Yau Soey Ar

In my four years of staying here, this is the first time I witness a waterfall at our apartment.

I don't know what happen to the roof but water kept gushing down like waterfall and the sight was simply lovely and serve as good omen to any Chinese

It was so heavy that even the my corridor at 17th floor was flooded

And rain kept flying inside to my home as I open the door to welcome it...a sign that luck is flying into my door into the house.

As more rain poured in, I had to close my door as my furniture had started to get wet....ahh...the things in life...

I finally found the song

In my first few trips to Bangkok, I would always make effort to watch the show and I been searching for this song for years and forgotten the power of Google until today.

I am so glad to have found the found without going through the trouble to get it from the shops...

Thank you GOOGLE !

Happy Father's Day

It was one of those nights where we faced the same problem of finding a place to eat. So we decided to drive around town and decided on Eden at Hutton Lane. Its been years since I last came here and first time for dad.

Ah...memories of yesteryear and the place has not changed since.

I remembered coming here with mum when I was very small. Its the time she would bring me when ever I behaved good and it was also one of those rare places that you can get good western food.

Anyway, forget the past, most importantly is that we are here back and dad sure like the place.

Since it was also Father's day, its a day I allowed him to relax on his diet and ate what he wanted.

So we both decided on the Set Menu since it was cheaper and had everything.

After an afternoon jog, I was still full but its ok...eat first and worry later...besides, I still have two weeks to go before my photo shooting and I can always go diet come Monday.

Our first course arrived....Caesar's salad....Malaysian style..obviously you do not expect the Western style of Caesar's salad.

Then same Shark's fin soup....fake shark's fin of course !

Our main course...yummm.....Lamb for Dad and Steak for myself.

Portion was extremely small compare to what I would get in Europe.

We ate at our usual normal speed and within 30 minutes, we were already at our last course!

Dad was happy he gets to eat ice-cream !

Since it was only 8pm, we decided to sit a little longer and observe people eating and enjoy the aircond. Besides, where else can we go or do for the evening?

So we decided to drive around town and since dad had not seen Times Square before, I decided to go one more round today.

The view at night was extremely beautiful and colorful and an amazement.

Its was amazing how Times Square brought life and lights back to this once deserted Smelting Company site.

We walked and walked.....

Outside...

Birch House....dad wanted to see if there was any antique left from the old days.

In 30 minutes...we were done because there was nothing else to see or do.

So, that's how I spent my Father's Day with Dad....HAPPY FATHER'S DAY EVERYONE

Penang Times Square

It was a hazy afternoon today and since the haze had covered the sun, we decided to hang out in town and visit Penang Times Square. I have heard so much about this place and yet have not got the opportunity to visit it. So, after lunch at 3pm....oh I slept until 2pm today.


Off we drove around town and luck was on our side that we managed to get a lot right infront of times square.

My first impression was wow ! This place is fantastic !

It sure looks like Siam Paragon about on the exterior.

Since I am already here, might as well take some pictures and get myself ready for the actual shooting in 2 weeks time to see how I would turn out.

Looks ok but seems that I have two shades of color on my arms...which was quite obvious !

Other than the F&B outlets outside Times Square...the whole complex was practically empty !

Not a single shop was in sight.

To make matters worst, I don't think they have any anchor tenant here.

Its such a waste and I surely hope Times Square would not be a failure because it has spruced up inner Georgetown and brought life back here.

After about an hour's walk around, since there was nothing much to do, we treated ourselves to Swenson's Ice Cream....yumm

Chronicles of my Europe Trip - 4

Day 3 in Rome was much better. It was the day I decided to venture out of the city into the outskirt to see St Paul's Basilica. It is a Church dedicated to Paul the Apostle and most people would have let out as its not as famous as St Peter's Basilica.

At St Paul's, you have the chain that chained Paul on display at the altar.

After my visit, I took the train to Pyramid Station to see the one and only Pyramid in Rome that buried someone important which I cannot recall the name. It was also here that half way through I got hungry and decided to find food for lunch. I went to the mini market and was surprised I can get lunch for only 89cents ! No one until today believe me but I am talking the truth. A bun and 1.5l of mineral water cost only 89cents.

After my bread lunch, off I went to St John the Baptist Basilica. This church was dedicated to St John the Baptist and also known as The Mother of all Churches because it was built by Constantine, the first Roman Emperor that converted to Christianity from Pagan worshiping.

300 meters from St John's Basilica, you have Holy Church of Jerusalem where relics of the wooden Cross that nailed Jesus is open display and a copy of the Holy Shrub that you can see clearly the image of Jesus, his ribs and body.

From here, off I went to Piazza del Apolo where again more churches are around to be seen and the whole street is lined up with shops and boutiques of branded goods around. It was also here that I found scores of Churches all lined up in one street and by then I had started to grow tired of seeing so many Churches.

Since it was still bright, I decided to walk to Trevi Fountain, the must see fountain in Rome. Your visit to Rome is never complete without a visit to Trevi Fountain. Everyone comes here, make a wish and flip a coin backwards to the fountain for luck and so did I too.

By the time I got back to my hotel was around 6pm and I was damn exhausted and hungry. So I decided to treat myself to a good dinner at a Restaurant infront of my B&B that cost me nearly RM100 for a simple cabonara and mineral water. But it was worth it and by 8pm, I was ready for bed again....

Chronicles of my Europe Trip - 3

Day 2 proved to be much better for me after I had a good nite sleep ( I was not able to sleep the past many nights due to time zone) and I had studied the map the night before. I knew where I was heading and that would be Vatican City.

It was just so exciting because St Peter Basicila is like the centre of Christianity and where it all started. Filled with so much history and mysteries, I was finally on my way to it. The first stop was to Musei Vaticani where all the treasures of Roman Catholic are kept and preserved.

Just as I arrived, what a luck, my battery ran out and my spare one was left in the hotel. Again, prayers to God that if I come out, I would loose my entrance fee and too much time consuming to go back again. So I decided to continue, only to be blessed that the battery went flat as I finished the tour and stepped out. It was a miracle that I just can't explained.

I am not really a fan of artworks so I just walked through it very fast as I wanted to visit Sistine Chapel which has been so famous all these while. In case you don't know, Sistine Chapel is where all the cardinals congregate before selection of the new Pope.

After touring the museum, I headed back to my hotel to get the spare battery and again had pizza for lunch....yuks...I missed my chicken rice already.

After lunch, off I went to Vatican and the weather was just perfect with an overcast. Arriving at Vatican, I was beyond words. You could feel so much spiritual in this holy city that I took 2 hours to slowly walk around and admiring the art works and relics kept in the Church.

Below are all the pictures taken at St Peter Basilica and enjoy going through them.

After this was a walk to Castelo de Angelico. (Castle of Angels) There is a long history of this place and to read more, please google it.

By the time I had finished here, it was 5pm plus and the sky was getting dark. Not wanting to walk 1km back to the train station, I decided to be adventurous and take the public bus transport back. Back in my mind since Termini is the central station, logically all buses would stop there as their depot and I was right. Within 30 minutes, I was back to Termini station and seeing how convenience things were, I had beginning to like Rome already.

Chronicles of my Europe Trip - 2

As you would have read my earlier entry on Rome, I had the worst shock of my life upon reaching Rome. The whole city was just chaotic with cars, vandalism, dust and jam. Having arrived so tired since 2am from Frankfurt, such greeting was the last I had expected. Unlike the experience I had upon arriving Frankfurt, Rome was hell and dirty. The ugly side of Europe I would say.

Fortunately, I picked Hotel Continental to stay where it was near the Central Station and very easy to move about Rome. It was also my first time experiencing a B&B in Europe. Don't get me wrong, I had always stay in B&B during my Asia backpacking and again, this B&B where I was staying given me the shock of my life.

The hotel also had lift ! At the width of a narrow staircase !

My room? Wow...it was so big that if two person were to be in it, you won't be able to move! Most of the hotels I had stayed in Asia would have a huge room greeting me and this was a sad sight !

My room came with a balcony...facing someone's backyard ! View from the left

View from the right

And I had a private bathroom....big enough that I had to walk in via side ways to get in ! The toilet, shower and basin were all at one corner

All these for the price of Euro 70 a night ! I would be dreadful to think if I had taken up a dormitory room with shared toilet ! It was money worth spending for the little privacy and luxury...so I thought !

Chronicles My Europe Trip Part 1

Hello everyone, I have arrived home safely from Europe and the trip has been amazing (of course it should be right?) and an eye opener. I shall start my blog by continuing what I left on my entry in Frankfurt before I headed to Rome.

If there is one word that I describe say about Frankfurt is, it will be CLEAN. Gosh, this whole city is so clean. You don't see vandalism or rubbish thrown anywhere at all. The air was so fresh the day I arrived and the temperature was 15c. It was like walking in an aircond room and it was just perfect for me. Before I left Penang, it was like 35 to 40 with haze.

Frankfurt was just beautiful and the kind of city I would love to be in. The people were friendly and the food was delicious. For Euro 5.99, you could have a huge pork knuckle and hot dog for two person. Isn't that cheap?

Since I had friends in Frankfurt, we had so much fun and time walking around. Not to mention I ventured out on my own as well. The tram station is situated just infront of our hotel and you can easily hop on and tour the whole Frankfurt. The people there were honest and if you do not buy any tickets, you can still get into the train or tram. Just don't get caught because if you do, a fine of Euro 40 awaits you.

Other than a city, there is not much sightseeing to do in Frankfurt. The houses there we unique and every apartment would have little planter box with blooming flowers complimenting the apartment.

You can see all the pictures from the slide show below. If you have facebook, log on to view all the pictures I took in the 3 cities I visited.

Without knowing what was in store for me in Rome, I was looking forward to going Rome for a week not until I realise it was the worst city I have seen for a European country. Other than the magnificent churches, Rome proved to be the worst like a third world country living mentality.