Monthly Archives: November 2015
Damansara Uptown Hokkien Mee
So, just last week, my colleagues felt like they wanted Hokkien Mee for dinner. I tagged along because another Singaporean colleague of mine was down at work. So, I thought why not.
Honestly, I don’t usually eat Hokkien Mee, despite the fact that it’s one of my dad’s favourite meal; I don’t really fancy it. I’m not that Chinese to begin with in terms of eating habits.
I’ve gotta say that we it was not too bad after a long time of not eating that. I refuse to eat Hokkien Mee because I am afraid that black sauce will drip into my clothes.
If you are a fan of not too wet and not too dry Hokkien Mee, this is for you. It’s pretty balanced up I’d say. If you love any of the extreme wet or dry, maybe this is not for you.
We also ordered some other dishes for variety sake.
This was their Cantonese Yin Yong – which was pretty decent. They give very generous servings of greens and just enough of seafood in the plate. 
Apart from that, we later ordered the Pork Soup which was peppery nice. If you are looking for something warm on a cold day, the soup might just be something you might wanna order.
The amount of meat and greens were quite generous. From this post alone, you should know that I’m quite a big fan of vege!
WARNING: There are quite a lot of pork lard though, so if you’re not a fan of it; you might need to scoop it out.
This place is airconditioned and there are outdoor available. You have to also pay at the counter. Whilst I was paying, I saw the guy fried the Hokkien Mee in large amount.
It’s quite impressive how he does it. He put the prawns into the platers, and then he pours the noodle in. But it’s averagely priced and I’d think it’s okay if you’re just looking for an ordinary affordable dinner.
Damansara Uptown Hokkien Mee
121, Jalan 21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400
013-334 5550
Opens from Monday – Sunday (5pm – 2am)
Real Life Stories 02: I’m Not Arguing; I’m Simply Explaining Why I’m Right
So, I’ve been toying with this thought for quite a long time. As part of my growing up years, arguing is not something uncommon. People of my age tend to want to fight for something just to prove something, even when sometimes there isn’t really anything to prove.
And recently, I’ve encountered some of these arguments or disagreements and recently, I’ve found myself a habit of shutting myself off when I am about to see the bomb explodes. And when I completely shut off, it makes me feel better for a while, but inside me – I can’t wait to say something and sometimes I proceed to say it. But I know very well that my head tells me very clearly that I should stay away, but sometimes, for the sake of being right – I continue. Yes, stubborn, foolish – whatever negative words you want to call it; just go add on it.
My question now would be – should I stay away or should I continue to fight my way through?
In my 25 years of life, I’ve learnt that arguments never make anyone feel good, so why do we even get on it. Sorry but those excuses of arguments and disagreement makes any relationships stronger is utter crap or at least, I feel otherwise. It’s pretty simple isn’t it – you argue and argue and risk losing a relationship or friendship and really, does it make it goes stronger?
If anyone had a choice, do you really think you would choose arguments for the sake of strengthening the friendship or relationship? I doubt.
With all these in my head, I can’t help but to believe there seasons to these things just like how there is a season to all my gadgets and devices failing me. We all have our own downtime and seasons of unhappiness but that doesn’t give us a single right to lash it out on people closest to us. But the good side to this is that I’ve been reading a lot.
Because of work, I read a lot of articles as and when I can – on relationships, finances, friendships, economics, healthcare and all but I’m no expert in any. If I was, then my life would be so perfect kan?
But here are a couple of things I learn recently in terms of strengthening friendships and relationships with so many things in my head:
- Embrace the ordinary in your relationships. In no time, the good times will settle and things will feel monotonous. That’s when everyone’s true colours will show but that doesn’t mean the day-to-day has no meaning; it should still have if you share it with the people closest to you.
- Arguments – look for the real reasons on why we fight and disagree. I am completely honest that it’s tough and I’ve been struggling with this. Many at times, we are so blinded by our anger and irritation that we throw everything that we can think off from 10 years ago to the table; I am so guilty of this. But I’m learning to know that there’s a pattern to when and why people fight.
- Understanding the other party – our affection towards our friends and family often blind us to their flaws. I know of a person who is so good at faking it, so good at lying but appears as the most beautiful person in the world in front of the people that would bring benefits.
This is not a blog to expose people. But we are all humans, we all have our weaknesses and shortcomings. I think in a nutshell, it is important to be willing to learn and grow in all relationships or friendships. Instead of being defensive, or demanding our own ways, take time to put ourselves into the other person’s shoe and understand and show a little bit of empathy – and hopefully everyone learns together. - Friendships are not about having other people satisfy or fulfill us. It’s about building each other up and appreciating each other’s uniqueness – while enjoying togetherness.
- Appreciating solitude – We need to learn to be comfortable being alone and to accept who we are. Many at times, I am guilty of using an arguments to cover my own weaknesses or worst still, sometimes put people down to feel better about myself.
I am no specialist. But I am jotting this down here to remind myself that growing up is tough – it involves fights, arguments and disagreements but that doesn’t mean we should let it bring us down. This is not an emo post, I’m perfectly fine.
Disclaimer: They say: Siapa makan cili, dia terasa pedas. If you think this blog is talking about you, no I don’t think so. HAHA. 
Chocolate Ville, Bangkok
Earlier before we left for Bangkok, we kinda already had an itinerary of what to do at Bangkok. And the plan today was today go for massage, wait for the rest of the team to arrive and head to Chocolate Ville. As we were running kinda late, we ended up finishing our massage late and it started drizzling. So, we told the rest that we will not be going to Chocolate Ville as planned. However, on the way heading out of the massage area, the rained cleared and our Thai friend decided to just drive us there instead without us knowing. So we kinda pretty much ditched the rest of the guys because we told them plan cancelled.
I actually thought Chocolate Ville would have been a perfect place for me – a land filled with chocolate and happiness but I ended up kinda disappointed as Chocolate Ville in Bangkok has no chocolates in it whatsoever. However, the view was pretty awesome as the rain had just ended.
Chocolate Ville themed itself like a small American countryside village from the days of the past, complete with colourful facades and a small stream that links both sides together. It’s a pretty looking place; and maybe one of the better place to date in Bangkok. It was like I was in another land altogether, nothing Thai; the buildings, gardens, bridges and lake was super fancy. So, it was near Halloween when we visit – so most of the things were themed to scare. It was an incredible spacious land.
I quite like the fact that they actually update the design of the area very consistently according to the festivities, etc.
And my suggestion is not to simply open the doors there during Halloween-themed. It’s pretty scary. So, Sher Leen cleverly told us to walk almost into the lake when we opened this door; had a good laugh but thankfully no one fell in.
And on the left, is the way up to the viewing deck where you can see the entire area. Check out the awesome view from the top.
Pretty spacious, ain’t it? It was quite empty the time we went only because it opens in the evening at 4pm – that was exactly the time we got there and it was again, drizzling. When we looked up, the sky looks pretty awesome too.
They have also got a huge dining area which could potentially sit up to about 500 I read. Looks like a solid hangout place for couples and friends aye?
We kinda regretted we didn’t eat there, though we wanted to. We went for some quick McDonalds Thailand pork burgers instead which was quite yummy too. But we read that they serve Thai food at Chocolate Ville (the only Thai thing there, probably) with some chocolates as desserts. We did ordered some fried mini-doughnuts though. Was not too bad too!
If you’re looking to get there, check out this map below which might be helpful.
Just a quick word of advice, I read that you should avoid going too late as there are not many taxis around the area at night. The taxi drivers won’t try to throw you unbelievable figures just to get you out of that area. There are no BTS or trains available too as well.
Chocolate Ville
351, Khan Na Yao, Krung Thep Maha,
Nakhon 10230, Thailand
Opening Time: Everyday, 4pm till late
Email: info@chocolateville.net
Real Life Stories: An Introduction
As I am growing older, I realised that I don’t get to go out or hang out as much as I would really want to. So, I’ve been thinking about this the past couple of days (coupled with a few issues I have been facing) of where the heck do I get content for this blog to keep it moving. So, this random idea came out while I was driving to share some Real Life Stories.
As a young adult now, there are a lot of growing up pains – relationships, friendships, finance, work, dreams or even passion. I am no different, I go through all of them. I hope this platform serves as a reminder to myself and to you that you’re never alone. There are times when things all look great and fantastic, but we all know deep down – we’re just humans with emotions and feelings.
No, I don’t intend for this segment of the blog to be emo or fill with dramas, it could be a short and simple one – but I hope for some people to chip in your views and thoughts on how things could potentially work better for you and I.
To kickstart this, I’ve been going through some rough and tough times the past couple of weeks. I’ve learnt a lot of things, and yet there are some things I’ve been very reluctant to give up. Or maybe, there are some people I’ve been very reluctant to leave. And just keep reading on this blog! More stories on my next post on this!
Food is Guaranteed not to cause Pregnancy.
So, you might just be wondering – what on earth is the title of this post? Uh huh! Read on.
Some of you might know that Sher Leen, Jason, CK, Nick Khaw, Lilian, Edmund and our Thai guide friend, Naam decided to leave for Bangkok earlier than the rest before the conference starts. As we were strolling in the afternoon, we were very undecided on where to go and I was like: It’s Bangkok, there’s really nothing wrong with having a little bit of fun right! So, I suggested that we go to this restaurant where my friends spoke about: Cabbages & Condoms. Sounds totally odd, but yeah, we booked and we went.
This was us in a Tuk Tuk, not really my first time; but first time for the trip! So we Tuk Tuk our way to Cabbages & Condoms.
I’m not totally to be blamed, they agreed for this adventure to visit this restaurant. 😀
We were looking for the place while trying to figure out where on earth this place is. It’s pretty deep in, and on the way, you actually see a lot of happy massage places.
The restaurant actually looked pretty fancy, in my opinion. Needless to say, once you enter, it’s a pretty touristy place.
We were pretty amused at what we saw, that’s the honest truth. Busy analysing what it was made off – we smelt it as if we never saw condoms before.
The restaurant was conceptualized in part to promote better understanding and acceptance of family planning and to generate income to support various development activities of the Population and Community Development Association (PDA).
As we got in nearer and nearer, we realised the dolls were made of condoms (not sure if it is used); but it looked pretty gross. Such a welcoming sight. It has to be somewhat fun and exciting because you see these faces below, happily smiling and laughing (ahem!). Not sure what was going thru their minds. 😀
Looking at the ambience, it’s a pretty romantic place to be having dinner, but I think our group kinda spoilt it for everyone probably cause we looked unromantic, loud and noisy. But deep down, we’re romantic people too okay? Also, this place has an indoor and outdoor, you can choose either or but the outdoor seems to have more of that romantic vibe.
So, we looked at the menu, ordered. They serve generally Thai food – from tomyum, pineapple fried rice to thai salads and to mango sticky rice. We ordered basically their favourites.
The deep fried soft shell crab cooked in thick curry paste was absolutely delicious. If you are someone looking for some crabs, their pineapple fried rice were pretty good too; very rich in flavour served with some cashew nuts and meat floss.
Being the innocent, little boy I am, I was too busy taking pictures of food and the environment rather than eating it.
The service was pretty decent as well. The waiters and waitresses were very attentive to what we wanted. I have to add that Thai people are generally very hospitable people; they are very nice – though they look a bit fierce, but they really want to help. The downside to ordering food in Thailand is really the language. If only I knew a little bit of Thai, everything would be a lot easier.
When we paid for our meal, it was pretty shocking that the bill holder had so many pieces of condoms that comes together with it. So many that we wanted to play water balloon with them.
Look at that happy face! That was because of the food. Don’t be deceived by the pictures. The food was pretty satisfying eventhough the price was slightly above average.
Before we left, there was another area where they had this whole boxes of condoms based on the size of you-know what.
By the way, the one out of supply was the Democracy Size.
It was definitely a happy adventure and happy times. It’s a place where you go in once just for the experience and not like a day-to-day kinda place to eat.
As we left, we saw this area for phototaking. No one really dared to take photos in it, just because we were too afraid to be tagged on Facebook. So, we did a one-to-juice and I ended up losing. Thus my face was the first to get on that board. As you walk along the walkway, you will also see that there are areas for handicrafts.
So, yeah. I decided to share this as one of the first few posts of my blog revamp to send you the message that this blog is now unedited with real life stories (cut the crap, Alvin).
Cabbages and Condoms
Sukhumvit Soi 12
Tel: 229-4611
Fax: 229-4632
Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily
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