Tuesday, August 30, 2011

SALAM AIDILFITRI 2011

Would like to wish you all Salam Aidilfitri 2011.. ask for forgiveness for all the things I've said and done unintentionally that may hurt some.. thousand apologies!

Hope this Aidilfitri brings people together, makes people happier, and most important thing, celebrated with joy and happiness.. enjoy you all!

Monday, August 29, 2011

THE LAST DAY OF PUASA..

Monday morning.. and the journey Balik Kampung is as early as 8am.. a slight change to the original plan to start the journey by 5am.. huhhhhh! Anyway.. the whole journey was a smooth one, and we managed to reach kampong at about 12pm.. Mak already started her masak2 thingy.. and the first one was the beef rendang.. fresh from the charcoal kitchen.. The usual stuff, helping mak in the kitchen kejap, then lepak blkg rumah until berbuka time, enjoying the nice sawah padi scenery..
the last day of berbuka for this year.. dah penuh orang balik rumah my maktok for berbuka, the buffet style.. agak ralat sebab orangnya ramai but not helping at all.. plus my uncle with his everchaging plan.. entah apa2!Anyway, the most waited moment of the night, main mercun & bunga api session.. the whole gang gathered up, kids and mak budak pun join.. had fun.. really2 had fun.. esok raya!
Allahu akbar walillah ilham..

Sunday, August 28, 2011

THE EMPTY BAZAR RAMAADHAN..

It's Saturday, and people already started to head back to their kampung already for raya.. highways are jammed up with people.. while KL starts to loose its meat since yesterday with less and less people in it.. I went to PARAM Bangsar today, and it clearly shows.. takdak orang dah.. this is one of the most crowded PARAM in town, and when people dah start balik kampung, this is how it looks like here.. may be tomorrow they will all bungkus and balik kampung too already..
Hurmmm.. I wonder how is it like to celebrate raya in KL? must be boring sehhh.. Uwaaaa.. nak balik kampungggggg tomorrow!

Friday, August 26, 2011

USEFUL TIPS INFO FOR SMOOTHER BALIK KAMPUNG RAYA TRAVEL

This is a must read info and tips to reduce congestion and traffic jam during Hari Raya Aidilfitri balik kampung trip. Especially for those using highways. It is better for you to use touch and go or smart tag to reduce traffic jam near toll exit and start your journey back hometown by using Travel Time Advisory formula by Plus. Below are details:

The Travel Time Advisory (TTA) is the formula that will be used by PLUS in helping the public to enjoy a smoother and a more comfortable ‘Balik Kampung’ travel this festive season.

During a media conference held at Persada PLUS on 24 August 2011, PLUS Expressways’ Managing Director, Dato’ Noorizah Hj Abd Hamid said, “PLUS is committed to ensure highway travel this festive season is smooth and comfortable. As such, we will be using the TTA as our formula in coping with the increase in traffic and help the public to enjoy smoother and more comfortable journey on our highway.”The TTA consists of recommended staggered travel times for various destinations from the Klang Valley to major states and cities in Kedah, Perlis, Penang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Johor and Singapore. It is aimed at distributing traffic and reducing congestion on the mainline, major toll plazas, rest areas and lay-bys during peak periods.

The TTA was introduced by PLUS in 2007 as a travel schedule based on studies of travel patterns during festive seasons over the past years. It is also a major factor that contributes to smoother traffic on the highway during festive seasons.

”Among the new features of this year’s TTA is the introduction of recommended travelling time for Klang Valley bound traffic on 1, 2, 3 and 4 September which is based on vehicle registration numbers ending with odd and even numbers.”

In addition, PLUS also provides recommendations for users from the north heading towards Kuala Kangsar and Ipoh as well as from Ipoh to Tapah, Bidor, Slim River and Tanjung Malim on 1, 2, 3 and 4 September. PLUS also introduces a travel schedule for users from Melaka, Tampin and Alor Gajah heading towards Seremban, Port Dickson and Senawang on the same dates.

”This is aimed at separating the traffic heading towards other major destinations from the ones heading towards the Klang Valley,” Noorizah said.

PLUS anticipates the traffic on the North-South Expressway during the Aidilfitri holidays will increase by 30 percent to 1.4 million vehicles per day as opposed to 1.1 million during normal days.

According to Noorizah, approximately 50 percent of the users followed the TTA issued by PLUS during the previous Hari Raya holidays which helped to reduce congestion on the mainline.

“As such, we urge the public to plan their Balik Kampung and Klang Valley bound journey based on the TTA as it has proven to be effective in facilitating traffic distribution thus, reducing congestion during peak periods,” Noorizah added.

Those planning to use the highway for the ‘balik kampung’ rush this Hari Raya holidays are advised to follow the PLUS Travel Time Advisory (TTA).

According to PLUS Expressways Berhad (PLUS) Chief Operating Officer, Nik Airina Nik Jaffar, “To ensure smoother and safer highway travel this Hari Raya holidays, PLUS has prepared the TTA for those in the Klang Valley heading up north and down south on Saturday (27 September), Sunday (28 September) and Tuesday (30 September) as well as for their return journey to the Klang Valley on Saturday (4 October) and Sunday (5 October).”PLUS is the first highway operator to introduce the highway travel schedule to assist the public in planning their journey and smoothen traffic flow on the highway.

The TTA concept, which was first introduced during last year’s Merdeka holidays with the co-operation of the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) and the Police, is based on staggered travel to various destinations to reduce traffic congestion during peak periods.

“During last year’s Hari Raya holidays, travel on the highway was smoother as 60 to 70 percent of highway users followed the TTA. Therefore, we hope that the public will continue to give their co-operation in following the TTA during their ‘balik kampung’ rush and their return journey to the Klang Valley this Hari Raya Holidays,” Nik Airina said.

PLUS’ other preparations include :-

Toll Rebates
Highways users paying toll electronically will enjoy the following toll rebates:-

1) 20% rebate on 25 and 26 August

2) 10% rebate on 30 and 31 August

3) 20% rebate on 1 and 1 September


Toll Counters
More than 1,000 toll counters will be opened to facilitate faster toll transactions

Additional Staff
Approximately 3,000 staff will be stationed at toll plazas

PLUSRonda
159 PLUSRonda teams will be assigned to conduct rounds on the highway 24-hours a day.

Traffic Monitoring Centre (TMC)
Operating 24-hours a day, the centre monitors the highway and co-ordinates assistance through the PLUSLine 1800 88 0000 and emergency telephones

Latest Traffic Updates
The latest traffic updates are provided through:-

1) Toll-free PLUSLine at 1800 88 0000

2) Twitter service at www.twitter.com/plustrafik

3) Electronic Message Boards

4) Major radio stations

Emergency Response Teams
430 Police, Fire Department, JPA3, St John Ambulance and the Red Crescent personnel will be stationed at 12 strategic locations 24-hours a day.

RELA officers
500 RELA officers will be stationed at toll plazas, rest areas and lay-bys

Contra Flow
Contra flow will be activated to facilitate smoother traffic flow at the Nilai-Seremban, Juru-Bukit Tambun and Bidor-Slim River stretches.

Construction Works
Will be temporarily stopped between 25 August until 6 September

Reload Lane Closure
All Reload Lanes at toll plazas will be closed beginning 26 August until 4 September to facilitate smoother traffic flow at toll plazas.However, users may still top-up their electronic cards at customer service centres which are opened everyday between 7:30 am until 8:30 pm.

Reload ‘n Go Counters
Reload ‘n Go counters will be opened at 70 petrol stations along the PLUS highways between 9:00 am until 9:00 pm from 22 August until 11 September. The service will also be available on 27-28 August and 3-4 September at selected RSAs to enable users to reload their PLUSMiles or Touch ‘n Go cards


(source: http://kereta.info/useful-tips-info-for-smoother-balik-kampung-raya-travel/#more-36448)

SPEEDTRAP OH SPEEDTRAP.. BEWARE!

Good to know for us to alert and drive in a more apprpriate way kan.. so I share the speed trap areas on the highway although we all know mmg confirm la takdak chance la nak speed on the highway kan during balik kampung.. semua keta jalan macam siput kann.. hahahahah! tapi takpa la.. share je la kan.. hope this helps..KAWASAN SPEED TRAP. Plus Arah Utara (Dari KL):
1- Km 197.1, Km 198.8 & Km 204.3 selepas exit Kemunting
2- Km 208 & Km 214.8 sebelum exit Kemunting
3- Km 271 berdekataan exit Ipoh Selatan
4- Km 274.4 berdekatan exit Ipoh Utara
5- Km 286.9 berdekatan exit Simpang Pulai
6- Km 296 berdekatan exit Gopeng
7- Km 352.6 selepas exit Sungkai
8- Km 373 berdekatan exit Slim River
9- Km 241.9 berdekatan exit Kuala Kangsar
10- Km 308.6 selepas exit Gopeng
11- Km 252 masa turun bukit selepas terowong Menora
12- Km tak pasti tapi betul2 di R&R Gurun
13- 2 km after tol Juru (90km/j)
14- 5 kamera di atas jambatan pulau pinang (so slow je la kat situ)

Plus Arah Selatan:
1- Km 289 sebelum exit Nilai Selatan
2- Ada 3 kamera antara Km 255 - Km 249 (Persimpangan Seremban - Senawang)
3- Km 253 selepas exit Senawang
4- Km 213.9 selepas exit Alor Gajah
5- Betul2 di exit Jasin
6- Km tak pasti tapi selepas hentian sebelah Tangkak
7- Km juga tak pasti tapi jambatan pertama selepas exit Yong Peng utara
8- Km 97.3 selepas exit Air Hitam
9- Betul2 di exit Sedenak

Plus Tengah:
1- Km 456 selepas exit Sungai Buluh
2- Betul2 di exit Bukit Lanjan
3- Betul2 dibawah Restoran Jejantas Sg Buloh
4- Km 302.8 berdekatan exit Kajang
5- Km 296.5 & Km 297 berdekatan exit Bangi

NKVE
1- 300 meter sebelum tol Jalan Duta (60 km/j)
2- Selepas cabang jalan ke tol Jalan Duta (80km/j)
3- Betul2 di exit Damansara
4- Km 11.2 berdekatan rel keretapi
5- Betul2 di exit Shah Alam

KESAS
1- Km 44.8 berdekatan exit LDP
2- Berhadapan Endah Parade
3- Betul2 di exit Hicom

ELITE (Dari arah KLIA)
1- Km 4.8 selepas exit Batu 3
2- Km 2 - Km 4 atas jambatan berdekatan Makro
3- Betul2 kat bawah restoran jejantas USJ
4- Km 10 sebelum exit USJ

JALAN PERSEKUTUAN
1- Bersebelahan Hotel Mint
2- Berdekatan Esso kat exit Salak Selatan
3- Berhadapan dengan Istana Negara
4- Berhadapan dengan Muzium Negara
5- Kawasan turun bukit selepas pekan Raub (Menghala Kuala Lipis)
6- 2 km sebelum pekan Maran (Arah Kuantan)
7- Area Paya Bungor

Drive home safely. Pandu cermat jiwa selamat. Ingatlah orang tersayang.

MAKAN, MAKAN & MAKAN & AUNTIE AINI CAFE..

Wahhh.. title diatas is enough to picture the makan2 outing today.. all around Nilai area.. from berbuka.. sampai la ke pre-sahur.. We started our berbuka at Auntie Aini's cafe.. lots of food, but Harry only managed to snap a photo.. lauk apakahh? ikan jenahak masak lemak tempoyak, daging salai and telur itik masak lemak cili api, kerabu pucuk paku, ayam goreng kampung.. complete with sambal belacan.. and ice cream tapai.. heaven!
Coupled with the perfect greenery environment and a few close friends wallap the food like nobody's business.. priceless.. 2nd time here for berbuka this year.. and never fail to impress me.. way to go Auntie Aini!
Lepas AUntie Aini, pi lepak2 di mamak As-Salam sambl sembang2 sampai nak muntahh.. then sambung for pre-sahur @ Starhut cafe, in front of Tesco Nilai.. cool place, lots of beautiful people lepak2 here.. and good food too.. Harry recommended Bilis Sausage Sambal and Beef Fried Rice.. really good food..
So how? entry is mostly about Makan.. lagi dan lagi dan lagi.. adoiii.. kena pi gym lepas raya ni.. confirmmmm! heheheh

BORONG SAKAN..

I just got to know about the yearly raya sale for carbonated drinks under Permanis.. and today I finally have the time to go.. the kilang is in Bangi.. and we hafta go thru a bit of traffic jam from crazy people who's high over Pepsi and 7-Up.. giler ramai orang! Damn.. sorang2 semua beli like there's no tomorrow.. berkarton2 piling up the area.. and people berebut like nak beli loteri.. and sorang2 semua muka tamak over a super cheap super high sugar carbonated drinks.. mmg confirm la ramai lagi warga Malaysia ni nak kena kencing manis from these people who's gonna serve you these drinks for raya..hahahahah..I too bought 3 cartons of the mixture of the drinks.. for my mom, granny and for myself.. let's hope there will be open house organised this year from Niko's house so I can spike the super sweet drinks to the guest.. hahahahahh!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

THE BLIND FISH IN THE POND..

This is a story about my fish.. about 20 of them live happily ever after in the beautiful pond at the balcony of my house.. there are a few types of Koi inside the pond, with so many colors.. the big huge one, light yellow in color, couple of dotted ones, some with the long and wavy tails, and the focus is for a special OKU fish that is totally blind.. but still can make a living up until now.. Sometimes it's sad to see how she struggles to fight for food with the more aggressive ones.. kesian dia! but it's my job to make sure that she gets her food no matter what.. as I follow her movement and keeps giving food until she gets her portion..
What really happened, i don't know, but she is one of the survivors of 20 small rejected goldfishes that I bought a year ago.. yg penting now semua dah gemuk2 mcm tuan dia dahh.. hahahah! So I'm just doing my responsibilities.. and will keep doing it as long as she lives.. hang on there buddy.. you will always have my support..

p/s: camne la naa balik raya nak tinggal my pond ni? kena beli anak2 ikan la ni to feed my ikan2 ni.. heheh

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

THE WILD OWL..

Have you guys ever seen a huge owl? not the zoo owl ok,the wild one..Well.. I was lucky to find one on my way back to Ganu last time, at 1am ok.. nasib baik bulan posa.. kalu tak seram la jugak.. heheheh.. Huge.. huge one!Garang kannn? the face shows it all.. staring at us while we tried to take the photos.. berjaya jugak menangkat gambar disituuu.. yeahhh!!

Monday, August 22, 2011

NISSAN SYLPHY AND TEANA..

A friend wanted to survey for a new car.. and the best place to find showrooms from all types of cars is definitely in Puchong laa.. at first we went to Toyota showroom, only to be greeted by quite a hamsap salesman that treated us as if we have no money to buy.. up yours la bro.. big mistake!!
We later moved to Nissan showroom acroos the highway.. and so happy to be welcomed by a very friendly salesman named Marcus.. and we immediately test-drive Sylphy and the latest in the market, Teana.. damnn! Teana is so awesome rasanya macam orang kaya2 la pulak bawak kereta tu.. hahah..
Sylphy pun not bad at all.. and this is where I dah berangan2 nak tukar to Sylphy pulak after this.. hurmmmm! Sabar bang sabarrr! hahahah.. Teana is sooo a dream car.. and thank god my friend is buying the car.. yahooo! at least boleh la rasa bawak Teana walaupun tak mampu nak beli kannn! heheheh..

Sunday, August 21, 2011

BERBUKA @ CARLOS PAVI..

Heard about food @ Carlos for so long but tk pernah ada chance to try it out.. only been there once for drinks, and that's all.. so, on the jalan2 day during posa day plus no way for us to drive out of Bukit Bintang area in this time around.. we decided to try out Carlos for berbuka..What did we order?Gosh.. not as what we all expected.. nothing beats Chillis la at all time.. the nachos had this strong lembu smell and the fried chicken was soggy and not fried enough.. thank god the fried chicken saved the day, so did the feticinni and the cake.. still can't beat chillis.. damnnn!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

KUIH BUAH MELAKA AKA ONDE2

I always loveeee this kuih called onde2.. be it at the bazar ramadhan or a stall where they usually sell it in Midvalley, this is one of the most wanted kuih for me as I thought only the best one can make this kuih.. until recently.. I managed to see my mom did it on her own.. sooo simple and quick.. easy to do.. surprise2..
So I did some experiment to make the delicious onde2 by myself.. it's a challenge that I hafta achieve.. and I accepted it.. and the process begins..
The dough, the gula melaka, and kelapa muda.. with hot boiling water..Tadaaaaaaaa.. jadikkk siottt.. I'm so proud of myself.. boleh la aku makan my favourite kuih sesuka hatiku.. yahoooo! jemput makan semua..