Darul Ridzuan Road Trip

One of my 2015 resolutions is to travel to the states that I have not visited in Malaysia. Since I already have an interest in Malaysian history then why not visit these places to see it with my own eyes I thought. The Three Musketeers (Nuwaira,Shahriman and myself) decided to go on a road trip to a neighbouring state. Our first two options were : Melaka (Shah just came back from Melaka with his family) and N9 (in Nuwaira's own words : "Korang nak buek apo kek kampung den????"). The three of us are 'hantu' Chinese food so we agreed on Ipoh mainly due to this famous Restoran Hollywood that I've been hearing about from a family friend hailing from Perak. After asking around and doing some research online, I prepared our itinerary and packed my bag for a sleepover at Nuwaira's place. Alarm rang at 5.30am, mandi, bersiap, left the house, pumped petrol and picked up kekanda Shahriman.

We borak borak all the way, tested each others' general knowledge and sang along to songs chosen by DJ Shahriman and before we knew it, we were about to arrive at our first destination ; Ipoh. 

Ipoh Pekan Orang Handsome?  

We arrived at 9am, just in time for breakfast. Restoran New Hollywood in Canning Garden, about 5 minutes away from the Ipoh toll exit, is your typical Chinese corner shop with many different stalls that serves Halal Chinese Food. The shop was filled with locals ; office workers, mak cik with tongkat, Chinese apek retiree, you name it semua ada. 

Restoran New Hollywood
38, Jalan Lee Kwee Foh, Taman Canning, 31400, Ipoh
Open from 7am to 5pm

The long drive was worth it after we tasted the Chee Cheong Fun.

Ordered two plates of Chee Cheong Fun with prawn filling to share

We also ordered wantan mee, yong tau foo, kopi and roti kaya

Kenyang faces! Time to hunt for the Wall Art Murals by Ernest Zacharevic in Ipoh old town and burn off some calories

Paper Plane on Jalan Tun Sambanthan

Old Uncle With Coffee Cup near Oldtown White Coffee Padang Ipoh

Girl with Bird Cage on Jalan Bandar Timah

Tinggi bebenor. Tak sampai laaa

Evolution located along Jalan Bijeh Timah

The Three Musketeers at the Kopi O wall art mural on Jalan Tun Sambanthan

And lastly the Trishaw on Concubine Lane 3. We nearly gave up on this one cos we couldn't find it and the weather was too hot. We got in the car and was on our way to the next place when we saw it. Thank you Waze for the slight delay or we wouldn't have stopped at the side of the road and noticed the Trishaw.

Went to have a cold drink at Plan B to escape the scorching hot weather

Shahriman reading a quote about Love

Loving these quotes by Arwah Yasmin Ahmad. Pinjam kasut boleh? Hehe

These two trying to do a 'berlari berkejaran...lupakan segala duka' pose

P/S : Bits and Bobs is closed on Tuesdays so no Ais Kepal for us :(

Seat belt on, air conditioning full blast, pakai sunglasses and we're off to ......

Akhirnya kami menjejakkan kaki di Kuale Kangsor demi Pau kegemaran ramai and also to take photos of the beautiful Istana Kenangan. Arrived at Kuala Kangsar at 1pm, looked for parking and walked over to Yut Loy. It was 1pm, we kept our fingers crossed that we'd be able to pre book the pau.

Playing 'Chor Taai Di' at Yut Loy while waiting for the Pau to be ready. At this point, we still didn't know whether we would be getting any Pau. Kalah perasaan tunggu result SPM hehehe

At exactly 2.30pm, we got them Paus ! 5 of each : Chicken, beef, kaya and red bean to be shared between the three of us. That was the most we could get, nak lebih pun tak dapat. Oh wells, we'll have to come back for more la next time.

Apparently they only produce 200 - 300 paus daily so first come first serve. We were really lucky to get to try them.

Yayyy! Alhamdulilah dapat jugak akhirnya

We've talked about road trips for quite some time but never thought it would actually happen.

Muzium Diraja Perak or previously known as Istana Lembah / Istana Kenangan was built in 1926 for Almarhum Sultan Iskandar Shah (30th Sultan of Perak). The palace was the official residence between 1931 and 1933 before the completion of Istana Iskandariah ; the official residence of the Sultan of Perak until today.

It is currently closed for restoration so I only managed to take pictures from outside. The design and colour combination is beautiful. I'm not sure if the colours chosen were to coincide with the colour of the Perak flag (Black, Yellow and White). If you appreciate history and traditional Malay house designs like me, Kuala Kangsar should be your next destination for a road trip.

This is Baitul Anor, an abandoned mansion located right next to Masjid Ubudiah in Bukit Chandan built under the instruction of Raja Kechil Sulong Raja Harun Al Rashid in 1912 for his wife Raja Mentera Raja Sir Chulan. It is named after his eldest son, Raja Anor Shah. I made it a point to visit this place as I knew there is a wealth of information on the family history of Almarhum Sultan Idris I.

I myself have my family's salasilah that was passed down to us for generations and can be traced back right up to our beloved Prophet Muhammad pbuh hence the interest in family history. In fact, my own great grandmother named Raja Habsah could probably be related to one of these families in Perak (or not) but unfortunately there is nobody in my late grandfather's family that has knowledge of it.

View of Masjid Ubudiah from Baitul Anor

Portraits of Almarhum Sultan Idris I

Family history and family tree

Old photographs and a list of Cucunda Almarhum Sultan Idris I who are still alive

Photographs of the current Sultan of Perak and his predecessors. Daulat Tuanku!

This road trip is to celebrate our 10th anniversary of being friends. It all started with a simple 'Nama awak siapa?' back in 1 Anggerik.

I hope old mansions like this one would receive funds in order for it to be restored and made into some sort of a museum or gallery for the good of the future generation as a point of reference. 

We left Kuala Kangsar at 4pm after a failed mission to find an ais kepal stall and also contemplating whether we should singgah at MCKK or not (Nuwaira : Nanti aku nampak mamat hot, aku tak nak balik pulak HAHA) for Kuala Sepetang to have Mee Udang Banjir and headed back to KL afterwards.

RM 12 for this bowl of Mee Udang. This is the first time I ate that many prawns in one sitting! I'm not going near prawns for the next few months!

Alhamdulilah, bucket list nak pergi road trip in 2015 terlaksana within the first two weeks of the new year. I hope to go back for a longer trip next time so that I can slowly explore the state of Perak.

EDIT : Came across an interesting travel programme video focusing on Kuala Kangsar (ignore bits of the subtitles that do not match the voice over)

The Melayu Celup is Back !

Who is this Melayu Celup you may wonder. He is our secondary schoolmate by the name of Shahriman. School teachers used to refer to him as 'budak kening tebal tu' because of his (duhhh) super thick eye brows. He can be quite blur at times that you have to repeat yourself a few times before he catches what you're trying to say. But why the nickname Celup? I had to look through my old blog to find a post written back in 2009, the year we sat for SPM. It was in the Bilik Agama when the nickname Celup was created for Shahriman and Nadia (not to be confused with the other Nadia I talked about in previous posts).

5th October 2009

I present to you......THE CELUPS!! Agama was the highlight of the day. Bahrain tak habis2 panggil Nadia and Shahriman MELAYU CELUP. Nadia kept denying so ......

Bahrain sound dia : You don't even listen to Malay songs. At least Shahriman does. 

Shahriman : I do? No I don't. Waiiitttt! Yes yes, I listen to Sheila Majid! 

Me : Ala,yang tu dapat free album mestilah you listen. Or you kena paksa listen? 

All of us : Laughs (Sheila Majid is Shahriman's aunty)

Bahrain : Then tell me who sang Tipah Tertipu? 

Nadia : I don't know...

Shahriman : Oh Too Phat rite?

Bahrain : < geleng kepala > Even Ustad tau siapa nyanyi Tipah Tertipu.

Ustad,siapa nyanyi Tipah Tertipu?

Ustad : < senyum2 > David Arumugam

Nadia : Really? Who's that?

Shahriman : The Cat guy rite?

Bahrain,Airina and I : < gelak gila gila > Alleycats laa...

Shahriman : Oh ya! Sorry la..

Shahriman is back from the States after being away for two and a half years so the Three Musketeers (Nuwaira,Shahriman and I) decided to go on a makan tour around KL just like old times.

Waira and I have been craving for the Melted Cheese on Toasted Bread & Hot Chocolate that we had during our last makan trip before Shah left for US so that was naturally our very first stop. 

Melted Cheese on Toasted Bread with Tomatoes and Melted Cheese on Plain Toasted Bread 

The Bread Shop. 11, Jalan Setiakasih, Bukit Damansara, 50490, Kuala Lumpur.

Since we were quite full, we decided to go to Publika to jalan jalan for a bit before walking over to Whimsical which is in Solaris to try out their waffles, gelato and affogato. Unfortunately it was closed so we ended up having drinks and some Nachos at Plan B. 

Next destination, Bangsar for coffee and waffles. Went to Coffea Coffee for Caramel Macchiato then later Inside Scoop. Tried durian ice cream for the first time, I wish we had it earlier because I was a bit too full by that time but it was really to die for!  

We were looking for a place that served light snacks and I remember seeing this kopitiam style cafe on my Instagram feed a few weeks back so we drove over to Straits Food Company for some Nyonya  food. Shahriman wanted to have kangkung belacan because it costs him a fortune in the States but they ran out of kangkung so we ordered the bendi sambal belachan instead. We also ordered pai tee, popiah and otak otak to share.

Straits Food Company 

2, Jalan Abdullah, Off Jalan Bangsar, Bangsar Utama, Kuala Lumpur

Open Monday - Saturday 11am - 9pm

They drove me back home so that they could play with Kemi. Waira saw a deck of cards and suggested that we play 'Chor Taai Di' a game I never learnt because I saw how addictive it was when my college friends played it in between classes. They taught me how to play and were really surprised when I won most of the games dengan muka innocent 'errr can I letak this card combination?' each time I wasn't sure. 

It was nice to spend the whole day with friends whom you've known for so long that they're like your own brother/sister. We updated each other, shared stories about our lives and talked about going on a holiday together someday. I find it funny how the topic 'kahwin' is part of our conversation nowadays (not that any of us are in a serious relationship yet). 

Even though we don't meet often anymore, the close bond between us is still there. Alhamdulilah for great friends who would go the extra mile to put a smile on your face. 

Adios 2014

Was I the only 22 year old who cooked dinner and spent New Year's Eve at home reading Bapa Kemerdekaan's book ? (I'm referring to the late Tunku's Looking Back : Monday Musings and Memories). Maybe I've seen the fireworks at the stroke of midnight on New Year's day too many times when I was younger that there's no more excitement when I see it now.

Reflecting on the past year, I must say 2014 was an adventurous year where I ticked a few things off my bucket list. I overcame my fears, stepped out of my comfort zone, travelled to countries I never thought I'd visit, performed in front of a larger audience and did a bit more charity work. All these experiences truly made me realise how lucky I am to be able to do what I am doing. I am thankful that my parents (although Mum is not around anymore) give me the freedom to do things differently.

Here are 10 photos of the highlights of 2014 for me....

Cameo in a CNY short film 

Despite my limited Chinese language skills, I challenged myself to join a local Chinese singing contest organised by Astro and managed to be shortlisted to Top 18 and survived few rounds of preliminaries and was eliminated at the Top 12 concert. Astro Star Quest, April 2014

First time performing on an outdoor stage at Stadium Batu Kawan, Penang 

The Lion King musical at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney

Visiting old friends. Gold Coast, June 2014.

With my LEO Club family at the Joint Installation of Board Members, August 2014.

This was how we spent Merdeka Eve, with the kids at the Caring Orphanage in Klang. It was an eye opening experience that made me appreciate what I have even more. 

Finally did a walking tour of KL, August 2014.

Sharing my experience with teenagers at Madrasah Qamaruddin Al-Islamiah, Siem Reap, Cambodia, September 2014.

My first ever 5km run (I brisk walked most of the way) in aid of the National Cancer Society #unfit

I am grateful for the new people I met this year, the old ones I was reunited with and the loyal ones who were there all along. Alhamdulilah for the strength that He gave me to slowly move on with life without my mother's presence. May all of us continue to be grateful for what we have, appreciate the people around us, contribute back to the society and maximise our potentials in the new year. 

I pray that we Malaysians will have a better year after all the challenges that we faced in the past year. May all that we've been through make us stronger as a nation. Happy New Year and have a great year ahead!