Trip to KL and Ipoh detour!!!

Hi Hi! It's been soooooo long since I updated right?

Fear not! Me and my dear honey just went to KL 2 weeks ago for Eason Chen's concert (and of course lotsa eating and shopping), so i'm gonna share my trip with everyone!

There's gonna be a load full of roadtrip pics, sceneries, Skybridge @ Petronas Twin Towers, shopping mall, "harvests", yummy food pics, Eason's concert arena at Stadium Bukit Jalil, our detour to Ipoh on our way back from KL..... many more!

I took 3 days' leave just for this trip and so did my bf! We were really looking forward to this and we were not disappointed, find out why by end of this long post! :D

DAY 1
Let's start! We took off from Penang around 7.30am in the morning of August 25th and headed for some great yam cha at Tai Thong (Kimberley Street) and boy, was the Century Egg porridge good! It was thick and full of stuff! (The porridge aunty highly recommended it) I didn't take a picture of it coz............. i'd look really silly doing it ya know, with all the morning aunties and uncles having their yam cha there :)

We officially departed for KL around 8:15am.... and took the Jelutong Expressway (Phase II completed) and here's a pic of it:-














Next we went up Penang Bridge and maintenance work was going on around the iconic mark of the midle of the bridge, I heard they were gradually replacing each diagonal bars with new ones..














We stopped by at Tapah R&R, since our Malaysia's National Day is just around the corner (August 31st) hence our flags can be seen almost everywhere! We're going to celebrate our 49th Independence Day this year














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We finally reached KL around 12noon (in shocking 3.5 hours with lots of mumbling and warnings to my bf from my end along the way), and checked in to our city-friendly hotel - Capitol Hotel, didn't I tell you before how much I love hotels? Probably not many opportunities to travel I guess :)

Here's the interior of our room (we got a pretty weird L-shaped room):-














Amenities including iron and iron board














The bathroom:-




























What I liked most is the bathroom coz it has a really spacious showering area with glass door, and the shower head is just so perfectly HUGE that you can really enjoy a nice thorough shower with it - cleansing your body, making you feel fresh, what's more, the shower head is non-fixed - so we can actually bring it down and use it wherever we wanted to without having to stand exactly under the shower head.

Capitol Hotel comes to me and my bf's fancy coz it's located right beside Sungai Wang and Low Yat Plaza, near to LRT stations and so we can go almost anywhere from here - though it's only rated as 3-stars - i really loooooved the bathroom - the amenities and facilities are pretty good for a 3-star hotel - modern and clean lines

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I got in touch with my friend Lai Kheng whom I haven't seen in ages (5 years to be exact) and working with the company that owns our Twin Towers do have its advantage - he can bring visitors up to the skybridge with just a pass, so we took LRT to KLCC and he was there to meet us up - Lai Kheng commented that he could barely recognise me coz I was slimmer back then (yikes!!!!! - i totally reliase that ok?? Not need at all to remind me) so he brought me and my bf up to the 41st and 42nd floor where the skybridge of the Petronas Twin Towers is - unfortunately it was pouring so heavily outside by the time we got there and so these were the only views I managed to capture, and also we were past 5pm when we got there so the security did not allow us visitors into the actual skybridge area anymore:-
























































This is the lobby of the Twin Towers:-














While waiting for Lai Kheng to go back up to his office to return our visitor passes and pack up his stuff, we hung around and caught a glimpse of Breitling's lavish showcase, featuring, of all things.................

an AIRPLANE! (not a real one, of course, duh!)














Is this expensive stuff or what?

Afterwhich we headed to Dome for a cuppa and also dinner, where Lai Kheng was so kind enough to foot the bill, we insisted to pay since there were 2 of us but as kind as he is, always, he said it would definitely be his treat as we came all the way from Penang to KL and he should treat us; we urged him to come over to Penang some day so we can bring him to some good makan-makan. At Dome, I managed to capture the fountain's shot from where I was seated,














and after we said our goodbye's and parted with Lai Kheng we walked over to the fountain to get a better shot, it was beautiful indeed:-














We shopped a bit at KLCC until their closing time around 9:30pm and took a taxi back to our hotel since it was late and not so safe to go back by LRT where we'd have to transit at certain stations.

Some nice night pictures of the Petronas Twin Towers:-

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DAY 2
Since we conquered Suria KLCC on Day 1, so our Day 2 will consist of Mid Valley Megamall instead! One of my agenda on the list is to dine at Manhattan Fish Market (MFM), where we had a really nice meal the last time we were here 2 years ago:-

When we reached Mid Valley, it was only approaching 12noon, hence not many patrons at MFM














I ordered a Seafood Chowder soup and a starter plate of Fried Calamari; and my bf ordered the standard Fish & Chips, but I do have to mention that the strawberry/banana drink I ordered was reaaaalllyyy good!!! Nice and thick :)

Condiments:-














(Clockwise from top) Chilli, Garlic, Tar Tar sauce - my bf is a heavy Tar Tar sauce eater so this is definitely not enough for his appetite

This is my Seafood Chowder














Fried Calamari (though it's just a starter plate, the portion is just nice for myself and my bf who sneaked quite a few pieces from my plate as well)














This is my bf's Fish & Chips














The bill came to about RM50, but it was all worth it IMHO.

Just into the first hour, we already managed to grab a handbag, a one piece skirt (for myself) and a pair of jeans (for him), not too bad huh?

oh, there was a MAC showcase going on there, with make up sessions and stuff, and all of a sudden, the make-up artistes started to dance! (Nah, they're still there doing make ups, hehe... They're pro dancers hired by MAC most probably :)














So we shopped and shopped and covered almost the entire shopping mall, and needed a sit down so we had some Haagen Dazs before leaving the mall at 4:30pm to get back to our hotel as we're gonna have Eason's concert at 8pm tonight. And did I mention how Packed it was at the LRT station to get from Mid Valley to KL Sentral? Not forgetting all the 'baggage' we had to drag (with my bf's new bought jeans and work shoes being the biggest weight contributors) We had to queue up (a looooooooooong queue indeed) to get our train tickets then had to literally Squeeeeze ourselves into the train (we were the last 2 having the privellege to get in btw, thanks to my bf :) as there was next to nothing to hang on to at our standing position, I whispered to my bf : I think we will never fall anyway, since we are 'cushioned' by everybody all round! But the body odour was really getting into me, eventhough the journey was only 1 stop... yuckssss......

So we got back to our hotel, took a shower, changed, and left for Stadium Bukit Jalil at about 6pm+.. grabbing some snacks and bread at Sungai Wang for our pre-dinner, and arrived at Bukit Jalil at about 7pm (darn early), but we were not the Only ones early see:-

Upon enquiring the concert organising team, our ticket range's (RM222) entrance is at the "Red Gates" (sounds so VIP) so after some walking around we finally found the Red Gate:-














But since there's nobody here, obviously this is not our entrance, and it's Here:-















The gate's not open for admission into the stadium yet so we hung out nearby; and also they have this rule of No Food and Drinks allowed so me and my bf were busy munching down our breads and gulping down our (thank goodness) 1 bottle of 500ml mineral water.

Soon after the gate was opened and we happily walked in after having our tickets UV-scanned:-

This is our first time to set foot on our National Stadium - Bukit Jalil Stadium and it's pretty huge indeed.....

The blocks across the middle there are mobile toilets which I'm glad I didn't have the need to step into :)
This is where our RM222 tickets seat are - CRAPPY location i must say - coz it's damn far from the stage ok!!!! Notice the big screens are on both sides of the stage, and yes, the stage is the pitch black squarish spot right in the middle:-














Note how empty all our front rows are? Malaysians are indeed living up to its name of being 'Lewat' (Late) wherever they go.

And to top off our crappy seating position, we had to have 2 tall people (a guy and a girl) layering right in front of our seats - totally blocking our view of the stage (GRRRRR!!!!!!!!)

Check out Eason's fans up on top!














The concert finally STARTED!!!! - around 8:30pm and there's Eason (on the big screens that is, as I could not see him on stage) with his first opening song














Then some more 'Loooooooooong' shots taken during the concert:-

Oh, btw, our seats are on the right of the Control Area in the middle, so sometimes we look over to see the Lighting team in action, flickering the control panels to make the awesome lighting effects on stage as well :)














The concert ended around 11:30pm (yeah Eason delivered full indeed) and many audiences have already started to leave around 10:30pm (most probably to beat the traffic and some, catching the LRT train I guess) but we stayed until the end (RM222 per ticket ok?)

Afterwhich we took a taxi back to our Hotel (good RM30 for the ride), had some surprisingly nice Kebab at a place near our Hotel area and went to bed, satisfied with Eason's concert as his vocals are undeniably good, both in recording and Live.

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DAY 3
So Day 3 is the ultimate shopping experience as we went to...... none other than 1 Utama! We were a bit disoriented there coz the place was not as straight forward as Mid Valley, so it took a while for us to get used to the mall configuration... shoplot arrangements etc :)

We had our lunch at Long John Silver's (fast food chain of seafood offerings) and we find the stuff pretty oily and salty as well, the crumbed chicken/fish/prawns a bit too hard to my liking but hey, we were very much hungry by the time we got to 1 Utama that we couldn't care less :)

After filling up our stomachs, time to shop! It was tiring to conqueor 1 Utama - even more so after its extension wing completed as there were just endless boutiques - we bought a few stuff here as well (of course!) and were going to have nice dinner at T.G.I. Friday's with my old friend Peek Jau's company (and her bf). She's one of my mates back in my college days and she's currently working in KL now. We hang out quite a lot back then and she even moved 2 units away from my house as the Aunty was renting out her rooms. Later on when I went to Brisbane for my studies she coincidentally went there as well half a year later but we were in different Unis. It has been quite a few years since we really saw each other, though still keeping in touch.

It was really entirely my idea to dine at Friday's coz I have been very keen on trying the establishment out ever since I saw how tempting their dishes were in another blog, the positive reviews given on the food and service there.

I was really wanting to take pictures of all the dishes we were going to have at Friday's but it's unfortunate that my phone's memory was about to run out (contributing factor: too much of sound recording at Eason's concert & picture-taking throughout our trip) so I just managed to capture what my bf ordered.

All in all, Peek Jau ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger; her bf the set meal consisting of a fried calamari starters; a chicken dish as main; and a chocolate brownie/ice cream dessert; topped off with a Long Island drink. On our side, my bf ordered Jack Daniel's New York Strip & Shrimp while I had a famous TGI cheeseburger; accompanied by an Ultimate Mud Slide as our shared drink.

This is what I captured for my bf's JD NY Strip & Shrimp:-














I can honestly tell you that the stuff they serve at Friday's are unbelievably to die for - the NY strip steak that my bf had was really 'medium'-ly done just as we expected it to be - though it was medium and had hints of redness in the meat - still it didn't smell funny at all as I expected it to; and the Jack Daniel's sauce (contained in the small dipper in the middle) is just perfectly complimenting the steak to its fullest! The shrimps were light and crunchy as well..... Yuuummmmmmmyyyyyyy

My cheeseburger was a knockout as well - the cheese, steak and accompanying veggies blend together so well, and the bread was so soft on the inside but hard on the outside - making it the ultimate burger I had so far.
What about the Ultimate Mudslide?It's a concoction of chocolate-laced avalanche of Kahlua, vodka, Baileys Irish Cream and ice cream. My bf shrudded at the thought of the fat % in this drink but being the ice cream and milkshake lover I am, I just luurrrrved it!

The bill came out to be RM200+ and my bf and Peek Jau's bf both offered to pay but in the end I insisted since it was my idea to eat there and Peek Jau was really kind enough to offer us a ride back to our hotel all the way from 1 Utama.. that's so sweet of her, but in the end I shared half the bill for Peek Jau's end so my bf's wallet won't 'hurt' so much :)

It was a nice catching up and I'm glad we did it - she is exactly the same to me and nothing has changed - still the bubbly and humble her.

We were pretty much worn out by the time we got back to our hotel with a stomach full of meat and liquor, so we washed up and headed straight to bed.. ZzzZzzzzz.. (those are my bf's snoring)

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DAY 4
We woke up around 10:30am to shower and pack up our stuff - leaving KL day! After dumping all our stuffs in the car boot we went for a quick economy rice (not economy at all btw) and headed for Sungai Wang for last-minute shopping! I managed to buy a pair of long pants there and we took off from KL around 2pm+ .. wondering to ourselves why does time have to fly past so quickly when we are really having fun and enjoying ourselves so much? Anyway, we've got a last agenda on our list prior to heading back to Penang - which is a Detour to Ipoh!

My bf's gonna start his new job in Ipoh so I'm keen on having a sneaky peek at his new house, new room, new environment! We stopped by the shop he frequents and bought some pomelos (my bf loves pomelos) and he bought me a small tube of durian kuih as well.

The fountain in Ipoh city














I saw this School Bus in the middle of Ipoh city and pointed to my bf "Look! This school bus is exactly the same as the one I've traveled in since I was in Kindergarten 1 until Secondary 3!" These are really old-school but brings back a lot of memories.. it's the exact same model, shape, and colour :D the aunty who drove me is still driving the school bus, though she's already very old; I guess some people like to move around more than retiring at home.














And next we headed for the famous Ipoh Nga CHoi Kai (Bean Sprout Chicken) but the premier shop Lou Wong was off that day so we had to settle for the next best (right beside Lou Wong's shop), but the main chef handling the chicken was pretty much rude and I know there won't be anymore next time for me and my bf!
Nevertheless, they serve good stuff, though a bit too oily, but at least I get to eat the real deal and not from stalls in Penang :)

The Chicken














The Bean Sprouts (Nga Choi)














The Hor Fun (flat rice noodles)














The fish balls














After Ipoh, we were finally officially on our way back home - Penang, on the way I saw the sunset which was so beautiful - orange colour lighting up the horizon as the day comes to an end.... it marks the end of our beautiful trip as well - it's been a long time since we had such a remarkable trip that both of us really enjoyed - the relaxing laze around til late in the mornings not having to worry about work at all; the shopping, the concert, and most important of all, each others' company.




























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Shopping Harvests!!!

How can a post on shopping be complete without a run down of all the stuff that I managed to harvest during my 4 day-long trip? I can't really put up what my bf bought coz I'm sure everybody will drop their jaw and go : You GOTTA be joking! Coz he did bought quite a handful too ;)
This is the overview of everything I've bought! (Please note that everything I bought was on sale so I'm not a real heavy spender)

Let's go through them one by one ok? ;)

2 pairs of crystalized earrings














I spent quite some time picking these out - they were all beautiful to me but I just bought 2 pairs - not a lot for an earring maniac like myself

Bag (Front)














Bag (Back)














Long sleeve top














Check out the button feature! It's unique heh? at first I thought it's just for decoration purposes but they can button up ya know... coz the V neck is li'l too low so I buttoned the lowest one up and it looked ok! Notice how the buttons each have their matching pair on the other end?














Long pants














Dark purple top














Black top with flower prints














And Torto!! - his name is Torto but we have renamed him Dino instead coz it sounds cuter and friendlier as well :D (And no, we're not crazy, if that's what you're thinking)














And.............. last but not least...... allow me to introduce my greatest FIND of all... THIS one-piece skirt!














It doesn't look very impressive when laid on a surface like this, but if you put it on someone, you can really see how light the fabrics are, the flowiness of the lace, and I really liked the ribbons on the sides where you can tie them up to the back, giving it a girlish look - and the skirt is from Zara, where everything is expensive. But guess how much I bought it for?





C'mon... take a wild guess.....





Go on.... just guess lah!







RM 59.90 only!!!!!!!!! (Original price : RM 199.90)

Isn't that a gem in the sea I found there or what? *Huge proud grin*

And oh, check out the paper bags and shopping bags we salvaged (I've been an avid shopping bag collector eversince I knew how to shop)










































*WHEW*! There you go! Finally finished on my KL trip post - hope you guys enjoyed my post as much as I've enjoyed it, and enjoyed writing it, and did I tell ya all before that I haven't even wrote about my previous Genting trip back in May 2006 yet? *gasp!*

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Work sucked lately and many times I felt I'm in bottlenecks, not knowing how to get out, not knowing what to do next. I feel stressed but at the same time, I know I can get out of this - I just have to believe I can do it - I just have to believe in myself that I'm much more stronger than people think I am.

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