What I Bought at Popular BookFest 2010

As I mentioned in my previous entry, I was at the Popular BookFest last Saturday and I went crazy looking at all the books on bargain. Here's what I bought:

For my love of history and travel:

Cathedrals and Castles: Building in the Middle Ages - RM10.32

The Forbidden City: Center of Imperial China - RM10.32

For my desire to become a cultured person:

A Brief History of Art - RM15.92

Great Painters - RM15.90

Van Gogh - RM15.92

For my new hobby that's growing in a small apartment balcony:

Practical Small Gardens - RM15.92 

Because I loved Dan Brown's previous novels I bought his latest work. And because an Asian writer, i.e. Aravind Adiga could win the Man Booker Prize award, I wanted to see what it's all about:

The Lost Symbol - RM25.90

The White Tiger - RM24.67

For the woman that I am:

 Eat, Pray, Love - RM25.90

And finally to complete my Malcolm Gladwell collection:

What the Dog Saw - RM23.90

Total damage was RM184.65, which I think is cheap considering the first 6 books at the top of this entry are all printed on glossy thick paper with extremely colourful pictures. Now I'll have lots to read during my trip to Syria and Jordan.

Tickets to Syria and Jordan Bought at Matta Fair

Yesterday I spent the entire day at Matta Fair and Popular BookFest. Both fairs were held in separate locations - Matta Fair at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and Popular BookFest at KL Convention Centre. But thanks to a comprehensive public transport system in KL, travelling between both places was a breeze.

My aim at Matta Fair was to get the cheapest tickets I could find for my upcoming trip to Syria and Jordan. It's usually my practise to get 2 or more quotations before deciding to buy anything. So I enquired at Dhesu Travel & Tours, World Discovery Travel, Emirates counter and finally Triways Travel Network.

I went to Dhesu Travel & Tours simply because there were not many people at their counter. The reservation & ticketing agent was helpful. After telling her my travel dates and destinations, she told me Emirates has a promo fair of RM2,130. I noted it down, took her business card and said I'll return after browsing around.

The agent at World Discovery Travel was not helpful and the girl at the Emirates counter could not speak English properly. She thought I wanted to go to Manchester after I clearly said "Damascus". Finally she had to call another staff to attend to me.

I cannot comprehend anyone in the tourism industry who is unable to speak English properly. But maybe the dumb pussy is a temp staff specially employed during Matta Fair. And if that's the case, then Emirates is making a huge mistake. But anyway, the price quoted by Emirates including Triways Travel Network were rather expensive compared to Dhesu - all more than RM3,000. Moreover tickets were not available on my intended travel dates.

So I headed back to Dhesu and in the process of finalising my booking, I realised that the agent had got the destination wrong. She keyed-in Dammam in Saudi Arabia instead of Damascus in Syria. But can't blame her lah cause the code for Dammam is DMM and code for Damascus is DAM, only one letter difference. 

No wonder lah the price she quoted earlier was only RM2,130 cause it was to Dammam. I mean who goes to Saudi Arabia but the Arabs themselves. No wonder lah so cheap.

But I can imagine myself boarding a flight thinking I'm going to Syria and landing in Saudi Arabia instead, bang balls man ... It won't come to that lah, but it's worth imagining - part of travel risk management :-)

So all in all, it costs me RM2,623 for a return ticket (including RM30 agent fee and 1.5% credit card charges). When I say return ticket, it means entry via Damascus in Syria and exit via Amman in Jordan.

Now I can relax a bit cause buying flight tickets which is the most basic and fundamental task of planning any trip is completed. Now I just have to make sure my arse is on that plane when it takes off in the wee hours of 27 September.

RM200 Worth of Shopping Vouchers

When my office moved to a brand new building in July this year, the management organised a competition amongst staff to name all the 10 meeting rooms in the new building. The Grand Prize was shopping vouchers worth RM200.

I sent in 2 entries and one of it won the Grand Prize. My boss told me I can choose which shopping voucher I want, buy it and claim back from the company.

I initially wanted to get Sen Heng vouchers so that I can buy my oven. But after discovering that Sen Heng does not sell vouchers, I decided on Isetan instead.

So yesterday on my way back from work, I made a detour to Isetan Lot 10 to get the vouchers. It's been a little more than a month since we moved to the new building, even the names on the meeting rooms have been put up, but now only I'm buying the shopping vouchers. It just goes to show that procrastination runs in my blood.

Now that I've got the vouchers, I think I'm gonna wait till the next Isetan members sale and use them to buy dresses, accessories and all the other stuff that makes up my world.

Cheap Chocolates in Langkawi

I was in Langkawi for the past 1.5 days for a recee trip. Visited 2 hotels and lotsa restaurants to survey the best places to host a regional meeting. The folks at all these establishments were hungry for business and fed us like pigs - all for free!

So a recee is an absolutely good thing ;-)

Being a duty free island, Langkawi is a mecca for chocolate lovers who wish to satisfy their craving without having to burn a hole in their pockets.

If you want to know what are the price difference betwen chocolates in Langkawi compared to the mainland, take a look at the pic below.

After Eight Thin Chocolate Mints are sold for RM21.90 (in Langkawi airport) and RM36.00 (in LCCT) !!!

Now that's what I call a bargain!

Shopping in Bali

I hardly shop whenever I travel. Shopping doesn't interest me cause most of the stuff that I bought used to end up at Cash Convertors or in the recycling bin.

But during my recent trip to Bali, I did a bit of shopping cause I went there with family members whose sole purpose whenever they travel is to shop till they drop.

Here are some stuff I bought in Bali which I would like to show you.

Don't know why, but I tend to get attracted to beer t-shirts whenever I go to a country that has its own beer.

Bintang Beer is the national beer of Indonesia, like what Beer Laos is in Laos.

Since Indonesia has its own beer, I bought a Bintang Beer tank top and t-shirt to add to my collection.

You can find Bintang Beer t-shirts almost anywhere in Bali. I bought these from one of the shops along Jalan Legian in Kuta. Cost: IDR50,000 (RM18.30) for both t-shirts.

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Celuk is a place in Bali that is famous for its hand crafted silver jewellery. There are numerous shops in the area all selling silver jewellery of various designs.

On our way to Tanah Lot, the driver stopped at one of the shops there for us to browse around.

The last time I was in Bali in November 2007, the driver also dropped us at one of the shops in Celuk. But at that time I didn't fancy the designs. I thought they were old fashioned.

But this time around I saw this jewellery set that I fancied.

Pendant and chain

Matching earrings. Don't know why this photo is elongated.

The sales assistant will pack your jewellery in cute woven containers like these.

If you're interested, this picture contains the address and contact details of the shop. Just click on the photo to enlarge it. Otherwise, please drop me an email.

Costs me IDR600,000 (RM219.30) for the pendant, chain and earrings. Had to pay by credit card cause didn't bring enough cash.

 

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The Art Market in Ubud is a dream come true for anyone who has the shopping DNA in their genes. There are many shops here selling stuff like home deco, paintings, hand crafted wooden boxes, clothing, costume jewellery, shawls and the list goes on.

When my family members stepped into the art market, heaven came down and glory filled their shopping soul. So I excused myself and headed to Milano Spa to get a Brazilian wax. The spa is located near the football field on Monkey Forest Road.

After getting myself as clean as a baby (huge grin), I walked back to the art market to look for my family members.

As I was passing one of the shops in the art market, a leopard print dress caught my eye. I quickly enquired the price cause I had developed a crush on animal print clothing lately. Opening price was IDR50,000 (RM18.30) and I bargained to IDR20,000 (RM7.30). So what else but grab lah!

My dirt cheap leopard print dress bought from Ubud Art Market

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I had one bad experience about shopping in Bali when I paid quite high a price for 4 pairs of earrings. Story goes like this ...

I had just finished a traditional herbal (lulur) massage at Sicilia Spa in Kuta. I was so relaxed and happy after that massage that I was not thinking straight.

Can you blame me for not thinking straight when the spa was so damn gorgeous? A traditional herbal (lulur) massage here costs IDR165,000 (inclusive of 10% tax), which is approximately RM60.00. In Malaysia I would definitely be paying more than RM150 for a similar treatment!

Anyway, at the entrance of the lane leading to Sicilia Spa on Double Six, there are many shops selling costume jewellery at wholesale prices. Since I had extra Rupiah to spend before my flight back to KL, I walked into one of the shops to buy a few pairs of earrings.

The lady quoted me a price. After stating my price and the lady stated hers, I thought it was a fair price and paid up.

As I was walking back to the hotel I did a mental calculation to convert the amount into Malaysian Ringgit. It was then that I realised I could get similar earrings for a much cheaper price in Malaysia.

IDR50,000 for four pairs of earring is expensive.

I think I must have gotten all confused with the Indonesian Rupiah which come in a bigger denomination and difficult to convert to Malaysian Ringgit. Anyway, no use crying over spilled milk.



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Ok, so enough of shopping in Bali. I'm not gonna shop anymore when I head to Surabaya and Jogjakarta on 16 February. Mt Bromo and Borobudur ... here I come !!!

Gastronomic Adventure in Malacca ... And Other Things ... (Part 2)

(Click here for Part 1)

We woke up late on Day 2 and decided to have chicken rice ball for brunch.

By making a headstart at 11.00am, we thought we could beat the crowd and secure a table.

But to our amazement, there was already a queue in the first kopitiam we went to. Come on people ... I'm sure there's more to life than queing up for balls at 11.00am.

So we moved on to the next kopitiam and thankfully it was not crowded yet.

Chicken Rice Ball

Malacca is the birthplace of the chicken rice ball. But I'm not sure if it has expanded to other states. What makes it different from the usual chicken rice you get elsewhere, is that the rice comes in a ball shape. That's all.

Service was fast but the meal was average. The steamed chicken contained layers of fat which I had to painstakingly remove, and the rice was not fresh. I think the Ipoh Chicken Rice on Jalan Gasing, Petaling Jaya is so much tastier.

No wonder the queue was at the other kopitiam and not here.

Next, we crossed the street to have Nyonya Cendol.

Nyonya Cendol

Look how different the consistency is compared to the Cendol Jam Besar we had the day before. But price also different lah. It costs RM2.00 for a bowl of Nyonya Cendol compared to RM1.50 for a bowl of Cendol Jam Besar.

While enjoying the cendol, it rained cats and dogs that we had to wait till the rain subsided.

Rain, rain go away ...

When the downpour turned into a drizzle, we continued walking and came to Hotel Puri.

The building used to be the home of philantropist and rubber plantation owner, Tan Kim Seng. He was a third generation Straits Chinese born in Malacca in the 1800s.

After undergoing extensive renovation, the place was reopened in the late 90s as Hotel Puri.

If you go to Malacca, don't forget to visit the hotel, even if you're not a paying guest.

Hotel Puri is a museum on it's own with its traditional interiors and deco. Makes me feel like I'm back in Malacca in the 1800s.

An open airwell is a common feature in most traditional Malaccan houses, just like this airwell in Hotel Puri.

A few doors away from Hotel Puri is Jehan Chan Art Gallery.

We spoke to Jehan's friendly daughter who takes care of the gallery. She told us that the length of some of the houses on Heeran Street could reach 220 ft!

That explains why Hotel Puri looks small from the outside, but it's super long on the inside.

Because the length of Jehan Art Gallery is so long, it would take Jehan's daughter (didn't get her name) a few minutes to put down whatever she's doing and walk to the front to open the door whenever there are visitors. By that time, most visitors would think there's no one home and they would leave.

After that informative conversation, we walked to the back of the houses to see the length from outside. Trust me, the houses are long indeed.

While walking, it started raining cats and dogs again. We ran into Geographer Cafe to chill while waiting for the rain to stop.

The cafe was the location of a few scenes from the movie Summer Holiday which starred Sammi Cheng and Ritchie Ren. As such, the movie was playing on the LCD screens in a loop, like some sort of promotion lah.

So we sat down, ordered drinks and watched the movie.

The rain didn't stop. It drizzled and then it poured. Over and over it was like that.

Since we were stuck there, we ordered sandwiches, fries and more drinks, and watched the movie again and again.

Before the start of the 4th round of Summer Holiday (yes, the rain lasted that long), thankfully the rain became a drizzle.

So we ran in the rain to Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall so that we would be in a sheltered place from the irritating rain that never ends.

To kill time, I suggested we watch Avatar at GSC but the timing was not right. So we watched Bodyguards & Assassins - my first ever Chinese movie in the cinema.

Go watch it. It's good except for the part when Donnie Yuen's character stands in the way of a charging horse to prevent the bad fella from pursuing Dr Sun Yat Sen. It was a total illogical, bullshit scene.

After the movie we walked back to Jonker Walk for the night market.

First thing we did was whack dinner.

I had decided earlier I want to eat radish cake, and thankfully the hawker was selling that day.

Dishing out radish cake

Radish cake = Delicious!

For dessert, Angie and I shared a serving of muah chi.

Muah chi. Don't know what's the English name. Some things in life you just can't explain in English.

Then we did a bit of shopping and I bought these:

Earring stand for RM30.00. Bloody cheap, but must bargain.

RM5.00 for 3 pairs of earring. Cheapest I've seen in Malaysia!

I must have pineapple tarts and teh-teh sar whenever I visit Malacca.

If not for the rain, my gastronomic adventure in Malacca would have been perfect; because when it comes to travel, hot and sunny is anytime better than raining cats and dogs.

My Bagful of Purchases at the PC Fair

I just got back from PC Fair held at the KL Convention Centre. I had forgotten all about it until I heard my colleagues talking about it.

The crowd was not so big compared to the weekends. I could breathe properly and move around unlike the last time I was there on a Saturday when all hell broke loose!

Here's what I bought at the PC Fair this evening:

Lappy bag at RM73. Saw three different booths selling exactly the same bag at varying prices.

Camera bag to fit my beloved Canon Ixus 110IS. Costs me RM22.

Reason I bought the lappy bag is because I'll be bringing my lappy back to hometown more often during the weekends due to a few writing assignments that have come up.

And the camera bag is for me to fish my camera out easily when I go to England in September. Bath, Canterbury, London and Stonehenge are so waiting for me!

My New Travel Gear

This is my new Deuter backpack.

Costs me RM375 after a 20% discount from URL Outdoor in Bangsar. I especially bought it for my Laos trip this coming Thursday.

I was initially hesitant to spend so much on a backpack, but what the heck, if I'm going to conquer all 7 continents, might as well do it comfortably, practically and in style.

A Damn Good Bargain

The Malaysian Mega Sale is back. This is one event all shopping enthusiast (read: women) look forward to every year. During this time most, if not all shopping complexes and retail outlets will slash prices till your eyes pop out by just looking at the new price.

I was in KLCC last Sunday and decided to pop by Isetan to see what discounts they have. On top of that I also wanted to buy a few pairs of slacks for work.

While browsing the rows of clothes, I found this lovely ESentual dress:

It is made of quality European fabric, has a sweet feminine look to it and comes with a price tag of RM219. But during this sale Isetan members get a 70% discount which slashes the price down to RM65.70. Obviously I grabbed it. I mean who would let go of an offer like that. Most quality dresses costs a minimum RM150 these days. Luckily they still have my size because the common sizes usually runs out fast during sales.

I went home that day feeling satisfied with my shopping trip.

Disappointed with Ikea

I was at Ikea with my housemate last Thursday to get a bookcase, mattress and quilt. I especially wanted to get a white Billy bookcase with glass door to keep my beloved book collection free from dust.

When we got to Ikea, the bookcase and my housemate's bed were out of stock, or 'Temporarily Out of Stock' as pasted on the display unit. Apparently new stock will arrive next month. Despite my mattress and quilt in stock, we decided to postpone buying everything so that we don't have to pay twice for delivery. But I bought a few non-stick pots and pans to make up for our journey there.

That was not the only disppointment we experienced. There were no customer service staff around to assist us. We finally met one after searching high and low. Maybe because it was late in the evening during a weekday that Ikea decided to trim their workforce. But they don't realise they are losing potential customers.

Well, I hope Ikea will shape up and Billy will come soon ...