Gong Xi Bazaar (2)

Today is the first day of Chinese New Year and I have started to feel so lazy and tired. Anyway, I'll write a post about the Gong Xi Bazaar as promised. Nevertheless, this post is going to be filled with mostly photos.

Gong Xi Bazaar is an annual event in Miri. It is a "pasar malam" which operates just few days before Chinese New Year at the Miri City.

Newly renovated place at the Miri City.

Although you can start browsing through the bazaar few days before Chinese New Year, I strongly suggest you to go there two days before the Chinese New Year (final day of the bazaar).

Miri Central Market at night.

Why? This is because at that day, the Miri Central Market opens from the afternoon till early in the morning next day.

Human sardine.

If you planned to buy any vegie or meat to cook during the Chinese New Year period, you have to do it on the final day of the bazaar. This is due to the fact that, no stall is opened during the first few days of Chinese New Year.

"Lap Cheong" (Cantonese) a.k.a. Chinese Sausages.

That's for last 5 years. Nowadays, supermarket opens on the very first day of Chinese New Year. Fear no more! ;)

Can you spot yourself, dancing queen?

Am I lost?

How many hundreds of Mirians are here?

This is the place where you can meet lots of long lost friends. I met quite a few here.

Lion visiting every stalls.

There are some perfomances to entertain the crowd, too. Singing and lion dance are some of the performances.

"Kam" (in Cantonese) = Gold?

Flowers sold for home decoration.

Bamboo.

There are all sorts of stuff being sold. From plants...

All the red stuff give a feeling of Chinese New Year!

"Ong Lai" (in Hokkien) = luck come?

to home decorations...

Pick 'n' Mix candies.

"Fatt Gou" (in Cantonese) = rich?

You can roughly tell how good is the sugar cane drink business on that night.

Barbeque pork. *Slurp*

to foods and drinks...

"Lelong, lelong! Satu pasang RM5!!!"

to clothes...

Ugly octopus.

Baby for sale sleeping.

to some strange stuff such as the ugly octopus and the baby...

Limousine made in Malaysia.

There is also a Proton Limousine Service fetching you to go to and forth the Gong Xi Bazaar! Haha!

Huge, cute God of Fortune.

Last but not least, there's a God of Fortune to wish you a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year ahead! :)

Gong Xi Bazaar

Just a short post from me. There's a Gong Xi Bazaar at Miri City! Tomorrow will be the last day of this annual event. Those of you at Miri, don't miss this opportunity to take a look at this bazaar.

Gong Xi Bazaar.

The main market will be opened throughout the night till early in the morning. Various things are sold there. There are also some performances going on.

So, why don't you bring along your family to see yourself the "never-close-market"?

P/s: I'll have a more complete update about this bazaar after tomorrow.
P/s/s: Today is my last day of my industrial training. I miss the working life!

Happy Valentine's Day!

14th of February every year is a very special occasion for all the couples out there. Valentine's Day is a day for the couples to express their love for each other. I don't actually quite agree with that. I think everyday should be treated as Valentine's Day and not just a day in every year. What do you think?

As I don't have any lover at the moment, Valentine's Day doesn't mean anything to me. Maybe it does, to show my love for my family and friends. :)

Roses for your girlfriend?

On this day, normally couples spend quite a lot of money in presents such as roses, watches, ties, chocolates and etc to show how much they love each other. Some even spend additional money on dinners and movies. To me, love cannot be measured by how much money we spent on our lovers. It is about our sincerity instead. That's why, I accepted Firehorse's challenge on "How to spend no more than RM5 on Valentine's Day to express your love to your lover".

Or chocolate in a heart shaped box?

You'll need some imagination, so be prepared for that. ;)

If I was to have a lover, this is what I would do...

I'll make "xiang shi dou" (saga seeds) my Valentine's theme.

"Xiang shi dou" which is red in colour.

It is this "xiang shi dou" which gave me the inspiration for the whole plan. There are few reasons for me to choose it as my Valentine's theme.

1. The colour would not fade no matter how long you keep it. It reflects how much I love my other half.
2. It takes some amount of time to collect the small little "xiang shi dou". This is how I show my sincerity.
   
3. It's FREE! Remember the RM5 budget?

A self made card.

I'll make her a card with some words to express my love. Although this cost me nothing, it is a way I can jot down my feelings on her.

I need a heart-shaped-bottle.

I'll then find a heart-shaped-bottle. This can be found at the "RM2.00 Store" I guess. A heart-shaped-bottle is just an alternative since I have to consider I spend. If it is to no available, a normal bottle will do. A recycle bottle only cost you not more than RM2.

I need this bottle to fill up maybe 99 or 999 or 9999 pieces of "xiang shi dou" as a gift for her. Why must I have the number 9? This is due to the reason that 9 in Mandarin is "jiu" which has the same pronouciation as "long". This show that I love her "long long". ;)

A packet of candles.

Again, I'll target the "RM2.00 Store" to get a packet of candles. It'll cost me, I think, another RM2. Why I need this? I think some of you might know the plan eh?

That's all the preparation for Valentine's Day.

Beautiful sunset.

On Valentine's Day, I'll bring her to the beach. Holding her hands while walking along the beach, to enjoy the beautiful sunset.

Just before the sky is completely dark, I'll ask her to close her eyes and wait while I rush to the car to get the candles, bottle filled with "xiang shi dou", hand-made card and one large bag of "xiang shi dou".

Yellow = candles and red = "xiang shi dou".

I'll arrange the candles like what I've shown on the photo and I'll filled the heart, again, with the "xiang shi dou". Now you know why I have chosen "xiang shi dou" as my theme. Seriously, I need a LOT of "xiang shi dou" to make sure my plan goes well. At the end of the letter "U", I'll put the bottle of "xiang shi dou" accompanied by the hand-made card.

She'll, then, be given the permission to open her eyes and SUPRISE! hehe.

The rest of the plan, I don't think I'll need to continue. I think most of you will know what's next. ;)

Lastly, to all the couples out there, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!


P/s: I know my plan for Valentine's Day sounds lame. Let me know what's yours and I'll improve on mine.
P/s/s: I hope my future lover never comes to this blog. If yes, there'll be no more surprise for her. :P
P/s/s/s: Total cost is less than RM5 for this plan! You know how cheapskate I am, now.

New Gadget For My Sis

Since it's weekend, I decided to give myself a break from thinking about the accomodation back in Perth. The best way I can think of is to blog. So, yea, here it goes...

I promised my sis a new digital camera last year if she managed to do well in her exams. Your eyes are fine. It's a digital camera! I have to withdraw some amount of money from my savings to buy her a digital camera.

Since she did not bad in her exams, a new Canon IXUS 900Ti for her.

Brand new Canon IXUS 900Ti.

I am just trying to do a few comparions between my Canon Powershot A95 and her Canon IXUS 950Ti.

A typical design of a camera.

Two years ago when I first bought this Canon Powershot A95, the cost is about RM1600++. This includes the camera itself, two sets of rechargeable batteries (8 of them altogether) and charger, a 256mb CF memory card and a camera pouch. This is a 5 megapixel camera.

A better design camera with titanium casing.

Canon IXUS 900Ti costs about RM1600. I have to fork out RM1300 and my sis decided to top up the remaining. The price includes the camera itself, one battery pack and charger, a 1gb SD memory card and a pouch. This is a 10 megapixel camera. Yea, within 2 years, Canon has come out with an amazing 10 megapixel camera. I simply like the titanium casing as titanium won't rust and it is very light.

Side view of the two cameras.

As you can see, Canon Powershot A95 is more bulky and heavier compared to Canon IXUS 900Ti. Both have its own advantages and disadvantages. A bigger camera can offer more grip when taking photos but of course, it'll be quite inconvenient to bring it around.

Back view of Canon Powershot A95.

The Canon Powershot A95 is equipped with a 1.8 inch vari-angle LCD screen which I really like. The vari-angle screen really helps alot when you have to take a photo in a weird angle or position.

Back view of Canon IXUS 900Ti.

Nothing special about the screen of the Canon IXUS 900Ti except for it's large 2.5 inch LCD monitor with wide angle viewing. I find the image in the screen is a bit "shaky". I have no idea why.

Left: Picture taken using Canon Powershot A95.
Right: Picture taken using Canon IXUS 900Ti.

Just a photo comparison between both cameras using the same setting for both. For me, it has no difference. What do you think?

In conclusion, both cameras are worth the money. If you planned to go for a SLR-like-camera, try the Powershot series whereas if you want a small, slim and stylish camera, go for the IXUS series.

For a more complete info/comparison/reviews of different kind of cameras, try DPreview.

Dilemma...

I'm homeless back in Perth (I moved out from my place last year). I have a friend, Darren, currently helping me to look for a house to accomodate him, Chris and me.

I'm more comfortable to live near to the uni but again, there are limited places and also, the rental is a bit high. Whereas, if I was to live far away from uni, there are quite a number of houses to look at with reasonable price. The downside is, it's not even walking distance to uni!

I'm in my final year of uni this year and I expect to spend quite some time in uni, either to do my Final Year Project or some other works. And since I don't have a car, it's quite inconvenient for me to live far from uni. I don't want to depend on bus to go to and back from uni. If I was to live far from uni, I have to spend more on food for lunch or maybe dinner.

How, how? My preference would be to live near to uni... Hopefully, there'll be a house nearby to accomodate three of us. *Long sighhhhhh*

Sultana Cafe

Tonight, I had my dinner with my Mama, Yee Yee (Aunt) and my sis at Sultana Cafe.

Sultana Cafe.

Sultana Cafe is located near Al Fresco Cafe at Pelita Commercial Centre. Somewhere around Servay Hypermarket.

A small shop.

It's just a small shop with additional tables and chairs outside the shop. It offers Asian and Western meals.

Look at what's highlighted red.

What caught my eyes is the Bario Rice they served. Bario is a gateway to the Kelabit Highlands of Central Borneo. I haven't been to Bario before but I can say the rice produced there is of high quality and tasted just great!

Teh Tarik or beer?

I ordered a glass of Teh Tarik (milk tea). Three words... "I LIKE IT!"

Peach Lassi.

My Yee Yee ordered this Peach Lassi (peach flavour yoghurt drink). I didn't try it but my sis claimed that it has egg flavour in it. :O

Nasi Pattaya Sultana's Special.

Since I was more interested with it's Bario Rice, I decided to have Nasi Pattaya Sultana's Special.

RM9 a plate.

It is fried Bario Rice with seafood (prawn and squids) in an "egg basket". The rice has curry powder which makes it smell good. It doesn't disappoint me at all especially its Bario Rice. Two thumbs up for this Nasi Pattaya Sultana's Special.

Nasi Goreng Kampung Style for RM7.

My Yee Yee tried this Nasi Goreng Kampung Style. It is fried rice served with a fried chicken wing, an egg and few pieces of cucumbers. Nothing special about this dish except, again, for its Bario Rice.

My Mama had curry chicken which I think is a bit too salty and not up to my standard. As for my sis, she checked out the Nasi Lemak there and it's not as nice as the Nasi Lemak I had at Bakery Cafe.

Conclusion: There are still room to improve for the food in this cafe but I must praise them for their delicious Bario Rice they served. Other than that, the food there is a bit too pricey for most of the Mirians here.

P/s: I might try their Western meal next time.

Look Who's Coming?

Can you guess who's coming to Miri city at the moment? Most probably you'll answer santa claus since you have heard of "Santa claus is coming...to town~!". But too bad I have to say you got the answer wrong! Ok, ok. Let me tell you who's coming...

10...
9...
8...
7...
6...
5...
4...
3...
2...
1...

In a shopping centre.

CHOI SAN DOU! (God of Fortune is coming!). As Chinese New Year is around the corner, most of the shopping centres here in Miri are having SALES, SALES and SALES to attract more customers.

Servay Hypermarket even uses this God of Fortune for promotion. But don't you think this God of Fortune is a bit too thin?

So, how's your preparation for Chinese New Year? Have you bought any new clothes or prepared any cookies or kuih sepit for anyone who is going to visit you?

Bakery Cafe

When I thought it was another day without new post for my blog, suddenly, I remember the Nasi Lemak recommended by carrots. She told me Nasi Lemak at Bakery Cafe, Miri, is the best at Miri.

This afternoon, I dragged my Baba to Bakery Cafe for lunch.

Just a small cafe with simple decorations.

Bakery Cafe is located not far from Imperial Mall. It is just opposite a mosque.

Food is prepared here.

Most of the food there is ready cooked. They use a microwave oven to heat it up whenever they get an order from a customer.

Coke float.

Ok, I think I have made the wrong choice for the drink. I should have ordered maybe coffee or chocolate instead of this coke float. For RM3.80 a glass, the coke float has nothing to boast about.

Nyonya Curry.

My Baba ordered a serve of Nyonya Curry. I tried it and I can say this is definitely not the best curry I have tasted. Somemore, I'm a bit surprised when I saw pieces of cabbage in the curry. Is it a new receipe? I forgot how much it costs but I think it's more than RM6.

The long waited Nasi Lemak.

Here come my Nasi Lemak. Indeed, this is one of the best Nasi Lemak in Miri, I would say.

Saliva dripping now?

The rice has a very nice santan (coconut milk) aroma and the texture of the rice is just nice. Rice is very important in Nasi Lemak. As you can see from the name, it emphasises the word "nasi" which means rice in Malay. Therefore, I would tend to give 50% of the overall rating to the rice.

RM5.80 for a plate.

The rice is accompanied by some side dishes which include two pieces of fried chicken, sambal, ikan bilis, half piece of boiled egg, small serve of kangkung, few pieces of cucumber, shredded carrots and lettuce. The sambal can be improved but the fried chicken suits my liking. I think the chicken is marinated with spices and curry powder before it is being deep fried. Two side dishes are missing i.e. peanuts and salted fish but an additional dish, kangkung, is added.

Overall, I would like to give four out of five stars for the Nasi Lemak. Another star would be given if there's an improvement in the sambal and if the peanuts and salted fish are added.

P/s: The food and drinks in this cafe are quite pricey. Be prepare to spend some money for quality food and drinks. :)

P/s/s: Nasi Lemak only available on Mondays and Thursdays.