You did not mislead me

You may think that he had given me false hope last Saturday, but past hurt experience has taught me well not to believe anything you say. Anyhow, last Saturday's Contender theme class was by Peggy and yours truly, but we had a last minute special guest, Calvin aka FCI.

The tracks were all chosen by me to challenge the members' stamina but I didn't know how hard the selection was till I first taught it last Friday with QoP in Consplant. The thing was, Saturday Peggy and I had 2 classes to teach, one in Klang 11.35am and this last one in IOI Mall at 2.45pm. Boy I was exhausted!!!!

Not helping was the mic which went dead around the first track 6, then Peggy had to teach the remaining tracks without mic. Last min, I asked her to get FCI to present the last 2 tracks so she could rest her voice.

After the class was over, it was the kick challenge time! Since FCI's around and he's been doing this daily since the challenge started, I got him to hold the arm target, Peggy to mark the number of kicks done, while I went snappy with my cam.

Eddie kicked so hard that his shoe came off...

She had to be carried into the center to do her kicking

is that a muay thay guard?

Not the fastest kick but definitely the hardest kick

posing with the winner Weng

Getting kicked for no apparent reason

Everyone deserves a pat on the back for a fantastic workout

So you see, even though you didn't come again, I still had a lot of fun with FCI, Peggy, and the IOI gang....

Penang's Most Expensive Char Koay Teow

The place to eat the most expensive char koay teow is of course Lorong Selamat.

The one most people talked about used to be right outside this kopitiam. Whwn I went to take pictures I was surprised that the stall was no longer there.


Side track a bit... the Ice Kacang used to be pretty good. Haven't tried it for ages so not sure quality still maintained or not. Anyhow, next to the Ice Kacang stall I saw this:



I reckon this is the original imitation. I remember quite well that it was a lady who does the frying. Opposite the kopitiam there's also another stall that I used to patron. The guy used to sell wan tan mee before he switch to Char Koay Teow. I think he's retired because it is his son who's running the stall now.



Then further down the road I saw a new kopitiam and right in front was a familiar stall... Not sure if patrons still have to take their own plate of Char Koay Teow or food is delivered to your table.


So there you have it.... 3 stalls for you to choose from. Which one is better? I dunno and I couldn't care less. Honestly, I have stopped eating there since they jacked up the price to a ridiculous level. There are many places in Penang to get nice Char Koay Teow without paying restaurant price. My theory is this: to survive in Penang selling Char Koay Teow, more or less your Char Koay Teow must have certain standard to make your fellow Penangites keep coming back. For eg. try the one at Penang Road cendol, or the one in Bee Hooi which I blogged about earlier.

Phom Che Oscar

Sawasdee Khap!

My name is Oscar and I am from Krung Thep, Muang Thai. I just reach here in Kuala Lumpur this month with khun Jacq. Khun Jacq has been taking care of me ever since my last owner Khun Tim left Krung Thep. Now khun Jacq has a new job in Malaysia and so she decided to bring me along. As far as I can remember, this is my first trip out of Muang Thai.

We flew with Thai Airways and khun Jacq was surprised that I was allowed to be next to her on the plane. Going through the security check in Krung Thep was very pleasant. The security guards were very friendly and they only asked that the water in my cage be thrown away in accordance with the new ruling.

Khun Jacq seemed pretty familiar with the Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Anyhow, I was placed on top of the bags and pushed out of the airport.

I hope I can adapt well here. I wonder if the cats here can speak thai with me.... I miss my Tom Yam flavoured cat food already:(

Who's your daddy?

FF Annual Dinner

It's time to party!!!!!

Don't quit gym... you might not get married

Awwww.......

Annual Dinner This Sat

We're going for our annual dinner this Saturday!!!!

As the theme is "HEROES AND VILLAINS", it's kinda exciting... dunno who's gonna dress up as what. I'm quite sure there will be Jack Sparrow a plentiful, maybe even Zorro? I just suggested to a colleague to go qs Orang Minyak, just wear black undies and sapu minyak tar.. will be cold but cheap :)

I've been thinking about my own costume also.... Should I go like this again?

Laksa in Penang

In Penang, when you say laksa, people would generally think of assam laksa. However, you can find 4 types of laksa in Penang.

The first is of course the widely available assam laksa. Sour and spicy, it is my favourite type of laksa. Generally thought to be one of Penang's best food, most stalls sell good laksa, if not fantastic. My favourite place to to is the one in Penang Road.

If you look around, you can find their "branches" around Penang but I still prefer this one because the kopitiam also has good char koay teow and my all-time-favourite dessert, Chendol.

Most visitors are quite familiar with the name Air Itam Laksa. So where is it?

On the way to Kek Lok Si Temple, you'll go pass a wet market. Right opposite the market, you'll see the stall with people congregating around. You can't miss it. I hardly go there because I don't like driving there - narrow road and difficult to find parking lots.

Nearer home at the Air Itam roundabout, there's good laksa available.

This open-air eating place is on the road that takes you to the Penang Hill. Good mee goreng and kaoy teow t'ng are available there. You can try the muar chee.

The second type of laksa is laksa siam. Also known as laksa lemak, it contains santan and it's sweet. Gf likes this a lot. Where's the best place to eat laksa lemak? At home, of course. Shades' mom is very good at cooking and among her specialty is laksa lemak.

Otherwise, it is not that widely available at the kopitiams. The only place I can think of is Lorong Selamat, the place with the most expensive char koay teow.

I also mentioned briefly laksa utara which is cooked by Malays. It is quite close to assam laksa but the smell isn't that strong. Can't really recommend you where to get it as I usually get mine at the pasar malam near home. But do be on the lookout for Malay eating places.

The last one is sold by Indians. Not sure what the official name is as I grew up calling it Indian laksa. It is also the most difficult laksa to find.

The soup looks orangy and it is spicy but not that sour as well. I managed to buy mine from the guy who happens to be cycling pass my home.

If you want to try this, head to Fettes Park. There is one selling right in front of the Hong Leong Bank, next to a van selling Soya Milk. There used to be one selling behind Penang Plaza, Burmah Road, but I'm not sure if the guy is still there.

While you're there, you may want to consider eating at Fatty Loh Chicken Rice.

So much for laksa recommendation....

NEXT: Penang's most expensive Char Koay Teow

Meeting up with friends in Penang

Going back home is all about 2 F's...nope, not Fitness First, but food and friends. And so here are some of the people I met with during my 1-week break from KL.

Besides meeting friends from my home church, the following day I also went for a meal with Danny, Willie & Leslie at Bangkok Lane.... yup, the famous Pulau Tikus Mee Goreng. After that, Willie, Leslie & I went straight to Gurney Plaza to meet with Oon Peng for a movie...

The show?

Willie, Leslie and I hang around a lot when we're in Penang. Willie and I share our passion in the worship ministry while Leslie and I were serving in the youth ministry of the church. As for Oon Peng... well, let's put it this way: If all of us were in the movie AvP2, Oon Peng would probably be among the first to be killed by either the predator or alien... and his character won't be credited as well. Anyhow, good to see him also la...

from short to tall: Oon Peng, Leslie, Willie & yours truly

Friday and Saturday evening I was invited to Gabe & Mookie's wedding(shall blog it later). But Saturday afternoon, I got the opportunity to meet up with Jenc.

fetch her from home

The day was so hot so we ended up in Queensbay Mall, the latest shopping mall in Bayan Baru.



Jenc seems to be a very busy person. According to her, I was "very lucky" to able to meet her, even on Saturday. Goodness, next time CNY must make appointment earlier to avoid disappointment.

Miss "I'm-very-busy"

The night before my departure, I also managed to meet up with Esmond and her sisters. Ann was there too. They are all members of Fitness First Island Plaza.

No matter how many days of break I get, it is never enough to do everything. Still didn't get to do as many things as I would like to ....

Next blog: Back to the Penang food experience!

Kylie's farewell at Souled Out

Just pictures of Kylie Gates' farewell 14 Dec...

Thanks for the memorable 1 year. Your guidance has made a lot of us better instructors.

All the best to you Kylie!

Eating Thai in Penang

Penang, being close to our neighbour Thailand, has a strong following of thai food. For me, I like to eat at this Thai Restaurant in Penang called Sebai Sebai Thai Restaurant. It serves great thai food, though a bit pricey.

The restaurant is at 1, Lintang Batu, 11600 Green Lane, near the Jelutong wet market. One the most important features of an authentic thai restaurant is definitely pictures of the thai royal family. One amazing thing about the thai people is their undivided love for their king, regardless of where they are. The king may not have any political power but he is still very powerful figure. Anyhow back to the food.

pic of King Chulalongkorn at the back

The first time I ate here was with gf and Jenc. This time round, gf is in Riyo's homeland visiting her friend while Jenc was still in the land down under. Today it was with mom and OCD.

both gf and I totally love the green curry

mixed vegetables with prawns

tom yam koong

rare appearence of shade's mom on blog

Another favourite of mine is the fried fish but we didn't order it this time. Overall, drinks included, we spent around RM75... kinda expensive considering the portion we got. OCD asked if I'd still come again.

Of course... it just tastes too good to resist!

Here's how to get there....