave any room for flaws in language especially since they have a regular section dedicated to promoting correct usage of English. don't get me wrong, some articles are written perfectly well, but there are some which obviously lack flair, and some that make you wonder if the writer actually passed his/her high school english paper.

another matter left me in dismay today, having read that words like "aisle", "bishop", "chapel", "empire", "monarch", "abbey" and "willow" have been dropped from the Oxford Junior Dictionary to make way for words/phrases like "MP3 player", "voicemail" and "attachment". wow. astounding. no wonder kids are getting more and more dimwitted these days. sooner or later the mere existence of a good storybook will be obsolete and we will see kids obese by the age of five sitting in front of their computers retrieving voicemails and listening to MP3s of shit songs. i'm not saying that it is wrong for kids to know the meanings of these words, but to remove such common words like those mentioned earlier just doesn't make any sense.

do you remember our enid blyton days? haha. i wonder how many times we came across the word "willow". pity, now kids won't even know what that is. =P

Taggetytag #2

tagged by joon. (you should feel honoured because i usually don't respond to tags. hah.)

6 things i'm passionate about:
1. music
2. food
3. animals
4. good movies
5. tv series
6. medicine (i'm not kidding)

6 books i read recently:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh god. medical textbooks! ok la...
1. joanne harris's chocolat
2. joanne harris's the lollipop shoes
3. stella gibbons's cold comfort farm
4. kenneth grahame's the wind in the willows
5. nigella express (yes, the cookbook - it is a good book btw, she writes very well)
6. bram stoker's dracula! (again! and again! did you know imu library has the book? i was so excited. the person who has been keeping my book for 5 years kindly return it to me THIS INSTANT!)

6 songs/albums:
1. silverchair silverchair silverchair (all songs, dont care)
2. coldplay's viva la vida album
3. the academy is...'s after the last midtown show
4. dishwalla's angels or devils (favourite song of all time)
5. wallflowers' one headlight (2nd favourite song of all time)
6. pete murray's so beautiful

6 things I have learnt this past year:
1. i can live without my laptop which died late last year (read: MY laptop, not a laptop)
2. i eat 2nd fastest among my friends (michelle is the fastest, hands down)
3. kwan is really really really really (x1000000) obsessed with britney spears (at first i thought he was just a fan but turns out he's insane)
4. heroes is simply awesome
5. apparently i can tolerate really maximal levels of retardation (because i love little britain and i'm friends with michelle lim)
6. i can do with < 8 hours of sleep a day

6 valuable things i own:
1. my coach bag
2. my whole closet (counted as one)
3. my violin
4. my Friends vcd/dvd collection (i lose one cd i cry)
5. my dior perfume collection
6. my kumar & clark clinical medicine - because it wasn't i who bought it! hahaha.

6 people i tag:
- whoever who bothers -

IMU: The Final Leg

today it just dawned upon me that we are technically supposed to know ~50% of what doctors should know since we are already halfway through our course, though we know that what we have studied so far is only the tip of the iceberg. we have SO MUCH MORE to learn in the future. scary. but i look forward to clinicals because that's when we actually get to make sense out of all the crazy stuff we're saturating our brains with right now.

mich was pointing out how cool it is that we now actually know all the 206 bones in the body. but then if you think about it there are 33 vertebrae; the 12 ribs x 2; the sternum; the bones of the skull, some paired; the 3 ossicles; the hyoid; and bones of the lower & upper limbs all crammed up in dr nilesh's TWO notes... so actually it's not that impressive, really.

but it's good to take pride in little things like this. at least you get through the day knowing your memory isn't quite failing you... yet. haha.

you know what, i'm beginning to love my current daily grind of being a nerd. am i crazy to say that i actually ENJOY preparing for EoS 5? i don't know, maybe it's cos my routine is about the same each day that everything i do is somewhat automatic (no need to plan or think about what to do), or maybe it's because we are less than 5 weeks away from bidding farewell to each other that i'm appreciating the times with my friends, which, unfortunately, are spent in the library, nerd-ing. whatever the reason, i'm glad i *seldom* feel depressed and am not on the verge of giving up.

for those who have absolutely no idea, this has been my schedule for the past few weeks (though i wish i had started this wayyyyyyyyyyy earlier):

wake up
wash up
eat bread
drink coffee
browse through newspapers which includes scoffing at msian politics
defaecate
bathe
go to uni library
study
make fun of mich
study
use library comp
study
listen to songs
study
laugh at tr/red making fun of mich
study
daydream
study
listen to pei rave about twilight
study
(somewhere in between: attend lectures when feel like it, lunch @ horrible uni cafeteria, tea @ library cafe)
practice osce on some days
study
dinner
study
go home
surf net
watch heroes/spongebob squarepants/friends (i know, again and again)
talk to mummy
sleep

okay doesn't look that fun after all. but i feel at peace. SO BE HAPPY FOR ME!

My Early Christmas

elifeli surprised me the other day when she brought to my home a mini-christmas tree, decorated with edible candy canes and silver (and blue) bells! i won't be going back to ipoh for christmas this year simply because my freaking final exam is a week after, so she decided to lighten my spirit and brought christmas to me! a month earlier! schoo schweet.

at least my room in vista seems less depressing now. :)

all i want for christmas is hiro nakamura's space-time manipulation superpower. can you IMAGINE all the things i can do with that ability! oh, i believe i've not mentioned that Heroes is the best series i've ever watched next to Friends. and maybe Little Britain. OK NO, heroes is better than Little Britain.

i just checked my sitemeter and found out that i've had visitors from parts of the world i never knew i had friends at! who's from hamilton nz?! & mannheim, baden-wurttemberg germany?! and oxford & stockport in england?! and and ... from bucharest, romania - ZAMMA IS THAT YOU? also: butterworth, sg petani and taiping! who! i'd like to know. :)

5 weeks to EoS5. if you're stressed out and are an internet addict like me but facebook has been annoyingly dull and the people on msn are getting on your nerves and everyone else seems to be on a blogging hiatus and you have ABSOLUTELY nothing to surf online but you still HAVE to go online no matter what... go watch:

this, this, this...

...and some 238912890234 other banned commercials on youtube!

:)

alrighty then! study hard, people!

after 5 days of suffering, the puppy succumbed to the parvovirus infection. what a shame. she was due to have a good life with my family but that wasn't to be. really sad.

i think all dog owners should educate themselves about parvovirus and its seriousness. it is the most common infectious disorder of dogs and the chances of a puppy so young surviving it are really minute. if you are planning to get a puppy, i suggest you read it up so you are able to take necessary precautions and prevention methods to avoid such a devastating event from happening!

rest in peace, Cadie. go look for Coco! hehe.

i think i spoke too soon about my new poodle. she is now at the vet clinic battling parvovirus, which she probably contracted from the pet store. no treatment for this. no antivirals. only antibiotics to prevent secondary infection and an i.v. drip to rehydrate, cos most dogs infected by the virus die of dehydration. prognosis is poor for a puppy so young. she's only 6 weeks old! 50-50 chance. mum is devastated, so am i, having to hear her cry like that. the puppy brought so much joy although only for a week. please pray that it'll recover. please please please. i know that it's just a dog and i haven't even seen it but it means so much to me. coco died exactly 9 weeks ago, we just cannot handle the death of another dog in such a short period of time. i wanted so badly to go back home this weekend to see the pup, but now i don't think i am cos mum doesn't want me to. i feel so horrible. such a small innocent little thing. i just hope she will be fine.

Smile!

the nervous system ends TODAY! yay? no yay. slightly more than 6 weeks more to EoS. shit.

on a brighter note, guess who finally came to terms with the little pup?



hahaha. cute, no?
about time! and she should be happy to have a new t-shirt which was complimentary with the poodle from the pet store. haha.

this is what the t-shirt says:

poor thing. =(

happy mugging everyone.

hokkiencharhokkiencharhokkiencharrrrrrrrrrr.

The New One

it has been 2 months since Coco's passing. i still miss her and i grieve sometimes, but i'm glad mum has moved on because despite all the thoughts about not wanting to get another dog anymore... she finally bought a new poodle!! :) unfortunately i won't be back home until january so i can't see it anytime soon. urgh damn exams damn damn damn.

anyway mum sent me pictures of it from her phone. exact creamy colour as Coco when she was a puppy (they get whiter as they age) - simply adorable! i'm going to get my parents to bring her over to kl soon, i don't care.

baby Kylie! (mum's idea, not mine. she can name her britney for all i care)

(edit: apparently my mum's cousin's daughter is called Kylie so we can't call her that - honestly i don't see what's the big deal because i don't even know who that is *rolls eyes*. now the poor little thing doesn't have a name! suggestions please!)

from the pet shop -> groomer's -> HOME!

and how does Kiki the grumpy antisocial miniature pinscher feel about this???

she is NOT happy (hence the rather tulan look). but i know she'll get over it because she has been so lonely ever since losing her one and only friend.

Kylie is my mum's 6th/7th poodle, can you believe it? we're all about (toy) poodles!

why we love toy poodles:

1. they're small and easy to handle.
2. they're gentle, sociable and loyal. (but i guess most dogs are)
3. they stick to you like glue! teehee. they make you feel important!
4. they're good around children (not that it matters to me, but it saves you the trouble of having to cage them up when children who are afraid of dogs come by)
5. they're very intelligent and learn very quickly.
6. they have a relatively long life (~13-15 years - Coco died when she was 14).
7. they're not known to be plagued with many diseases (though they're prone to cataract and ear infections)
8. they're not noisy (i.e. they don't bark that much).
9. they're clean (Coco had a habit of wiping her feet on the floor mat each time she came into the house from the garden... and nobody taught her that).
10. they're damn cute la okay?

you should not keep a poodle for a pet if:

1. you're not willing to take time to groom it/spend money sending it to a groomer.
2. you're not able to spend time with it because poodles are very dependent on humans and they need attention.
3. you're planning to keep it caged up 24/7 (then again if you want to do that with other dogs i suggest that you just get a rodent).
4. you're not willing to buy good dog food for it!
5. you're going to treat it like a soft toy.
6. you want it to guard your house... because trust me, it won't do the job.
7. you're going to keep it outside - NOT because they need to be spoilt and be kept as in-house dogs... but if you're stupid enough to leave your poodle outside someone is going to steal it. =P
8. you think having a poodle is sissy.
9. you don't like small dogs.
10. YOU HATE ALL DOGS.

hehe.

i'm excited to meet my new dog! well at least i get 9 months with her next year (NINE MONTHS holyshit what am i supposed to do then).

but of course, no one can replace my dear Co.

the best doggie in the world. rest in peace. :)

Disclaimer

For the last fucking time, TR and I are not registered for marriage. Our PMS matching was purely fate. SO QUIT ASKING US LAH! Goodness. No brains or what, you? It's UNfunny and insulting. If you're itching to spread some news, go spread bible verses or something.

Ketenangan Dunia Dalam Kesengsaraan

i just came back from watching the biggest movie of the year. it's called... Ketenangan Dunia Dalam Kesengsaraan.

hold your breath!

sweeleen watching malay movie!

you wish.

Ketenangan Dunia Dalam Kesengsaraan apparently translates to Quantum of Solace.

hahaha nuts!

lousy nonsensical title translation aside, i really enjoyed the movie! i used to really dislike daniel craig but i think he is now my favourite james bond. yes yes his face really cannot make it lah and the pouts which he never fails to do still annoy the shit out of me. but there's just something about him that makes him the ideal james bond - his physique, his style, his mannerisms, maybe.

this whole movie was jam-packed with action, and that kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning till the end. i like the fact that the 007 movies evolve with time, though it seems as though the later films have become more far-fetched in terms of being REAL (hello he fall from dunno how many floors also like nothing wan), but what's the fun in watching a movie if you were to question every single detail, right?

as for bond girl olga whateverhernameis... i hated her in max payne (ultimately slutty & annoying) and HAAAAAAAAATED her at the beginning of quantum. but later on her role sort of grew on me. she's sophisticated and is really beautiful! acting skills so-so only, though... then again we never really expect much from bond girls besides their looks, do we.

nice show nice show, and i say this even after i paid RM20 for it! we weren't crazy enough to join the queue at GSC midvalley so we watched it at The Gardens' Signature GSC Premiere Class instead. super comfy seats, ample leg space, good distance from the screen and no queue: worth my every cent. oh and i was surprised to see many of the twin seats being occupied by fathers and their pre-teen sons, enjoying the movie together over popcorn and a jumbo drink. too cute!

Silverchair

i'm absolutely in love with Silverchair. i have their songs on repeat mode throughout the day (those, and The Academy Is...'s After The Last Midtown Show). they make me feel like i'm in a grand musical... or in a gothic film - sometimes even in a circus. so dramatic. so theatrical. absolutely brilliant. if there's one concert i'd die to go to it would be theirs! (and Coldplay's)

among my favourite songs:
Those Thieving Birds/Strange Behaviour
If You Keep Losing Sleep
The Greatest View
Emotion Sickness
Tuna In The Brine
After All These Years
Ana's Song
Straight Lines

love love loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!



this is Silverchair's lead singer, Daniel Johns, a few years back when he was struggling with anorexia.


this is him NOW! goodnessgracious!!!(though i think he looks good either way. haha)

he was listed as one of the 25 most underrated guitarists by Rolling Stone. actually the whole band is underrated lah. i wonder why they're not as huge as they should be over in this part of the world. pfft. wasted. all we get is rubbish.

"Sweet" November

- happy (belated) birthday, joon heng! :)

- today is the 1st of november. shit.

- thanks (?) to everyone who INCESSANTLY congratulated teongrhen and i for being matched to the same partner medical school. no, really, we appreciate the gesture. confession #1: we had already anticipated (and looked forward to) going to different universities. but since our God was dead strong about sending us to the same place, to the same place we will go!
confession #2: my jump for joy upon opening the envelope was actually for proving that i have the gift of prophecy (or "a mere lucky guess" if you must insist. *rolls eyes*) after having recurrent thoughts about going to manchester way before the matching results were out. teongrhen, edwina, pei, joonheng, weilin & sarahyuen all bear witness to this. lol. but seriously, halfway in the shower... i heard MANCHESTER! when i woke up some mornings... i heard MANCHESTER! halfway studying... MANCHESTER! in lectures... MANCHESTER! and manchester wasn't even my first choice okay.

- i don't like man utd.

- it's funny how i used to despise pathology with all my heart. right now i don't know why i did.

- it's funny how Dr HA managed to instill an undying love for anatomy within me in semester 3. but thanks to the musculoskeletal & nervous systems that love is now lost in a faraway land.

- yesterday was our last CSU physical examination session in imu. one more history taking session, a mock osce, the real osce... and that is it!

- i found out that it is simply impossible to have fundoscopy and the babinski reflex test done on me because 1) my eyes are extremely sensitive to the light from the ophthalmoscope, 2) my eyes are too small anyway and 3) the babinski test IS SO FREAKING TICKLISH i just cannot allow the end of a tendon hammer, or any object for that matter, near the soles of my feet! (sorry teongrhen)

- i had bell's palsy when i was 9! come, ask me about facial nerve injury and its signs & symptoms!!!

- i can't go home until post-eos5! hate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but i guess since i'm going to spend 8 months at home doing absolutely nothing while i wait to go to clinical school makes it seem okay.

- anybody with interesting names for our batch convo mag (preferably something medically-related), please let michelle know asap.

- i am (still and forever) craving for bisou cupcakes.

Intuition

looks like i really am going to Manchester after all - just like i've speculated right after handing in our matching forms. i'm scary, i tell you.

damn, so expensive lah haiyo.
i really really wanted Southampton or Liverpool, but Manchester was one of my top choices so i'm contented.
and i shall go where my God wants me to go. He leads and i follow. :)
besides, guess who else is coming with me? heeeeeeeeeheeeeeee.
(Lau Teong Rhen, in case you didn't know. and yes it's fate - we didn't register for marriage to get into the same Uni ok *does 360° eyeroll*. plus i think it's funny that he got his 3rd choice and i got my 4th.)
mother's reaction upon hearing the news: "why you must get one of the most expensive schools?!" (hallo as if i can help it.)
father: "wah manchester ah? their football very good wan hor?"
*does another 360° eyeroll*
also going to Manchester: Massssy and Niha! i don't know if there are others...
all the way uppppppppp in Dundee: Mich! Merv! Ben! Huiling!
the lone soul in Galway: Adrian! hahaha.
nearby in Nottingham: Edwina!
at the southern end of the hemisphere: Red in Adelaide! Tracy in Auckland!
....
so this is it, then. all we have to do is to pass EoS 5 and we're off to our respective clinical schools.
all the best M206! let's have 100% passes so that all of us can go to where we're destined to go.
:)

Tick Tock (edited)

hello hello. just a short post to let my faithful readers (the 2 or at the most, 3 of you) know that i am still alive and well. for my dear batchmates who haven't been keeping count (or are still in denial), we are slightly more than 2 months away from our finals. *dum dum dummmm* *thunder&lightning*. i've been very scared but i still find myself being stuck in first gear. how do i gear UP? coffee doesn't work. neither does sleeping >8 hours a day. or attempting to camp in the library daily. yet it seems like all i've been doing is bury my head in books & lecture notes. that or watching little britain. seriously have you watched little britain? it is the funniest show ever. retarded and vulgar, yes, but very hilarious. TR said i'm obsessed but he has watched just as many episodes as i have. what obsessed shit.

(super) belated birthday shout-outs to Ben, Mervin and Michelle!

THANKS Ben for you-know-what :)

pajamamerv

mich's bday at putrajaya. i know, so lame hor.

(kidding la. putrajaya is beautiful! the buildings are magnificent... except for the two humongous BUAT KERJA signs at the palace of justice. freaking ugly, those signs. and they also show that our judges have to constantly be reminded to buat kerja - how unpleasant.)

ok la please don't emo... here is your face.

edit October 23:

"it's Britney Kwan, bitch!"

Happy Birthday!

Breathe

i'm glad to say that i've made peace with the fact that my poodle is no longer here. i cried like mad when i arrived home on friday upon seeing her little grave in the garden... but i woke up after a long nap on that day itself and felt so much better. besides, i enjoyed compiling all the photos i have of her since she was little. she is in heaven now. why grieve for that? :)

holidays! although just a week, but better than no holidays at all. i know shit about MSK, seriously. started the semester fairly well, consistently studying for... 3 days in a row. and that was it.

terrible.

no time no time no time! 3 more months! 9 systems! health issues! osce! how to juggle how to juggle?

God i need You! let me draw strength from You to finish this race (or half of it, to be exact - since we're only halfway through med school. ohmygoodness can you believe it. only halfway. i've got friends graduating at the end of the year for crying out loud.).

Dear Co,

how am i going to go home with one less being there to greet me? because i honestly don't remember the last time i went back home and you weren't there.

how am i going to watch TV when you're not right next to me on the couch, or anywhere in the TV room for that matter?

how am i going to use the home computer without having to carry you upstairs so that you could be next to me?

what am i going to do with the purple rug in my bedroom which you love so much?

how can i go into my room without anticipating you to bang on my door with all your strength just so i would let you in?

who's going to accompany me late at night when i cannot sleep?

who's going to lie at my feet and enjoy my music while i play the piano?

how am i going to look at your food bowl, knowing that you won't be eating from it again?

who's going to follow me around everywhere i go?

who do i hug when i'm down?

who's going to wait for me patiently at the front door whenever i go out?

and Co, how am i going to handle pulling into the driveway this friday, only to see the patch in the garden in which you are buried deep under, knowing that your tiny body is slowly rotting and degrading into the soil? how am i going to handle that, Co?

i don't want to go home. i was so excited last week but everything has changed now. the past few days have been nothing but gloomy. i'm sure many people think i'm crazy for being so devastated over a pet dog; but what do they know about the bond we had between us. 14 years. that's freaking long, Co. you are part of the family. i know the bible doesn't say anything about pet animals going to heaven, but it does tell us that there are animals in heaven... so i'd like to believe that i'll see you soon. nobody shall take that away from me.

i don't want to go home... but it'll be so unfair to mum, dad and Kiki as they are grieving too.

take care, Coco. i'm sure you're in a much happier place right now. we all love you!

Missing you with all my heart,

Swee Leen.

The Epitome of A Best Friend

my poodle Coco came into the world in march 1994. i was only 7 then. yet i remember she was this light-brown little furball when i first caught sight of her. her fur was so soft and cottony. her tail was round like that of a bunny and it was always wagging. Coco became my best friend. she would stick to me like glue. for all 14 years of her life, her biological clock had always been accurate, it's SCARY. no matter what she would be doing (sleeping, eating, roaming around...), she would dash to the front door to wait for me to come back from school when it was time. she would also wait for my mum to come back from work every single day (during lunchtime and in the evenings). that's how loyal she was.

it was amazing how she could sense when i was down. she'd lick my leg, lie at my feet or jump onto the couch to sit right next to me. not only was she good natured towards us humans, she was also a wonderful friend to our miniature pinscher, Kiki. it was really funny how she allowed that little devil to sit on her head (literally) or snatch her food away. usually after Kiki takes a bath, my mum would wrap her in a towel and put her under the sun (because she'd constantly be shivering), and Coco would just lie next to her as though to accompany her!

when i left for college, Coco would sleep in front of my room door wondering when i would be back. the minute i arrived home she'd be jumping for joy and would start following me around. she was able to sense when it was time for me to go back to KL. when she saw my luggages, she would depressingly hide under the table. "wait for me to come back soon, k, Co?" i'd always tell her before i hopped into the car. and the same events would take place over and over again each time i came back.

over the last 2 years Coco aged so quickly she became blind and almost deaf. she slept most of the time but tried her best to accompany me whenever i was home. unfortunately, one of the things i feared most happened. today, i received a call from my mother saying Coco passed away on thursday of heart failure. they had trouble deciding on how to break the news to me. my dad buried her in my garden and made a wooden signage to commemorate our faithful little friend of 14 years. i am crying my eyes out and i feel like crap. i just never expected to see the last of her the last time i was back home before semester 5 started. she had always been healthy. old, yes, but it didn't seem as though she was going to leave so soon. and i was looking so forward to going home during the raya break next friday. i guess she just couldn't wait another week.

nevertheless i am glad i spent my 3 weeks back home with her. in fact, the night before i left, i decided to hug her so tightly and for a good ten minutes instead of just petting her on her head or scratching her belly or just carrying her like i always did. it was as though that happened for a reason.

Coco, thank you for always being there for me and for looking out for me. i'm grateful to be able to have you as my pet and best friend, and that you had a wholesome 14 years of your life with people who loved you and treated you so well. another consolation is that i'm very sure you're in some place happier now, with the One who loves you more! i dont care what people say - that animals don't have souls. because if you don't have a soul then i don't see how humans can have souls! so i'm expecting to see you up there when my time comes. love you Coco. i miss you.

Coco, my beloved toy poodle.

March 1994 - 18 Sept 2008.

p/s: Coco's most favourite food in the world was CHEESE. lol. she'd go nuts whenever i took cheese out of the fridge (for myself). very cute.

Library Woes & Goodies From Home

i have a newfound love in the form of netter's orthopaedics. it comes in handy for everything in the musculoskeletal course. the drawings are so cute and some of them are hilarious (like the skeleton of a newborn. it's funny somehow). i want to be like frank netter. if only i could draw anything other than a stick figure. i am angry now because when i was about to renew my book online a few minutes ago somebody else had already placed a request for it so i have to send it back to the library. bloody. i don't like you whoever who is robbing me of my book. i have a $3.00 library fine but i don't know what the fine is for. i get really nervous if i don't return my books on time so it's unlikely it's for an overdue book. whatever it is I AM NOT PAYING. i think my parents have already drained out enough money for imu and i'm not going to let them (imu) have the pleasure of extorting an extra $3.00 on top of my ridiculously exorbitant tuition fees.

my parents came on sunday and brought with them food for me to last the week. among them: chicken casserole topped with roasted potatoes and lots of cheese, chicken soup with a whole chicken, si yau kai (chicken in LITRES soy sauce, literally) which is yummy but terrible for the kidneys and nigella lawson's sticky ribs! my mum also baked my favourite in the world lemon poppyseed cupcakes. upon handing over the box to me she said, "NAH. lemon poppyseed cupcakes. i'm pretty sure i forgot to add an ingredient but i just cant recall what it is." so i took a bite and realized that the lemon poppyseed cupcakes... had no poppyseed.

haiyoyo.

what is lemon poppyseed cupcakes without poppyseed you tell me?

nonetheless i still love them lemon cupcakes. i'm just thankful that she had forgotten the poppyseed and not the lemon. can you imagine if they were plain poppyseed cupcakes. how disgusting would those be. she brought 20 and now there are only 4 left. and tr only ate 2 out of the 16. which means i ate a total of 14 in two days. and we bought ben an ice-cream maker for his birthday (happy belated birthday ben!) so i'm expecting to pack on a few more pounds with ice-cream this weekend. hear that ben??? ice-cream ice-cream!!! sigh. how not to get fat like that?

did you realize it's the 16th of september? it's scary. but i don't think anything will change just yet.

I read today's newspaper headline in utter disgust. Another innocent Malaysian is victimized by the draconian laws of the ISA. And for what? For doing her job as a journalist. For reporting actual details of a situation. For letting the truth out for all to know.

Ahmad Ismail's actions can never be justified. Every other day we boast to the world about "how racially harmonious and peaceful" our country is. "COME VISIT MALAYSIA!" we shout out loud. "A MELTING POT OF CULTURES WHERE ITS PEOPLE HOLD HANDS AND DANCE AROUND SINGING 'IT'S A SMALL WORLD AFTER ALL'!"

Yet someone who made a racist remark like that could be let off so simply. What disturbs and sickens me is that by refusing to admit and apologize for his mistake, the very remark he made is actually what he believes in (who knows, his sentiments may possibly be echoed by many others as well) - that "Chinese are squatters and that as they are only immigrants it is impossible for them to achieve equal rights among races". Okay, so he has been suspended (not sacked) from UMNO for 3 years. What's the big deal. He can still go on with life as usual and is still allowed to roam the streets with all the money in the world to splash.

I am glad the MCA has expressed their shock over the arrest of Tan Hoon Cheng and not Ahmad Ismail (probably one of their few good deeds in many years), though expressing is one thing and doing something about it is another.

We are already in the 21st century. For decades we have lived together on the same land, breathing the same air. We go to the same schools and shopping malls. We work together. We stay in the same neighourhoods. Racism should never in a million years be tolerated. I am not angry because I am a Chinese and Ahmad Ismail has offended my race. If a Chinese were to degrade a Malay or an Indian it should not be taken lightly as well (though, trust me, if such a thing were to happen even our great-grandchildren will not hear the end of it.). I have Malay and Indian friends whom I like and care for, and I wouldn't be able to bear if such insults were to be thrown at them.

Sometimes I laugh at myself for having the desire to come back to Malaysia in the future. Many people would advise against that. I don't blame them. I wouldn't want my children to grow up to be idiots like more than half the population. I wouldn't want them to have a run-in with the law for something they didn't do. I wouldn't want them to be wrongfully detained under the ISA for having an opinion or for telling the truth. But this is my country and my heart is here, yet so many times I think the idea of coming home is undoubtedly absurd. How?

I feel so caged up. Even by writing this entry I have to be cautious with my choice of words and think twice before clicking on the "PUBLISH" button, because I'll never know who would stumble upon this and have ME arrested the very next hour. After all, the authorities are capable of such an inhumane act as we have seen time and time again. Freedom of words. Total BULL.

It is hard to say I love my country at the moment. There was a glimmer of hope after the March elections... but I am doubting everything right now. Whatever hope I had is dangling on a string. All I'm thankful for is that we are given the right to practice our own religion without being persecuted. But that is all. I don't know what else this country has given me or done for me.

How sad is that?

We're going backwards. Backwards backwards backwards. Soon we will see countries currently worse off, surpass us in every aspect. And then what else is there for us to boast about, huh?

BOILING POINT

The Nutcracker ballet at KLPAC last night was ULTIMATELY EXTREMELY ABSOLUTELY ABYSMAL I was on the verge of setting the whole place on fire. I don't even know where to start complaining. Oh I know, how about the fact that instead of using the original Tchaikovsky score they mixed their own awful songs to blast into our ears?! Seriously, I was gritting all 28 of my teeth (i have no mandibular third molars aka wisdom teeth - should i be concerned, by the way?) thanks to the sheer volume of the music GOODNESS ME it was so bad I almost went deaf. Then the ballet itself was SO BELOW PAR it was horrifying. OK la to be fair the principal dancer who played Clara was pretty good but that was it. I am not a ballerina or an expert in the art but since I am neither blind nor stupid, I know when pirouettes aren't done nicely or when the dancer doesn't completely execute her splits. Oh then what about the dances which the kids were involved in? Don't get me wrong, the kids were cute blablabla, but OHMYGOODNESS their dances were terrible. They just kept going in rounds and jumping up and down over and over again that I'd rather go watch a Malay concert I KID YOU NOT. I mean it would've been fine if they had stuck to the original Nutcracker suite which we were all looking forward to, because then we could just ignore the ballet and sit back to enjoy the music. BUT NO! They only used about 2 or 3 songs from the suite! FRUSTRATINGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

WAIT WAIT WAIT BUT I HAVEN'T EVEN COME TO THE WORST PART YET.

THE WORST PART WAS..........................

.......................... THAT WE FREAKING PAID RM60 FOR THE SHOW.

@#(*F)!@*(*$)%*(*/)^*(U)*)#$*!((\)#&$&()*C#$**(*($*K)!@

*takes deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep breath*

Do you know how much we could've done with that RM60?! Seriously lor you ask me to go for free also I wouldn't want to go. It was even worse when Tracy said she watched the actual Russian ballet's version of The Nutcracker for RM10. :-/

Bloody shit.

I HATE LAH HATE HATE HATE. They effectively ruined my favourite ballet. I WANT MY MONEY BACK.

Au Revoir

Wow I can't believe Semester 5 commences tomorrow. I'm not going to be nostalgic and reminisce about how it was exactly 2 years ago that I stepped into IMU and how I went through orientation and blabla but damn, time really flew past just like that didn't it! Now we're into our final semester before we set foot into clinical school. It's scary, but there's this sudden excitement within me to get this started so I can get out of here in no time. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed (almost) every single moment in IMU, made wonderful friends (who I will miss like crazy once we're done), did fun things... but somehow I feel there's really nothing left for me here anymore. Just give it one BIG final push and I'm OFF.

Still... just thinking about the workload and schedules for the semester already sends shivers down my spine. =( For those who have yet to get worked up... let me scare you a bit la k. Hehe yes I am that evil.

• 8AM/4PM lectures, with CSU, PBL, MMS etc in between. 8AM! What is this!
• Revise CVS, Respi, Haemato, GI, Endocrine, Repro, Renal ON TOP OF learning new systems like MSK, CNS and Health Issues!
• Mock OSCE some time during CNS =P
• That IMS shit? But should we be alarmed? Don't care la...
• Partner Medical School matching! OMG I can't believe it's soon.
• NO CHRISTMAS.
• NO NEW YEAR'S.
• .......... EoS 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• .......... results?

- the end -

*heaves BIGGGGGGGGGGGGGG sigh*

OK la whatever. Bring it on. I'm ready. I think.

Anyway. On a happier note, I'm glad IMU was gracious enough to plan our Sem 4 holidays at this time of the year. Besides getting to watch the Olympics I was also able to meet up with some friends before they left to further their studies.

This is Jacqueline. We've known each other since we were in our respective mothers' wombs... so I can actually deduce that she is my longest friend? Hahaha. She is a prima ballerina with brains! She left for her beloved New York last week to attend Columbia University (Ivy League yo). I so proud got friend in Columbia. Hopefully I'll get to visit coz New York is one of the places I MUST GO BEFORE I DIE and I don't know when I will die so I have to go visit like real soon...

This is Sharmaine. She is also a long-time friend coz she used to be my neighbour. We used to cycle here cycle there... used to hang out at our 2nd home i.e. Ipoh Swimming Club almost every day of the week... swam together, learnt badminton together, learnt all sorts of other stuff together and QUIT HALFWAY together. Heeeh. We're quitters and proud of it. See at least we know a little of everything. She's a semester ahead of me in IMU... so she has finished Sem 5 and has just left the University of Liverpool... which... I think... I'd be happy if I were to be matched there. *PRAYS*

This is CHONG JIANG MUN. She is weird, funny, foul, rude, loud, disgusting, salivates like a beagle AND NOT REALIZE IT... but... she is still one of my bestest friends EVER. This girl may seem retarded but I'm proud to say she is one of the top students in her batch for law! Tsktsk*cough*stupidgeek. She will leave for the University of Reading real soon and I am going to miss her like how I miss my Ipoh hakka mee under the tree. The only difference is that I won't be seeing her for more than a year whereas I get to eat my hakka mee in one month's time during Raya break! SIGH. Jiang Mun you jaga diri ah... don't kena cheated again (you know what I mean. hint: water. 2nd hint: filter.). Love!

Qian Shan Wan Shui NYEHE

I am proud to present my current favourite song.

-click-

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA do not laugh. It's a beautiful song. And the first Jay Chou song I've ever listened to from the beginning to the end?

This song gives me goosebumps. It's the Olympic fever. Definitely the Olympic fever.

But it's a nice song, no? Especially when they keep showing it on ASTRO with the highlights.

My favourite Olympic moments:

• Michael Phelps winning his 8 gold medals. He is THE BEST Olympian the world has ever seen.
  

• USA men winning the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100 medley relays by the slimmest of margins (Jason Lezak you're the best).

• Michael Phelps beating Milorad Cavic by 0.01 seconds (!!!) in the 100m butterfly. That was the most gan cheong event la!

• Eamon Sullivan! In every event. Hahahha. Although he did not perform as well as he should have.

• Err I liked looking at Stephanie Rice too.

• Lee Chong Wei winning the badminton semi-finals. I shall not comment on the finals. =P

• Nastia Liukin winning the gymnastics all-around and Shawn Johnson as runner-up.

• Rafael Nadal winning tennis singles.
  

• USA women's volleyball team going through to the finals. I've been watching volleyball since I was young and I was impressed by their performance because they used to SUCK SO BAD! Hahaha. So much improvement.

• USA men's volleyball team beating Brazil in the finals.

• Usain Bolt's 100m dash and setting a new world record in style. What can I say. He's crazy.

• Maarten van der Weijden winning the men's 10km swimming marathon after battling leukemia.

... and a whole lot of other events. Let's just say I was camping in front of the TV the entire time.

I miss the Olympics. =(

If all goes well and I actually get matched to a UK uni I would be graduating/have just graduated during the London Olympics! Pray pray pray pray. I want to watch swimming LIVE.

Sem 5 starts next week! Goodness me where did all my time go.

3 Cheers For Chong Wei =)

Heeeeh at least a silver in his hands!

Malaysians can stop feeling like losers.

I've never felt so proud of my country (and by my country I mean Lee Chong Wei) since... the March 2008 Elections. =P

GP Posting was, to my surprise, really good. I actually learnt a lot. But more on that another day.

Athletics/Swimming heats now!

Olympic Fever

Now who doesn't love the Olympics! Especially swimming! Most exciting event.

Michael Phelps. I remember how we used to make our Form 1 Moral teacher let us watch the swimming events Michael Phelps at the media room in school during moral classes. He was only 15 then and didn't win a single medal. Now, 8 years later, he is one of the fastest swimmers ever. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrreat. =)

I wonder how the British are going to put up a more spectacular show when the Olympics go to London. I am no fan of China and the things that they do but the opening ceremony just blew me away.

Doing my GP posting tomorrow with Dr Muru. DAMN la why didn't I think of doing it earlier so I can watch the Olympics. I'm so stupid god help me.

Been going on shopping sprees when I shouldn't really.

Been eating a lot, more than usual - YES it's possible. Scary.

My poodle is so blind she ran straight into the wall some 3 times today. I AM SAD. =(

Wheeeeeeeeeee hols! 3 weeks. Lalallalala.

OK this is a dumb post. I had originally intended to write more about the Olympics (hence the title) but... lazy la. Whatever la blabla. I'm going to publish this still.

Gombak!

I really enjoyed my 3-day stint at the Orang Asli Hospital in Gombak, although it was more of a cultural education than a medical one. Prior to this I had never seen that many orang asli in my life. Orang asli are an interesting group of people. Very funny, in fact, from the way they talk to their beliefs and ways of life. They are obviously very different from the urban folk and are prone to diseases we hardly come across in normal hospitals.

I spent my last day at the hospital at the infectious diseases ward, in which most of the patients there were on treatment for tuberculosis and leprosy. It was an eye-opener because none of us had seen lepers before (in fact I only remember reading a lot about them in the bible muaha and oh the movie Kingdom of Heaven where I just found out Edward Norton played the leper king wtf). I admit to being slightly paranoid about contracting those diseases myself, especially TB which is so easily transmitted. Somemore we had to take down a case history from a TB patient where we were close in contact with her. A bit scary. But she has been on treatment for 4 months now so I guess chances are we won't get the disease lah. =P

Notable quotes from our Gombak rotations:

Kwan: "Ada makan daun-daun ka? Akar-akar? Rumput?"
Orang Asli: "MAKAN RUMPUT MUNTAH LA!"
(Kwan on his orang asli patient's diet during history taking)

Kwan: "Mandi di mana? Mandi di sungai ah?"
Orang Asli: "AIR SUNGAI KOTOR LA!"
(Kwan on his orang asli patient's social history)

*to be fair to Kwan, this particular orang asli is quite urbanized la. She stays at Taman Negara in a house provided by the government. =P

Jimmy Tee: "Kak boleh nyanyi tak? Nyanyi lagu apa? Boleh nyanyi lagu orang asli tak?"
Orang Asli: "Tak ada lagu orang asli! Nyanyi lagu Melayu!"
Jimmy Tee: "Boleh nyanyi untuk kita tak? Tau tak lagu Negaraku?" *stands straight and sings Negaraku in the ward =/*

Jimmy Tee: "Kak bila sakit di kampung buat apa? Makan daun apa?"
Orang Asli: "MANA ADA MAKAN DAUN!" *rolls around bed laughing*

*we later found out that this orang asli was the same as the one Kwan interviewed. She must think we're morons or something.

Izaquan while conducting a health talk for the orang asli: "Sebelum berus gigi, kita kena ada apa?" (i.e. toothbrush, toothpaste...)
Orang Asli Teenage Rebel: "KENA ADA GIGI."

Dr Sasi: "Mak cik, nanti ada pelajar nak tanya soalan dengan mak cik, boleh?"
Orang Asli: "SAYA LAKI-LAKI!"

*Dr Sasi on confusing patient gender.

---

Fun times! But you know what's the thing I will miss most about Gombak? The roti canai and dhal + sambal at the shop opposite the hospital. Glo-oh-rious.

My rotations group with Dr Sasi!

pics courtesy of Melvyn

God of This City (and This World)

The much-awaited Passion World Tour (ft. Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio!) came to KL yesterday. I am at a loss for words to describe the event. Let's just say it was the first time I actually felt a wholesome PASSION for the One and only. The great part about it is that my passion is still on fire right now and I don't think it will die down, ever. The event was a platform for me to express my love for Him and I genuinely know that I wasn't merely "music-high". It was real. 4000 University students came to hear His word and sing praises in His name. 4000. That is an astounding number. Truly amazing how our God can do wonders.

I'm so glad that Tracy, Michelle, Ho Wai, Eli and Jiang Mun (those whom I love very very much!) came! Kelvin! Ghi Waie! Huiling! Suisse! Amanda! They came too. =) And SO many other familiar faces.

I have a newfound love for Jesus... and it all started with the ECF Victory Weekend I attended last week. I am really glad I went because I now know 100% that my chains are gone and that I've been set free!

We owe so much to Him for his neverending grace that is FREELY given. How awesome is that? When we are so undeserving. Absolutely, beyond a doubt, undeserving. Yet He shows mercy and continues to shower us with His love and grace which we don't even have to EARN.

Sometimes when I reflect on all these and how blessed I am, I am reduced to tears. My life is too good to be true.

=)

Will blog more soon. I'm currently on rotations and this week I'm posted to the Orang Asli Hospital in Gombak so I'm pretty busy. Well not busy with WORK but busy sleeping when I come home each day. =P

Next week: BALIK KAMPUNG! Cannot wait cannot wait cannot wait.

Because I'm Not Going To Be This Relaxed For A Long Long Time.

I am not done with my Ipoh series yet! Just taking a break from being a virtual tour guide and from all the free advertising I've been doing. =P

And yes yes... 3 entries in a day. Bravo me. I have quite a lot to blog about but I won't be online from Wednesday onwards till I get back to KL for reasons I shall not disclose. And I'm sure by the time I get my hands on the internet again I will be too lazy to blog so here I am while the blogging drive is still within me. Plus I think I write better when I'm at home in Ipoh anyway.

I feel so accomplished. So many things done in the last 3 weeks! Didn't feel like I was a medical student at all. But heck all this hype will die down when Sem 5 commences so I should do everything I want to do until it does. Because... it's Sem 5. Last sem in IMU. End of Phase 1. And then we're off for clinicals. Can't screw up. CAN'T SCREW UP. (God please let me pass please please please please please.)

More movies watched since 2 weeks ago!

- Batman. I can go on and on about how great it was but... I'll spare you. =)

- Red Cliff Part 1. Quite good, but forgettable. Have to watch Part 2. Chinese war movies are good most of the time.

- Journey To The Center of The Earth in 3D. If you've watched the 2D version of this I'd like to know how you sat through the movie without pulling all your hair out please.

- Hellboy II. That's 9 bucks I'll never see again. Terrible story, bad acting, cheesy lines from the beginning till the end and I mean TO THE LAST WORD. The only consolation was the creatures. I mean it's sad because I actually liked Hellboy I! If you can't do a better sequel, DON'T DO IT. Oh but but but... did you know the actor who played Prince Nuada actually looks like this in person?


Goodness gracious me.
If I had known this before hand I would have refrained myself from being exceptionally annoyed by his character the entire time.

- Hard Candy. Disturbing. Rather dull. They could've inserted some flashbacks about how the characters came about, then it wouldn't have been so dry. I liked the artistic effects that came along with it and I agree that Ellen Page played the role very well but I think I've had enough of her for now. 3 counts of Juno (yes I've watched Juno 3 times) and 1 count of Hard Candy. That's a whole lot of Ellen Page. Boring boring.

- Frida. An academy award-winning foreign movie and a true story about a Mexican painter named Frida Kahlo (portrayed by Salma Hayek) who lived a colourful life as she stayed positive while enduring many of life's challenges. Very very nice. Could do without the many... MANY... many sex scenes though. =l

6 movies in a week. Not bad. And I've been hooked onto That 70's Show seasons 2 & 3. Hehe. Laugh non-stop. Anybody with seasons 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 pleeeeeeeease be kind and pinjam thank you in advance!

Other notable events:

- Went to the AIDS exhibition at DUMC. It was brilliant. I appreciated all the effort and hard work put into the set-up. A superb way to educate people on how serious AIDS is. You'd think medical students are well-versed with the disease. Well we are, medically, but to put ourselves into the victims' shoes... totally changed our perspective towards it. More about our experience at the exhibition on Joon Heng's blog.

- Finished Selectives on Patient Safety. Exam was easy-peesy. If only all our other med school exams were like that. Hahaha. See I told you Dr Ranjit is the best.

- Endocrine-Repro-Renal summative results out. Seriously I think IMU has made it such that I be stuck with that grade for the rest of my time here. Anyway I'm not complaining. Hehe. I'm just thankful.

- Girly teatime + eyebrow threading time + sushi time with dear Eli in Bangsar. Hadn't seen her since April. It was good. OH and I received my super belated birthday present from her! Always nice to get a gift =P. It's a customized key-chain with our faces on it. Very special. I like!



We should do this more often!

Oh and randomly, current favourite album is Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (man why can't they just pick a shorter title), of which my favourite song is VIOLET HILL! And Cemeteries of London! And 42! And Death & All His Friends! No but Violet Hill is the. best. BEST! Go get the original album. Totally worth the buy. Initially I didn't quite like what I heard but the songs just grew on me and I am now hooked onto them.

Things To Do/See/Eat in Ipoh

Part 3: Little Cafés and Fine-Dining

Contrary to common belief, IPOH HAS ITS FAIR SHARE OF GOOD WESTERN FOOD! Geez. How did you think I turned out to be how I am today. Bodoh.

Here are some of the nicer restaurants in Ipoh. Indulgence is by far the best, of course.

1. Indulgence Restaurant and Living (website)

Indulgence is probably my most frequently visited dining place and my favourite eatery in the whole of Ipoh. My mum and I have been loyal patrons to the restaurant ever since it first opened more 12 years ago. At that time it occupied this quaint little shoplot in Canning Garden (which is my area of residence) but it is now housed at a beautiful heritage bungalow along Jalan Tambun.

What I like about Indulgence. Let's see. EVERYTHING! But what I love most about it is that it shows that Ipoh isn't as bad as it could've been.

Go look at the website and you'll see what I mean. Or better still, go there yourself. STAY there! At their bed and breakfast. Then tell me how it's like. It'll be stupid if I do because 1) my house is 10 minutes away and 2) I have no money. =(

2. Beacon Point (website)



Beacon Point is nothing like Indulgence. It has more of a family feel to the place. With comfort food for the soul, delicious Western and local delights, colourful drinks and heartwarming cakes, this place is for the youngest to the oldest of generations. Set lunches are quite worth it and it's quite a nice place to hold private functions.



3. Brewster's



Brewster's is a relatively new dining place in Ipoh. Located opposite the famous FMS Restaurant in old town, the most exciting thing about it is that it is NON-HALAL! Hahahaha finally a Western restaurant with pork. Yummmeee. Almost everything here has pork in it. Caesar salad with roast pork. Pork burger. Pork chops. Pork knuckles.

Their best dish I reckon? The barbecued pork-ribs - to die for! Especially with their signature ice-cream coffee to go with it.

Set lunch here is good too, slightly more expensive than Beacon Point but worth it.

4. Citrus

Citrus is all the way inside Ipoh Garden East. It's a funky dining place that serves high-end Western cuisine. It used to be good but I haven't been there in ages and there have been comments that the quality has deteriorated. I've yet to go there again. The place is nice, though. It has a unique ambience and the background music is tasteful. Not too shabby. =)

5. Paprika

Another fine-dining place in Ipoh Garden East. Have only been there twice. Not bad, but nothing to shout about.

6. Sincero Riverbank

The latest "in-thing" in town. Wine and dine. Beautiful atmosphere. Has separate areas for clubbing and dining, and a riverside garden which is breathtaking at night.

7. Ristorante Italia Mia

A comfy little Italian restaurant in Sunway Ipoh. I actually like it very much. On the pricey side, but has quality main courses and desserts. Only downside is that the menu is limited, but do check out the day's specials.

8. Sidewalk Ice-Cream Parlour

I like this place because it is a reminiscence of my childhood. The menu offers a variety of ice-cream flavours, snacks, milkshakes, pancakes, brownies and sandwiches. You can customize your own ice-cream by the number of scoops, flavours and how you want it presented. Don't expect Baskin-Robbins or Haagen Dazs but I think the ice-cream they serve is either homemade or of a fairly good brand because it sure doesn't taste like cheap ice-cream =P. The parlour only opens from 7PM to midnight and is usually packed on weekends.

Great place for families. Great hangout among friends. Great place for a late night date. *wink*

Things To Do/See/Eat in Ipoh

Part 2: Hawker Food!

You can't come to Ipoh and not have its famous hawker food. There is a wide range to choose from, most of which you can't get elsewhere.

1. Hor Fun

Ipoh hor fun is the best, no doubt about that. There are so many dishes made with hor fun and all of them are gooo-oood!



Nga Choi Kai (Taugeh Ayam)

I like: Onn Kee and Lou Wong in Ipoh Old Town (though I like Onn Kee better - Lou Wong is too commercialized... these people spoil everything!!), Kam Hor in Ipoh Garden (super slow but worth the wait if you're not in a rush).



Kai Si Hor Fun

I like: Kong Heng and Tin Chun in Ipoh Old Town. Actually there are many other coffee shops in Ipoh which serve really good kai si hor fun as well but I don't have them at the back of my head at the moment.



Chee Cheong Fun

I like: Ipoh Central (next to Ming Court, near Excelsior Hotel). Again there are tonnes of good chee cheong fun stalls all over Ipoh! But this is one that I really like.



Hor Hee

I don't fancy hor hee to be honest, but many people do and apparently one of the better ones is Lok Wee Kui in town. I don't mind the ones at Ipoh Stadium and Gourmet Square in Ipoh Gdn but then again hor hee doesn't appeal to me so you shouldn't trust me on this one. Haha.

2. Hakka Mee

Ipoh isn't exactly renowned for hakka mee but the one at Pusat Makanan Majestic (seriously I never knew what it was called until yesterday when I bothered taking note of the signboard. I would just call it "That Hakka Mee Place Under The Tree" - for obvious reasons) is my FAVOURITE OF ALL and I would die if it were to close down. I brought Pei Shern here and she absolutely loved it! The noodles are chewy and drenched in lovely sauce, topped with a generous portion of wonderfully-marinated minced pork and served with your own choices of liew (which are homemade and not mass-produced). THE BEST.

3. Chicken Rice

I don't like chicken rice, whether in Ipoh or in Mars. But I am compelled to state that Ipoh chicken rice is the best so here it is. The famous one is Pak Kong. I don't know if the one next to it called Rasa Sayang is any good, but to be safe just go to Pak Kong lah.

4. Dim Sum

OK I know that dim sum isn't considered hawker food but I'll just list it here anyway. My favourite dim sum place is Ming Court as opposed to the popular haunt that is Foh San. Both are great but there's just something about Ming Court which I like. I think it's the ham sui kok and the black sesame dessert. =P

Another good dim sum place is right opposite Ming Court, called Yoke Fook Moon.

Basically those are the 3 good dim sum places in Ipoh. Always always crowded, be it on weekdays or weekends (of course weekends would be worse), so do try to get there early as the good stuff like char siew pau is sold out by 9am!

5. White Coffee

For coffee lovers, no trip to Ipoh is complete without having a cup of the famous white coffee. If you think you can simply settle for the ready-made packets or the white coffee served at commercialized Old Town Kopitiam branches which are sprouting like mushrooms all over the country, YOU ARE STUPID. Authentic white coffee can be found in Ipoh old town at Sun Yin Loong, Nam Heong and Chang Jiang (to name a few). These coffee shops are usually crowded at any time of the day but if you do manage to find seats, try having your white coffee with Hainanese kaya butter toasts. Very nice. =)

6. Tau Fu Fah and Soya Bean

The best place for tau fu fah and soya bean has got to be Funny Mountain (lame, I know. I mean how can a mountain be funny, stupid). I've brought Loo Yeen, Pei and Ho Wai there and they all liked the tau fu fah! The texture of the beancurd is smooth and the ginger syrup is just nice, not too sweet. I'm not a big fan of tau fu fah but I love the one here very much. Funny Mountain is a little stall near Foh San Dim Sum Restaurant (can easily be seen).

7. Other Goodies!

There are various snacks and many other delicious hawker food found all over Ipoh. These are some of my favourites at Kong Heng and Tin Chun, which I'm sure can be found everywhere else in Ipoh too.

Clockwise from top: Egg tea (dan char); poh piah; old-school caramel custard; pork satay!

I also love: salt-baked chicken at Aun Kheng Lim, ondeh-ondeh sold by this old man on a bicycle at the Canning Garden shophouses; ais kacang at Ipoh Stadium; dai gau min (kuih bulan) at many places but I like the one at Yat Yat Seng in Ipoh Gdn; fah sang wu (peanut butter dessert) at this roadside stall in Pasir Pinji.