A Snack: Baked Crabstick

If you like to munch like me, try this easy & crunchy snack.

Ingredients

• 12 short crabstick

• olive oil

• salt

• pepper

• curry powder

• Maggi Cukup Rasa

Optional 

• curry leaves

Experiment with the flavour if you wish. Add some cheddar powder maybe?

Steps

1) Sprinkle some salt, pepper, curry powder, Maggi Cukup Rasa & olive oil on finely-shredded crabstick. Toss with curry leaves.

2) Grease pizza pan & scatter the shredded & flavoured crabsticks for even baking.

3) Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes before turning the pan & check for crispiness. Bake for another 5 - 8 minutes.

Happy snacking!

Bangkok Bachelorette Party

#BangkokBacheloretteParty

Date: 13 - 15 September 2014 (Saturday to Sunday)

Bangkok is famous for the delicious Thai cuisine, rejuvenating Thai massage and that unique Thai nightlife. Always in the top spot for a party destination, it offers a little bit of something for everyone. Made total sense to us as we're avoiding the sand & sun before the big day(s).

Hello Bangkok!

Upon arriving in Don Mueang on late Saturday afternoon, we took the airport cab to our accommodation in Sukhumvit. Only 700 Baht excluding the tol charge which was about 100 Baht.

It's true that in Bangkok, taking cab is easier and cheaper if there are more than 3 people in your party.

Check-in at Waterford Diamond Tower was a breeze. The 2-bedroom junior suite accommodated 4 of us comfortably. FREE WiFi available for 2 devices and additional access can be purchased at 100 Baht per device.

2-Bedroom Junior Suit - the master bedroom

Bilik bibik =p

There was only one shower room but luckily none of us was a bathroom hogger! The hotel/apartment has an okay swimming pool which we didn't get to enjoy as we were all on our time of the month :'(

Right opposite the main road was a boutique shopping mall called Rain Hill. I kept thinking of Rain Tree. Love the jungle concept!

Oh, cars stop for you when you cross the road using the pedestrian walk. I was muy impressed & amazed!

Anyway, there are plenty of bars and bistro in Rain Hill. There are a couple hair salons, nail parlours, a grocer (Thai version of AEON) and a couple other shops. We had our tea at Au Bon Pain and did our hair/nails for the night.

First night in Bangkok, we went for Indian food near Nana BTS. For the first time in my life I tasted spicy papadom. Not my cup of tea. Love the chicken tikka and saffron rice though.

Food we ordered were generally spicy but quite delicious, unfortunately slow service. The manager said they prepare everything fresh. Even the bottled water we ordered, I guess :p Those bottles arrived way after the dishes were served.

Next, the highlight of the trip, the main reason for choosing Bangkok, the rooftop bar! That first night we went to Above Eleven in Fraser Suites. 

Gorgeous view.

A somewhat smart casual outlet, this is the place where you can sit, drink and chat with your friends while enjoying the music and the view. 

Yes, works for a romantic date too :)

We stayed till late and I mean really late, the staff were cleaning up the place already.

Next day right after much needed beauty sleep, we headed to Chatuchak Market for what else... SHOPPING!!!

If you're familiar with Rantau Panjang and Pengkalan Kubor, you'll notice that there are some similarities between the two places and Chatuchak Market. Only better because Chatuchak Market offers variety (and I mean variety) of goods from cheap clothes to gorgeous home decor. Stock up on souvenirs here.

Another reason to visit Chatuchak Market  is the food. Like seriously. My girlfriends went looking for the coconut ice cream from street vendor (no they didn't get stomach ache later) and my favourite- a halal shop selling one of the best tomyam I've ever had!

Coconut Ice Cream

And the cherry on top?

A massage parlor with free WiFi right next door! 

Foot and back massage

Done for the day? Haha far from over. From Chatucak Market we took a cab to Terminal 21, an airport-themed shopping complex for *cheap* dresses and accessories. Oh and coffee. And delicious cake.

Gorgeous dresses are on Tokyo level, accesories on Istanbul (I think). Your usual familiar brands like Nike, Jaspal, H&M, Charles & Keith and Levi's are on level G- Rome and M floor- Paris. Plenty of props for photo opp and... the longest (and scariest) escalator I've ever seen.

Once we've got everything we needed, we headed back to Waterford Diamond Tower for our nap in anticipation of another late night. It rained. And some parts of Bangkok flooded. So our date, I mean... host, arrived later than planned.

Luckily we didn't have to take the rescue boat or anything. Our part of town wasn't affected and we got to Lebua at State Tower fine via cab. After dessert in Breeze, our charming host took us upstairs to the famous Sirocco Skybar where unfortunately the outdoor area was closed due to poor weather.

Last day in Bangkok, we lazed around until check-out time, took some photos at the swimming pool area, left our luggage with the front-desk and went for Thai Massage. Plenty of spa to choose from and the cheapest we saw was 200 Baht for traditional Thai massage almost as good as the one in Thai Odyssey. Minus the fancy foot scrub, ambiance and tea of course.

Lunch was at Usman Thai Muslim Food in soi 22. If you love Thai food, you wouldn't want to miss this place. Delicious food, friendly owner and free WiFi.

<3<3<3<3<3

Happy and well-fed, we took a cab to collect our luggage and then off to the airport~ All for only 500 Baht. 

In the Don Mueang airport, we had a couple of hours to kill so we had blow & dry at the only salon in the airport (you can skip this, unless your hair REALLY need a wash), did last minute shopping and ate. Don't bother hanging out outside, just get into boarding lounge already. The shops are better and seats more comfortable inside. Well... except for that they don't have a salon.

And that wrapped our Bangkok Bachelorette Party!

Spasso Milano, Straits Quay, Penang

Spasso Milano has two outlets in Malaysia at the moment. The one in Pavilion is non-halal but the one in Straits Quay is pork free.

I enjoyed sitting outside, taking in the view of the marina and sunset over delicious iced orange tea.

Taste - <3<3 It's okay. Hit and misses. I love the drinks and the garlic bread. The bolognese was okay but my prawn could be better.

Price - Fair. RM158 for 2 pax.

Ambiance - Smart casual. Good for date night or fancy dinner with friends.

View

Freshwater Shrimp Fettuccine - <3<3

Iced Orange Tea <3<3<3

I'm giving this outlet 2 <3<3 out of 5. View is free ;)

Chocolate Muffin

Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients for 6 - 8 muffins

• 1 cup flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

• white chocolate chips

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Steps

1) Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda then add sugar. Beat egg, milk, vegetable oil & vanilla essence.

2) Mix well then pour into muffin cups. Sprinkle some chocolate chips and white chocolate chips.

3) Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 180°C if necessary.

Muzium Tentera Darat, Port Dickson Negeri Sembilan

Last entry for #PusingPusingPortDickson

It WAS a short trip and I only made short stops at a couple beaches to take pictures. So the other place I managed to visit (highly recommended by a local friend) was the Muzium Tentera Darat Port Dickson or the Army Museum. 

You can use Waze to reach the place but road signboard was sufficient for me. It's at the junction where King's Char Kuey Teow is. You might as well try the CKT while you're in the area.

Anyway, you should be going into army area and once you see the arc in the pic below, you know you're heading to the correct direction. The museum is on the right, just a few seconds away. Parking area was sufficient if somewhat cramped.

Check out the outdoor exhibition! Your kids would be screaming to get out of the car by now. Let them run. There are plenty of things to see and 'not touch' and climb up for photo in the compound. I suggest a morning or late evening visit to avoid the heat.

FREE entry but feel free to donate. I saw a donation box in Gallery A.

Even big boys get excited over the planes. I have no idea why.

PD people love the stairs...

That's the building you should start with after you're done touring left side of the pic of course

In case you get lost

Gallery A is on the right.

See no touch :p Washroom on the right

The museum exceeded my expectation actually. Considering how neglected many museums are in this country. I'm gonna sound like a broken record but seriously, this place has potential. Please, to whom it may concern, take care of it. Maintain it. Charge a nominal entry fee for all I care. I'd rather pay than see the investment made wasted.

Disappointed :(

You didn't expect to see this, did you? :)

or this...

Thanks to poor lighting, this fella here looked ghostly

I've seen many lela but it was the first time I saw the inside of a lela

A Famosa Fort recreated

Portuguese uniform

Outdoor exhibition

Can you see what I meant by investment?

My guess? J.W.W. Birch about to get killed

I wish they allow us to climb in

Surprisingly calm

Oh sure there are some disturbing things as well...

And now the museum's pride and joy... the Communist underground tunnel. I'm not sure if it was made by them but the exhibition down there was about the communist. 

Let's go down, down, down~

A communist waiting for visitors

That's the sentry. Not sure why he wasn't facing the entrance.

Propaganda materials

Sickbay

Wanna know how Malays joined the communists?

The end of the tunnel

More climbing?

There's an area for uhm... I forgot what they called it in Malay but it looked like a place to learn survival skills to me.

Had enough? Rest and recharge at the available warung and enjoy a drink or some ice cream.

Tata~