Travel 2014: Semporna, Sabah

I want to tell you about this beautiful place in my home country. A place so pretty, so full of wonderful lives, thrilling experiences that leave deep imprints in your heart. It's a place you can never forget for its charm stays forever in you, blooming and manifesting in a way that you can never forget. In time, the tropical sun, the scent of the sea breeze, the warmth of people, the mysterious lives below the sea will only grow more fondly inside you; and you will find yourself missing and wishing to return to this paradise again and again.

Believe me when I tell you how stunning this place is, because I have visited the place with a heart and never came back with one. I happily left my heart and soul at Semporna, Sabah.

 

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="630"] A common sight at Semporna.[/caption]

As a Malaysian Diver, I have always been told that I should dive in Sabah, because we have one of the best dive sites in the world namely the island of Sipadan. I kept hearing stories about how the place is so wickedly wonderful because you would not only be dazed by the many thriving underwater lives; you would also be threading on dangerous waters, whether it's on the land or under the water. Since you know, the currents there have been known to be strong and the security on land isn't that good with all the terrorism going around. But the adrenaline rush, the thrilling thoughts that you might not live to tell another story would all be worth it in the end.

Back to my long awaited vacation, we planned this trip a year before and managed to grab some good deal from Air Asia, costing approximately RM150 with return flight, from KL to Tawau. We had prior transport arrangement from Tawau Airport straight to Semporna. It was a 45 ~ 60 minutes drive to the small jetty town.



There are plenty of taxis/vans in the airport for rental, so you don't have to worry about getting to Semporna if you don't have any other arrangements beforehand. Most hotels will include the transportation in the package, so be sure to verify yours.

We stayed in a simple and thriving town called Semporna with Borneo Global Sipadan Backpackers Lodge & BGB Country Tours & Travel. It is the place where all the tourist would step foot on as it's also the nearest to all the beautiful islands on the nearby oceans. Almost all the people who are going to the islands would depart from its jetty.

There are plenty of diving centres, backpacking hostels and hotels in town and they cost slightly cheaper than staying on the many islands out in the nearby oceans. So if you are on a budget like me, you could choose stay in Semporna. There are plenty of dive centres around that will bring to the islands for diving or even snorkelling, island hopping if you don't have a license.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="630"] Look at all the houses built on the sea.[/caption]

We chose to stay on the mainland instead of the islands because of the limited budget and also the perks of having varieties of food. On islands, you are subjected to whatever limited choices you have there, and it's pretty much impossible or else pricey to pay some boat taxis to bring to another islands.

Besides I have to warn you that you might not find anyone who's willing to travel on boat at night because of all the terrorism going on in the area. In terms of our accommodation, the room was fairly simple. We had everything we need, a place to stay and shower and just chill for the night as there weren't many night activities around and really not advisable to hang around at night. Though we all felt that the rooms could use some maintenance, most of the facilities, furnitures and beds were really old and in need of restoration.

They have plenty of chinese, western or malay eateries; and there's a market in the morning where you could see the locals selling tons of exotic seafoods. If you want to experience how locals go on with their lives, Semporna is a great place to stay and experience their culture.

On the first day itself, we were welcomed by the locals' warmth hospitality. Since it was already late for any dives on that day, our trusty host arranged us for a Borneo Semporna Proboscis River Cruise Excursion. It was long boat drive into one of the many national parks in Sabah to hunt for these wild proboscis monkeys and fortunately, we managed to spot a few of these evading creatures. Our dinner was nothing short of amazing. It was a BBQ Seafood dinner. The portion was generous and the taste was fresh and delicious. All of us on the excursion left with a satisfactory experience.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="630"] Sneaky proboscis monkey. Spot the huge nose?[/caption]

And to be honest, I have known that people on East Malaysia are far more friendlier than those on West Malaysia especially those working in the tourism industry. Still, the amount of sincerity and warmth displayed by these locals surprised me, I have probably never experienced such hospitality from the many times I travelled around West Malaysia before. Not that I am complaining, I am just really happy that at least I don't need to an "ang moh" to receive these kinda treatments from my own fellow Malaysians. West Malaysians need to learn some of the attitudes from these locals in Semporna.

Another issue that kinda worried me when I visited Semporna is the security issue. Before I flew over, there was a series of kidnapping. I almost cancelled it because of the pressure from my parents. I have been hearing that it is potentially safer to stay on the mainland because the islands are easier to invade.

The thing about Semporna is, it's difficult to differentiate between the locals and the immigrants from Philippines. I have heard stories from the locals that these people literally float on a small wood plank for days to arrive here, to escape from the poverty from their own country in search of new opportunities. There are plenty of illegal houses built on the seas that most of these people live in.

The impoverishment is obvious in this town, you could see it everywhere and these people are living on a minimum wages. So my advice to you is dress modestly, don't flaunt your riches because mainland or not, it's better be humble, safe than sorry. Don't make the same mistakes as those tourists from China. Based on the way they dress and spend extravagantly, it's really no wonder they have been targeted. So if you are visiting, don't do that; just don't bring troubles upon yourself.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="630"] The jetty for people who want to head out to all islands. Surrounded by the houses built on sea.[/caption]

Also, on the way to the other islands from Semporna's jetty we noticed that there were a lot of people farming seaweeds on the surface of the oceans. I supposed it was a good income for these sea people, though I must say that these activities also caused plenty of other problems, like pollution. There were rubbish floating everywhere, plenty of plastic bottles, bags and those non-biodegradable waste which we assumed they were being thrown thoughtlessly into the water by those living on the water.

There is another problem from this seaweed farming apart from the increase in number of people living on the sea; is the number of sea turtles invading these farms. Seaweed is like their natural food so naturally they are attracted by the sheer amount of vegetations growing in the area.

This however poses another problems for those farmers who rely on these plants for a small amount of income, so they resort to killing because to them, sea turtles are pests and apparently they can destory the seaweed farm overnight. There has been controversies on this matter because some people blame it on the farmers; others point finger at the those commercial fisheries.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="630"] A lot of people live on the sea, relying on fishing and seaweed farming for a living.[/caption]

Either ways, it's a big loss. These animals can smell the blood of their own species and they will avoid the areas instinctively. I supposed there will be less sighting of these wonderful animals in the future.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="630"] Heading out for our dives![/caption]

For the next 3 days in my 5D4N Vacation consisted of only diving, diving and diving, and we had our dinners around the town. The chinese foods were excellent. And the seafoods were so fresh and so cheap, do yourself a favor, forget all your diet plans and eat to your heart's content. The diving spots were stunning, but I will have to save all our guilty pleasures for the next post. ;)

So, believe me when I tell you how stunning this place is, because I have visited the place with a heart and never came back with one. I happily left my heart and soul at Semporna, Sabah.

Stay tuned for my epic story! And also all the information you need. ;)

Check out this companion piece: Travel 2014: Diving in Sipadan, Sabah.

Read Whatever That Makes You Happy!

There's a certain "AGAINST YA" movement going around these days. And before you go googling for what YA means, it actually stands for "YOUNG ADULTS". So what's this AGAINST YA? Apparently, it's embarassing for adults to read young adults fictions and you should totally dig a hole and hide yourself forever there since you are actually reading something written for children when you are a grown-up adult yourself!

Honestly, few years back I wouldn't bother about this thing because at that point I was only a young adult. Now, no matter how much I want to deny this, I am getting older and right now I am at the NEW ADULT STAGE and I can't help to cringe at this movement because I am guilty as charged. I still read YA fictions! Hell yeah! I love them! And why should you control what I should be reading at different ages?

I started reading pretty late. English language has never been my first language and I remember how I used to hate this subject in schools. Luckily I grew out of the hatred and started realising just how important this lingua franca was; so I began drilling myself away to master this crazy language that seemed so difficult to me at that moment. To start it off, I had to read children's book because I couldn't understand the teenagers/Young Adults book. They were too hard. I sorta grasped the language eventually, if not I would not be writing this.

Anyways back to the AGAINST YA issue, I don't understand! I really don't. To me, reading is pretty much a very personal hobby. Sure, you can discuss about a book with someone else after you have done with it but at the time when you are in the midst of a book, you are the only one interacting and engaging with the pages right in front you. People may see you sitting at the bench in the book, however, you are the only one who knows where these words have carried you to be it a world of crazy fantasy, dramas, pain or love. It is like a personal connection, only you can feel it.

So the question is, why are you shaming other readers for whatever books they feel connected to?

Genre is there for a reason. As similar as the YA and Adult category can be, there is a difference. YA storyline often ends up to a happy ending or a positive one and often than not, the characters don't move beyond colleges. Life issues are not the major problems there because you know, mostly it revolves around high school/colleges scenarios, how many dramas can you have from there? While Adults fictions tackle a lot of real life issues and assert more maturity in how the story flows or how the characters handle the dramas. So there's a difference, but I don't mean that the other one is horrible or the latter one is better. It's just the genre. And seriously there are no faults nor shames in reading either genres. Why can't adults indulge in a little bit of teenagers' simple and totally nonsense dramas since the reality kinda sucks most of the time. Like they always say, there is always a kid in all of us no matter the age. And a lot of people actually read to escape into a different world, so why is it wrong when people choose to escape back to those pimpled eras where we only cared about getting drunks, puppy loves and maintaining grades in schools.

So what is wrong with reading YA and laugh about all the antics that we used to be so conscious about too? We have been there, done that and reading a YA or children books even is nothing to be ashamed of. At the end of the day, I just want to relive some of its simplicity without getting myself into all the adulthood dramas when our real lives are packed to the capacity with all the random issues.

To emphasize my point again, I feel that reading is a personal hobby, it's an intimate connection you are establishing with the authors and their overly imaginative minds to experience the angst or happiness they are going through. And it's not up to people to tell you what you should read and if it's a hobby, it should be enjoyable and you should get those books that make you feel connected. All those haters be damned!

Oh yeah, I love fanfictions, like tons, selectively too. There are plenty of talented authors out there and really, they don't need to publish their work into hard copies - books to prove themselves worthy.

I am not ashamed of what I read. I embrace all genres as long as I am happy and interested. Published or not. Adult or not.

I suggest you to do the same. And just enjoy the ride. :)

 

 

Little Wonton @ Taman Tun Dr Ismail, KL

With the help of the navigation app and some pointers from our fellow foodies from the blogosphere, we finally landed ourselves at the doorstep of Little Wonton, which has been creating hype around the internet world because of their supposedly irresistible fried dumplings with plenty of flavours and interesting fillings to pick from.


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The simple decoration of Little Wonton has been tastefully done. There is a certain welcoming warmth that comforts the patrons and makes you all feel all homey, comfortable and cosy the instant you enter the shop, which by the way is located on the first floor. So if you discover yourself walking around the shop lots and you are pretty sure you have got the address correct, remember to look up! You should be able to notice the signboard then!

Whether you like them sweet or salty, there are plenty of Air Fried Wontons to choose from. It comes in 6 pieces for the price of RM7.90. There are other items to pick from too like the Curry Fishball which we were pretty tempted to order and Air Fried Chicken Wings too! So take your pick! Remember to watch the chalkboard near the counter because they do offer set meals or other promotions.


CHARCOAL NOODLES - VINEGAR GARLIC LYCHEE RM6.90

My initial response - WEIRD. You can't deny it that this is a pretty odd combination, it's lychee man and also did I mention that this noodle is served cold? I am not really a fan of cold dishes but at that moment, I decided to give it the benefits of doubt, and boy, I definitely don't regret this. The noodle is surprisingly appetizing and tasty thanks to the vinegar zest, the mild garlicky taste and the sweetness of lychee makes the otherwise dull charcoal noodle an enjoyable dish. Though I must warn you though, the noodle comes in a pretty small portion especially for guys might find it unsatisfying. Will I return for this? Definitely.


CHARCOAL NOODLES - CREAMY ROASTED SESAME RM6.90

Sesame dressing makes everything alright. You know those roasted sesame dressing that you can get from Japanese restaurants when  you order salad? Those good kinds. So yeah that kinda pretty sums up my feel on this noodle dish. I like it, but that's also because I love the sesame dressing. Simple as that. :)

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AIR FRIED WONTONS - MUSHROOM ONION CHEESE RM7.90

Now we have arrived to our main protagonists! Their famous wontons!

We chose this flavour as it was highly recommended by the staff. We suspect that it's one of the most popular choice there since I have been noticing this items popping up in the blogosphere pretty often. True enough, the wonton actually lives up to its popularity. The thin wonton skin is fried to a perfect crisp and best of all, it doesn't feel oily, leaving behind a very pleasant texture in your mouth. The Mushroom Onion Cheese is a great combination, bursting with flavours and with the right amount of cheese to keep the wontons juicy. For a person who doesn't enjoy cheese much, the wonton feels and tastes just right to me, definitely something I would return for when I am craving some delicious wontons. Pricing at around RM1.30 for each wonton, I would say that it's pretty worth they are pretty generous with the size and filling.


AIR FRIED WONTONS - BANANA CHOCOLATE RM7.90

For the second serving, we tried out something sweet. I don't usually have my wontons sweet, it's just not a common thing so I am pretty reluctant about this. After I have tried this though, I must say that I never regret my decision. The chocolate tastes just right with banana as always, and it's mildly sweet just enough to tease your taste buds and leave you craving for more. Ya, it's good, I have definitely enjoyed them.


Overall, the concept behind this business is really interesting, I mean, how they are just selling wontons and look how far they have come! The quality and concept are definitely there and I am sure with the right marketing, this business could go a long way. I am definitely returning here for my wontons craving in the future and since they have so many other flavours, I can't wait to try them all! Hopefully the next time I come back, the quality will be maintained because to me, if you can't keep the consistency in your food quality, you will lose customers. So all the best Little Wontons! You can definitely go far!

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MINI RED RATING

Ambience: 5/5
Service: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Value: 4/5

For more information:

Little Wonton Cafe | Facebook Page

1st Floor, 20-1 Lorong Rahim Kajai 14

Taman Tun Dr Ismail

60000 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Hokkaido Ice Cream @ Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya

 

If you haven't noticed that the weather has been getting really warm these days, you must be an alien or just plainly insensitive to whatever that is going on around you. No, I am serious, the weather is getting so warm these days, it's unlikely that you don't feel it at all!

And in conjunction of the heatwave, El Nino, Global Warming and everything warm, I present to you a post all about this premium ice cream that I absolutely love! :) Hokkaido Ice Cream!

Owned by Supersushi Sdn Bhd, which operates one of the very popular and well-known Japanese restaurants such as Sushi Zanmai, this ice cream parlour serves some of the best imported Japanese Ice Cream you could get around in Klang Valley with a fairly decent price.

There are only two outlets in Malaysia, one is located right outside their premium sushi restaurant - Hokkaido Sushi One Utama and another one is situated outside their popular restaurant Sushi Zanmai at Paradigm Mall. Oh, I think there's one in The Gardens, Mid Valley too!



A single scoop of ice cream (40ML) is as low as RM4.80. For me, that's a good price because the single scoop, as small as it sounds is actually very satisfying; just enough to make you feel happy. :)



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Apart from serving the ice cream in scoops, they have an extensive menus of desserts available like the typical mochi. You can also serve your ice cream with crepe or waffles. For those who are thirsty, there is also a wide array of drink choices available.


One my favourite is definitely their lavendar ice cream. The flavour itself is rare in Malaysia and could only be found usually from Japanese Restaurants. At the affordable price you're paying for, Hokkaido Ice Cream sure serves one of the better quality of ice cream around. I love the fact their ice creams aren't too sweet to annoy your taste bud and they definitely leave a pleasant after taste. Also, the texture is milky smooth, so delicious, so good, so easily melt in your mouth and engulf all your senses with happiness.

And to top it off, you could feel the essence of the ice cream itself and I am thoroughly convinced that they are actually using the real ingredients to make the ice cream instead of the manufactured flavouring that a lot of ice cream parlours use these days.

I had my Lavendar Ice Cream with the fresh and crispy waffles that absolutely complement with the ice cream itself. Having tried the same flavour from other Japanese restaurants, I can safely tell you that their ice creams at top notch quality. ;)



 

Black Sesame is one of the more popular flavour when it comes to Japanese Ice Cream. Their is so creamy that you won't have any doubt that they are actually using the real thing to produce this icy delicacy. We have paired it with French Vanilla Ice Cream and if you are wondering why is the ice cream yellow in color instead of the usual white?

I was once told by a Chef that to differentiate the ice cream that uses the real flower to make than those that uses only the flavouring, the secret is in the colour and there's a slight difference in their fragrance. It's something you will know when you put it in your mouth, needless to say, the one that uses the real flower to produce is better and definitely pricier! So next time look at the colour, there should be slight tint of yellow to the texture. As for the taste, you should really try them yourself so that you will know the difference. Remember to close your eyes while savouring it!

I will definitely head back to this place. And I expect that it will be returning quite often to enjoy my ice creams. And I get to enjoy superior quality ice creams for the prices I pay? FINE! Take my bank account! After all, desserts are everyone's best friends, aren't they? ;)

MINI RED RATING

[xrr rating=4/5 imageset=default label="Ambience:"][xrr rating=3/5 imageset=default label="Service:"][xrr rating=5/5 imageset=default label="Food:"][xrr rating=4/5 imageset=default label="Value:"]

For more information:

Visit Supersushi Sdn Bhd Website here!

 

5 Reasons Why I left You, Apple.

I am a smartphone enthusiast . I won't say I am ADDICT OR FANATIC OR EXPERT in that sense but I love it enough to always keep a lookout on the latest smartphone news. And I can't help to notice the big hype on the latest Mi3, released by a underdog brand - XiaoMi from China. Maybe being underdog is understatement, because most of the important executives they hire are ex-Google employees or android developers. And on top of that, he is like the founder of MIUI, one of the most popular Android Custom ROM in the world.

So yeah, in short, I jumped ship - from Apple to XiaoMi3.

I first started off with Android when I first entered the smartphone market and then changed to iPhone later. Now that I have switched back to Android, I couldn't tell you how much I actually missed this operating system by Google. I am so glad that I did! As much as I love and appreciate the simplicity and straight forwardness that Apple provides, I have some like 10 solid, valid, totally profound reasons why I change.

And if you are considering making the ditch, read this:

LARGER SCREENS, MORE AND BETTER HARDWARE CHOICES.

Once you go big, you never go small. This is true, the moment you are used to the bigger screen, it's really difficult to change to something smaller and you will be squinting your eyes to do so. While Apple products only limit you to one specific design and specifications.

Need something with bigger ram then go pick one of the brands that offer that; an expandable slot maybe? Aluminium bodies perhaps? or want plastic body for its light weight. The choices are all in your hands.

MULTIPLE GADGETS, ONE CABLE.

One thing about Android phones or plenty of modern gadgets in the market use the universal USB cable except for Apple products. And I don't know how that makes certain loyal fanatics (or extremists) feel so proud of it because they are literally sucking cash by making you purchasing their cables, chargers, connectors or whatever. To me, that's horribly inconvenient! And I don't want to deal with having multiple cables inside my bag for all the different gadgets I want to own! (NOTE: I WANT TO OWN)

THIRD PARTY KEYBOARDS

An avid Apple user will not be able experience the true feeling of using a third party keyboards. Whatever they tell you about how original keyboard is better is bullshit until they have tried Swiftkeys or heck, even Google Keyboards itself are that good! You don't even need to lift your finger these days and the prediction/correction feature is so intelligent. This function alone is enough for me to throw Apple products of the windows! It makes all my surfing and chatting so speedy, fun and easy.

Apparently now iOS8 will be supporting third party keyboards soon so this proves that Apple is only starting to realise what the consumer wants when Android has already done so for so long!

INTEGRATED GOOGLE SERVICES AND FEATURES

Believe it or not, whether you're Apple or Android users, you have a GMAIL account and you are probably actively using all the features and website owned by Google. Using Android allows you to integrate everything into one without compromising security. If that doesn't spell c-o-n-v-e-n-i-e-n-c-e to you then I don't know what is. Besides, let's admit it, most of the features that google offers is that good and so helpful in our lives, think gmail, sheets and docs.

FREEDOM MATTERS

While having iPhone is cool (or used to), but it's like dealing with communist in general. Apple shoves you a device, making you think it's cool and then you are forced to use whatever software they give you and make you purchase the accessories because you aren't allowed to share with others. Unless you jailbreak the iOS but still what you can do with it is limited unless you are allowed to change custom ROM entirely, can you? But with Android (rooted) you can totally customise whatever you want, even if you are not familiar with rooting your android, it's fine. Tons of themes and customisation apps for you to explore and have lotsa fun!

 

Just like how my friend has said it:

"I want to use my device how i want to.. not to be told how to use it."

I couldn't agree more with how true this statement this! Using iPhone feels like being locked in a jail. (Thus the word jailbroken.) Nope, it's not something I want to head back for a long while. It feels like I have found my wings again. So maleficent.