Ants in laptop...

Surfing around to find ways of getting rid of them... Haih, I thought this only happened in college days but apparently not... Some interesting ideas...
- switch on and keep for 2 days straight. I dunno if the ants get out first or my laptop dies first
- keep laptop in air tight container with ants bait. Where to get a huge airtight container la...
- putting laptop in ziplock bag and into the fridge. Like, seriously? o.O
- put cinnamon stick by the laptop. And my laptop will smell something close like cinnamon roll...
- blow dry the laptop.But the ants are INSIDE...

What I did was... modified no.1 with music blaring plus modified no 2 i.e. put ant bait nearby... it worked LOL :D

Breakfast at David's Diner, Greentown Ipoh, Perak

As usual, my activity when I finished my night call, is to look for breakfast before going home to sleep. So when I saw the banner at David's Diner announcing breakfast, of course I'd swerve in :D

The breakfast is buffet style, priced at RM14.90 and starts at 8 - 11 am. You get either juice or coffee or tea for drink. To start, I sampled the burrito, double - decker sandwich of chicken ham and cheese, and the scrambled egg. Not bad, but I wish they put more cheese on the burrito.

Senjyu re - visited @ The Curve, Mutiara Damansara

 Been some time since I last visited Senjyu for lunch and as usual the place never disappoint me. Ambiance and service are impeccable as always, portion is good with nice presentation, that's why I keep coming back here whenever I have the chance.

Breakfast at Old Andersonian Club & Cafeteria @ Jalan Hospital, Ipoh

 For me, I like to go to Anderson for breakkie on weekend because at 7 am, the place is totally deserted and quiet. I can sit there till 9 am undisturbed with my tablet and surf while sipping hot tea. No, I'm not an early bird, I only go there after I finish my night call at the hospital. There was a month where I frequently had on calls over weekends that uncle simply got used to me stuffing myself and self - serving myself with tosai and idli hahaha :D

Tea break at The Deli, Impiana Hotel, Ipoh, Perak

 Well, it happens that some conference was going on in Impiana Hotel in Ipoh, Perak. Or else I wouldn't happen to chance upon this deli for a cuppa. Pretty cozy, tucked at a corner near the lobby, Wifi available for leisurely surfing over a cuppa. Nothing to shout about, just your regular deli, convenient to drop by while waiting for the conference to start.

Lunch promotion @ David's Diner, Greentown Ipoh

Not a bad place to get a Western food lunch when we have the extra bucks to splurge because at a price of RM18.90 you can get a set lunch of a main, 2 sides, soup and a drink (lemonade). Portion wise they are not stingy with it.

I am making ~ Roasted vegetable salad

Another version of roasted vegetable salad, more sourish this time too as I use balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Technically you can use any vegetable you like, most veges are nice when grilled. Using pepper of 3 different colours brighten up the salad wonderfully.

Budget Travel @ Sabah ~ Suggested itenary

In my personal opinion, Kota Kinabalu is not the main highlight of your visit to Sabah. Spend a day or two in the city, probably during the last few days just to see what local city folks do, pick a Sunday so that you can visit the popular Gaya street market. Otherwise, visit Sabah if you want to snorkel around the islands, climb Mount Kinabalu and explore Kundasang, water rafting grade 3 – 4 at Padas or explore rural areas in rented car. Go here for basic preparation for your trip.

Get cheap flights on MAS when you book as early as 1 – 2 months. Expect to spend minimum RM500++. Hotels are easily booked via booking websites, which offer quite an extensive list and price range. There are the usual city hotels 2 -5 stars and numerous backpacker lodges.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 08 ~ Atkinson Clock Tower

 Situated along the Signal Hill road is the clock tower from the year 1903. 

Budget Travel @ Sabah 07 ~ City mosque Kota Kinabalu

If you come by tour package, most of the time they will bring you to see the City mosque at Likas bay area. It’s out of the city area not reachable by foot, mind you. Said to resemble the Nabawi mosque of Medina, the enhanced feature is the surrounding manmade lagoon giving the appearance of a floating mosque.  Not really a visiting highlight, if you ask me, if you are not a Muslim all you can do is snapping a few photos, and there are no other attraction place nearby. Getting there is a hassle unless you rented a car. As for me, I passed by it on my way to the city from my hotel at 1Borneo.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 06 ~ Kota Kinabalu city at a glance

This map can be found at the airport and local tourism office. Most of the hotels can be booked online at their respective websites or hotel – booking websites e.g. Agoda.com. Most places are reachable by foot. I am describing based on my 5 – year experience of living in this city and from my recent trip. Nothing has changed that much, the city may have become a bit busier if not cleaner. 

Budget Travel @ Sabah 05 ~ City Park

 Around City Park area is where you can find a lot of cheap accommodation, eateries and mode of transportations. From the city park you can see various shopping malls within walking distance, the post office, and shops selling non – branded items. Buses and minivans congregate nearby, taking you around town and to the deepest rural area. The minivans are pretty much the main mode of transportations for the rural folks. Not the safest choice, they are crampy and rickety, be wary of pick pockets too if you really want to take one. There are chartered vehicles around too; price usually starts at RM120 per ride. (My suggestion, if you want to go safely and conveniently to a far – off attraction e.g. Kundasang, get yourself into a tour package or rent a car. Sabah is pretty easy to navigate and the locals are very helpful in showing directions.)

Budget Travel @ Sabah 04 ~ Walking around the Philippine market area

If the weather is nice, put on your walking shoes and go snoop around the Philippine market area where you can find all sorts of local products ranging from dried seafood, local food and crafts.

Be adventurous and sample local food like bakso for breakfast at the top floor of the local market. Quench your thirst with cooling coconut drink at the ground floor. Of course, a word of caution here, hygiene can be questionable.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 03 ~ Chilling out at Brass Monkey and Party Play, Lintas area

Somewhere at Lintas area near the Klinik Kesihatan Luyang, you can find a bunch of great places to have lunch or dinner.  Ok, these places are not exactly a budget – price list but I splurged a bit to celebrate my long – awaited Sabah visit :D

First, we had our dinner at Brass Monkey. This place serves no pork and some dishes may contain alcohol, so ask your waiter upon ordering. It’s pretty popular for good western food.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 02 ~ Dinner from Apple Café, 1Borneo Hypermall

 

When I was a student I used to get my lunch / dinner here because the café offers variety of side dishes at an affordable price. It’s not exactly Malay food or Chinese food, more like a mix – up and fusion I guess. For a filling meal at affordable price, I couldn’t care less. They have never displayed a Halal status, but no pork is served here and you can see some Malays eating here too.

Budget Travel @ Sabah 01 ~ Courtyard Hotel @ 1Borneo Hypermall, Kota Kinabalu

My recent trip to Sabah for a course was on a tight budget, since I was saving up for something else.  I was lucky that I managed to get a decent price for MAS ticket (about RM600++) instead of the usual AirAsia (actually, if you can, try to get a MAS flight. They are much more comfortable, with free food unlike AirAsia where everything is charged). If you are travelling cheaply like me, and the next door Tunes Hotel is fully booked, Courtyard Hotel can be listed under your options. A bit crampy for some, but for a single person who goes out most of the time and comes back to the hotel room for a shower and a snooze, Courtyard is enough to accommodate you. Get the discounted price by booking via Agoda.com. Stay here if you are familiar with Kota Kinabalu city and have your own transport e.g. a rental car as it is located outside the city centre, next to the University Malaysia Sabah. As for me, I rented a car from the Terminal 1 airport, a Myvi @ RM130 / day.

Easy to make ~ Steamboat (chicken stock base)

I love steamboat. Who doesn't? On cold, rainy day, it's the best thing ever. And it's easy to make, easy to serve to a large group of people and it goes well with a good conversation.

I am making ~ Portuguese chicken

My attempt to produce something close to Nando's chicken I guess :D It did turned out well, and polished off in a jiffy. And it's not as complicated as you may think it is, just a bunch of spices and some cheats here and there.

I am making ~ Roasted tomato with mozarella cheese and basil

I love tomato, it's an easy vege that can be eaten on it's own, baked, made into soup, pureed, used in pasta sauce etc. This super - easy recipe is prepared with minimal ingredients and is used as an accompaniment to my roast chicken.

Masak - masak Melayu ~ Pucuk Manis masak lemak

 I assure you that this is one of the simplest, lazy bum cooking ever using coconut milk as a base gravy. At the market if you don't know how the plant looks like, just say as confidently as you can "kak, minta sayur manis satu" and the lady would pass you one bunch. As for my case, I remember how it looks like but I forget the name hence my idiotic question was "kak sayur apa ni?" @ "What vege is this?", much to their amusement as I hand over the vege, probably thinking that how on earth would I cook a vege of unknown name :p