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Health & Wellness

Health & Wellness
Health & Wellness

 

 

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Thank You for the Memories, 2022!

 

It's time to say goodbye to 2022. I was thinking about how should I remember 2022. I'd easily describe 2020 & 2021 as the years that were "lost" to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

But for 2022, it wasn't easy, but I think I'd settle with this: 2022 was a challenging yet hopeful (penuh harapan) year.


Here's a recap of some notable happenings in 2022 that I'd like to pen down on my blog.


#1 - I got COVID-19 after avoiding it for 2 years.



#2 - We went to Club Med Bali.



#3 - I was swept by hallyu (Korean wave). 

 

I was and still am chasing K-dramas (mostly fantasy, supernatural, thriller, police-prosecutor genres). I've been having Korean dishes happily. If there's one Korean phrase to describe this point, it'd be haeng-bok-hae (행복해), translated as I'm happy.









#4 - I voted in GE15. 

 

Thank God DSAI is now PM10!



#5 - We went to a getaway trip in Taiping.

 


 

#6 - I have decided to take little steps to revive my blog. 

 

Thank you for reading and do stay tuned to new blog posts on a weekly basis!


Last but not least.

 

I'd like to take this opportunity to send the following message to everyone who has lost someone in 2022, especially in the Batang Kali tragedy in December.

 



Source

8+8+8 rule

 

Finally, I'd like to share the above 8+8+8 rule for a good work-life balance/integration in 2023.


8 hours of honest hard work

8 hours of good sleep

8 hours to spend on 3Fs, 3Hs, 3Ss

Family, Friends, Faith

Health, Hygiene, Hobby

Soul, Service, Smile


Happy New Year!


P.S.: Check out my compilation of annual posts since 2007.


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Christmas 2022 in Kuala Terengganu

 
Christmas 2022 was celebrated in Kuala Terengganu.

 
Christmas eve dinner was at church. We had potluck with church members.

 
There was Laksa Sarawak!


Christmas Day lunch was at home with family members and close relatives.

 
One of the highlights was homemade ice kacang!
 


Here's a video of how we "assemble" the ice kacang.


 Homemade ice kacang with lots of ingredients. My version has less crushed ice, that's why it looked like this. Haha.

 
Other highlights include my MIL's homecooked tong sui.

 
Laksam

 
Nasi Dagang Atas Tol. This nasi dagang is famous because it uses long grain rice instead of the normal short grain rice.

 
Nasi Minyak with Gulai Daging.


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Top 17 Dishes that I Enjoyed Eating (and where to find them)

 

 

This bowl of curry beehoon with cockles is one of the best curry noodles that I have eaten in ages. The ones I have tried are subpar most of the times.

 

Location: Restoran Pakka Lok at Jalan Utama, Taman Puchong Utama

 

 
This is brown rice nasi lemak with one whole hard-boiled egg served on top of the rice.

Location: The Loaf, Pavilion KL

 
This is a very interesting dish I tried during a trip to Taiping. It's called Nyonya Ulam Chicken Salad. It's pretty much carb-less and packed with protein from the chicken breast slices. The fresh chopped local herbs add texture, crunch, and freshness to the dish too. It's truly satisfying!

Location: Raintree Kitchen Restaurant in Taiping Sentral Mall
 

 
I usually won't order wantan mee because I don't like the stringy wantan noodles. However, this bowl of wantan mee soup that I tried during a trip to Taiping is rather different. It has more ingredients such as lean pork slices and mushroom slices on top of wontons and char siew slices. The soup doesn't taste like the typical wantan mee soup too.

Location: Medan Selera Tai Hu at Taman Tasik Taiping
 
 
If you know me, you know that I love lui cha (or lei cha). It's a vegetarian dish with an assortment of chopped leafy vegetables, beans, tofu, and peanuts. The way to eat lui cha is by pouring a mug of the green lui cha paste/soup into the bowl of ingredients, mix them well, and eat. The end product isn't very photo-friendly (imagine a bowl of green goop hahaha), so I have decided not to put up the photo here.

Location: T42 at Jalan 17/155c, Bukit Jalil (same row as Klinik Medipulse Bukit Jalil)

 
This is Nasi Ikan Patin Masak Tempoyak. Tempoyak is a fermented durian paste made from overripe durian flesh. I super love the taste of tempoyak so this dish is a gem!

Location: Richiamo Coffee Ara Damansara (below Kindlehouse Dental Clinic at Eve Suite)

 
The focus of this photo should be the Nasi Daging Salai Masak Lemak Cili Api. I'm a big fan of masak lemak dishes too.

Location: Richiamo Coffee Ara Damansara (below Kindlehouse Dental Clinic at Eve Suite)

 
This is nasi campur with some of my favorite Malay style dishes - daun kayu masak lemak, kari daging lembu, and tempeh.

Location: R&R Gambang (heading to Pantai Timur)

 
This is Kuching Kolok Mee Red Sauce. The amount of the different types of meat is good. I love the packaging too, it reminds me of my childhood when my late dad bought breakfast for us on weekends.

Location: Nam Chuan Coffee Shop on FoodPanda

 
It was a chilly day that day, so my colleagues and I decided to have piping hot Pan Mee soup for lunch. We also ordered Tau Fu Fah as our after-meal dessert.

Location: Chun Hiong Coffee Shop, Lorong Ara Kiri 2, Bangsar

 
I have blogged about this bowl of delicious Sundae Gukbap (Korean blood sausage soup with rice).

Location: Lee Ga Korean Noodles Restaurant at Desa Sri Hartamas

 
I have also blogged about this amazing Bamboo Mutton Briyani.

Location: Restoran Kannaas Bamboo Masalla Briyani at Taman Kinrara Seksyen 3, Puchong

 
Here's a comforting bowl of home-cooked Bak Kut Teh. It may not be as flavorful as those cooked by BKT sifus, but I'm proud of my dish. Hehe.
 
Location: My house

 
Korean BBQ feast. I have blogged about this wholesome spread of scrumptious K-BBQ meal.

Location: Garage Original Korean BBQ at Bandar Puchong Jaya

 
Now this is an interesting dish. It's called Mee Champa (but I opted for beehoon). It came with beef, tendon, and tripe. I absolutely love this dish!

Location: Dapur Champa @ Kitchen Connect Bangsar on GrabFood

 
I have blogged about Yukgaejang - spicy beef and vegetable soup.

Location: Daorae Korean BBQ Restaurant

 
And this, my friends, is a bowl of delightful Nyonya Laksa.

Location: Baba Low's 486 at Lorong Kurau, Bangsar


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Bamboo Mutton Briyani at Restoran Kannaas Bamboo Masalla Briyani in Puchong

 

Have you tried Bamboo Briyani before? We had Bamboo Mutton Briyani, Bamboo Chicken Briyani and teh tarik at Restoran Kannaas Bamboo Masalla Briyani (Taman Kinrara Seksyen 3, Puchong).

 

 


 
 


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Daorae Korean BBQ Restaurant


I did a Google Search to find out who owns the chain of Daorae Korean BBQ Restaurants. From a 2011 article titled "Riding the Korean wave" by The Edge Markets, it mentioned that Mr Yoon Sun Kyu from South Korea owns Daorae, the largest Korean restaurant chain in Malaysia.


Daorae means "Welcome everyone" in Korean.



A friend treated my hubby and I for dinner at Daorae Korean BBQ ICON City, Bukit Mertajam during our weekend getaway trip two weeks ago.



Here are the banchans or refillable Korean side dishes that are typically served at Korean BBQ restaurants.



I always find this flexible exhaust at Korean BBQ restaurants interesting. Not all K-BBQ restaurants have this system. With these exhaust thingy installed above each table, the amount of smoke from the grilling plates is significantly reduced.


 

The friend ordered the Beef Modum (Premium Angus Beef). On the menu, it was described as "Four kinds of assorted beef BBQ sampler (ox tongue, boneless short rib, brisket, short rib)".

 

 The photos above only show two cuts from the platter as I didn't manage to snap photos of the previous two cuts. The restaurant workers were very swift in grilling the meat and plating them.

 


 

I personally also ordered a bowl of Yukgaejang, translated as spicy beef and vegetable soup. Maangchi has a great explanation of yukgaejang: "This soup is smoky, spicy, and rich, with healthy hunks of sliced beef and plenty of vegetables that are soft, but not mushy—they're full of earthy mountain flavor from gosari (fernbrake)."


I remember I love the brown, longish vegetables inside the yukgaejang. From Maangchi's explanation, I know that must be gosari, so I did a Google search to find out what gosari is. I think the ones used in Korean dishes in Malaysia are the dried version of gosari. They are dried and brown.


Yukgaejang is very delicious. Just put the whole bowl of rice in the pot of fiery red soup and enjoy! It's not too spicy, so I truly enjoyed every spoonful of this dish.

 

The satisfying savory taste of the beef, the spiciness of chili powder, the sweetness of leeks and garlic, and the soothing vegetable aroma of bracken and taro stalks all come together in the warm broth to create a food that warms the heart the moment it is served. Source: Yukgaejang (육개장)

 


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Weekend Getaway Trip at Hermitage Boutique House in Taiping


Last weekend was the start of the 3-week school holidays for public schools in Malaysia. So hubby and I went on a 3D2N weekend getaway trip to Taiping.

 

We stayed at Hermitage Boutique House, a hidden sanctuary located at Lorong Merdeka 1, which was within walking distance from Taiping Lake Garden.



This is the automatic front gate that can be opened and closed with our hotel guest access card.



Here's an angle of the swimming pool located at what I would call the center courtyard of the hotel. It's actually right in the middle of the hotel.


 

Here's another angle of the swimming pool. I think from this angle, it's showing the "jacuzzi" pool.


 

Here's the unit that we stayed in for our 3D2N weekend trip, it's called the Blue Sapphire.


 

A welcoming sight of the front porch with a table and two chairs where you can just sit and bask in the sun. Then again - Taiping being Taiping, the wettest town in the country - you can imagine the amount of rain there was.


 

A king-sized bed on a raised wooden platform. Pretty classy.



A really decent and clean bathroom and toilet. Basic toiletries and fresh, clean towels are provided. There are even bathrobes (which I forgotten to take a photo of).



The living room with a TV and sofa, also on a raised wooden platform.



The kitchen is neat! Spot the microwave and kettle. There are also forks & spoons, plates & bowls in one of the drawers. So you can actually do some minor cooking with the microwave if you fancy.



Here's the vanity table.



I find this bedside lamp interesting.



Instant noodles for dinner. Yay!



Had a glass or two of soju while watching TV.



Some of you asked what did I do in Taiping.



Well, you shouldn't miss taking a stroll at the Raintree Walk of the Taiping Lake Garden.



And take lots of photos of the beautiful scenery, and here's one. Haha.



There's a newly opened bar & restaurant, The Brew House opposite the lake. So, we spent a good amount of time there too. I had the Connor's Float (stout topped with whipped cream) - perfect for a rainy afternoon.


More info about Hermitage Boutique House on their Facebook page.


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