Another day another dollar earns. I guess it is slightly different in my case as to me, another day another day another dollar spend.
Every day, I will be thinking on how I would like to spend my money wisely, what to buy and what to eat. Of course the favourite part is eating what I plan for.
While walking in Super Brand Mall, Shanghai, my stomach gave me a red alert and my mission turned out to be hunting for a place to refill myself.
On 8th floor, which I always think is a lucky floor, I found Long Feng Restaurant, a Chinese restaurant that serves morning dim sum starting at 11 am?
The place is rather quiet when I arrived but it started to gradually filled up with customers especially during lunch time. As much as I normally treat dim sum as breakfast, this time I called it brunch.
Started slowly with custard bun and later followed with small dragon pau as my starter. Maybe I was hungry or maybe the food was really good but my refilling needs more substances.
The waitress somehow acknowledged that and started to introduce their famous signature dumplings to me. Beside prawn dumplings, I did go for chef recommendations.
The dim sums are good and comparable with many Malaysia dim sums but lacking of one thing, the sweet and chilli sauce. Yes, you can dip in soy sauce but I still think it tastes better with sweet sauce.
Whenever I go for dim sum, I will automatically order chee cheong fun (I ordered 2 plates .. hehe) and deep fried spring rolls. The feeling is incomplete if I eat it. How weird isn’t it?
If 10 is good, I will only rank this place as 7. Not because the food is not good but minus 1 for no sweet sauce, minus 1 for start at 11 and minus 1 for too expensive. I actually paid RMB 137 for this “brunch” 
Long Feng Restaurant
24, 8th Floor, 168 West,
Super Brand Mall, Liujiazui,
Pudong, Shanghai, China
TEL: +86 21 2206 0003
WEB: www.longfengyudian.com
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My late father always loves to travel but as a father and being a father, he has to work hard to earn living for his family. He is not from a rich family but he always wanted the best for us.
I remember I used to invite him to go to Holland with me and my mom. He declined. He told me, he was afraid of taking air flight. Few years down the road, mom told me that father wanted to join us but the expenses will be too high if we all go at the same time.
I felt sore in my heart when I heard about that and I know there is nothing much I can do now because he is no longer here. That is why, every time when I travel, I try to put down my burden and enjoy to the fullest because I know that is what he wants for me.
Talking about trying to put down the burden, recently, I just bought something to lighten my shoulder. I bought this silver Samsonite Cosmolite which only weighs about 2.22 kg.
I must say I don’t know much about finding a perfect bag for my travel but I want something light, durable and long lasting. So, I started to Google around and first thing that caught my attention is a car crash on this poor little luggage bag.
WOW ! I thought this is another marketing gimmick but when I perused further, it proves otherwise. The bag fits into my requirements but it took me quite a long to decide if it is necessary to have or it is good to have.
Finally, I bought it. Beside it fits in my requirements, my decision is never about the appearance or the brand. It is simply this. If I can spend RM 100 per kg for excess baggage, this bag automatically safe few hundred ringgit every time when I travel (lighter than most bag in market).
The bag skin is rather thin, lightweight and you can definitely pack more stuff in it. What good about it is, you get complimentary luggage storing case if you decided to temporary retire it.
Right or wrong? I guess it is still too early to tell. Now, I get to travel lighter but I have to spend a bit more for plastic wrapping to prevent it from getting scratches for the first few time:P. I guess there is no such thing as perfect in this world.
Check this out..
Samsonite Cosmolite
WEB: http://www.samsonite.com.my/hardluggage01_home.html
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People are never satisfied. When you have something you complain, when you don’t, you complain. I guess this is what people call human nature.
The last time I check I am still a human, so I guess I cannot avoid from the fact that I do complain once in a while. I used to complain about Chinese Food until I am here.. a place that makes me pork-free for almost 3 weeks now.
Looking back, I did actually spent a great time in China, Shanghai in particular. Old photos remind me of this Gui Hua Lou Restaurant in Shangri-la Pudong.
Now, I hardly even see any oriental food within my vicinity. Although this restaurant is just another Chinese Restaurant.. it reminds me of my root, a Chinese one 
where dim sum should be my breakfast.
I miss this fried spring roll and century egg porridge every morning. I tried to order porridge here but guess what, the hotel serves me with oatmeal porridge instead of rice porridge, how sad .
Believe it or not, I hardly find soy sauce or sweet chilli sauce. If this continues, I guess I will start writing on my travel instead of food. Or worse, you don’t get to read my post anymore as I might starve to death here.
It doesn’t matter if the char siu pau or siu long pau is good here but I can tell you it is a lot better than most of places I have been. I wonder when I will get a chance to go back to this restaurant again.
Try to put yourself in position with no pork and alcohol free for 3 weeks. It is rather torturing. The feeling is like pregnant lady who are craving for certain food. Ohh I never pregnant before but I have big belly that the effect is almost the same.
Aww.. looking at this porcupine custard bun shows how creative and insensitive a human can be, creative because the chef can creates a miracle with scissors on pau and insensitive because his customer is an animal lover.
If you are cruel enough to take the first bite, the sandy custard blood of porcupine is melted in your mouth. I tried it for sure and kept the other two as souvenirs
Chee cheong fun with big prawns or char siew is my all time favourite. When it serves with a glass of Chinese tea, just makes the breakfast as wonderful as it can be.
With RMB 163.30 (~RM 80), you are completely ready to start your wonderful days ahead. Slap by reality now, I have to figure out what I need to order for my breakfast, not bread and butter again
Guihua Lou (inside Shangri-la Pudong)
33, Fu Cheng Lu, Pudong,
Shanghai, China
TEL: +86 21 6882 8888
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Maybe it is too early to ask this to some of you but have you think of places where you want to go with your soul mate for honeymoon?
A very special person to me once suggested Maldives. Coming from tropical country, I directly object it, which led to the reason why I travel ALONE nowadays.
Come on, when the weather is at average of 28 deg C, beaches and expensive, how romantic can it be? I can no longer take off my clothes when you are cold and you need a lot of tissues to wipe my sweat.
Why not I suggest an alternative colder place, Honeymoon Dessert instead? It is cooler, sweeter (not sweater) and affordable? If you minus the crowd, we can spend some quality times together.
You might think I am cheapskate but I am not. I am a realistic person. What happen when all of the sudden you are hungry while we both enjoy the scenic sun rise moment.
Aha.. that why over here is better because you get to order at least tofu fah or durian pastry. Forget about the “big egg yolk” sun as these are much tastier for sure.
I might not bring you to love warm heaven but I bring you to sweet desserts heaven. You might say I don’t know you but I can tell you, I know you “inside” out. When I say inside, I meant your stomach and not something else.
Mango and pamelo slush might be ordinary to many but I know you are craving for it. Sweet potatoes and glutinous rice ball is on the list although I remember you said you will have gas when you have it.
Romantic is never about the places but it is always about who you are with at that time. Again, you can call me not romantic but I am not a cheapskate and I can justify it.
With air ticket from Malaysia+ RMB 67, you really think this honeymoon is cheap? Ohh, I did included shopping in the itinerary too and it is on me! Does that change your mind?
Honeymoon Dessert
Road 699, Block B, 3rd Floor, 200-333,
Pingtang Road,
Shanghai Changning District
TEL: +86 21 6275 5777
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WEB: www.i-manji.com
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You stupid Asian, what are you doing in my country? Get the hell out of here! Do I look Asian? Yes.. Do I look stupid, maybe but chasing me out from your country? That is way too much.
Travelling in foreign countries are not always fun, you get hiccups from time to time. That line was quoted from my travel diary back in 2005. I always wonder what will happen to the whole idea of globalization when there is a small community who still lives in the state of denial.
I felt sorry for them but hey, my journey still continues until today. If I stop then, I will not have a chance to see Fatema Indian Restaurant in the middle of Qingdao, China.
This restaurant is not in a shopping mall. It is by the roadside about 15 minutes from Qingdao Olympics Sailing Museum. The restaurant is decorated with authentic Indian decor with spices as background smell.
If you are physically in Malaysia, I don’t think you will find this restaurant interesting. If you are away from Malaysia for long long time, this restaurant will remind you of mamak stalls.
Finally I get to try cheese and garlic naan and roti prata after craving for it for so long. Not to mention, you get to try different type of Nasi Beryani too..
Let me try to recall what I ordered. If I am not mistaken (in clockwise from top left).. Vegetable Curry, Mutton Curry, Prawn Curry and Chicken curry.
Bear with the lousy photos as I took with my lousy phone in low lighting condition. The presentation of the food is not so good but the tastes of spices are marvellous.
Like many good food around, the portion come in small size. With that, it gives you opportunity to order more. So, I take my chance to maximise my order for second round.
With not a single glass of water yet, I ordered tofu curry, fish curry, potatoes curry and beef curry. Considering the place I am in, all these curries are considered great except the fish one.
Lastly, as for drinks, I ordered mango yogurt and teh masala. Mango yogurt is like a normal yogurt drink with mango flavour but the teh masala is kind of special.
It reminds me of the genuine teh masala that I used to drink when I was in India but slightly bigger cup than usual. I forget how much does this meal cost but I tell you it is not cheap. The price is almost comparable with Little India in KLCC.
Fatema Indian Restaurant
No. 10, Gutian Road,
Qingdao, China.
TEL: +86 137 3099 4178, +86 532 8300 6655
Email: shamimcy@yahoo.com
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Are you a fan of Korean Series, the one that has a lot of romantic crying scenes? I don’t! Not because I am not a romantic or emotionally sensitive guy but I don’t understand their language.
Subtitle is a bonus but crappy translation is not. Sometime, delay in subtitle makes you wonder why the girl cries again? Gosh.. if you watch with your girlfriend, I bet it will be close to impossible to console her when she is weeping with tears.
All my life, I only completed two, Lovers in Paris and Love Story in Harvard. That was before my puberty when I was still living in la la land. Not because I am crazy for it, but my mom watched it and we are poor enough to only have one TV.
Romantic aside, I spotted a singing/dancing teddy bear in one of the Korean series preview. Again, I am not a fan of soft toy but I love the technology of a multi talented invention.
This is not the one I saw in tv but the functionality wise is alike.
If you are not fan of polar bear, you can choose between frog, lion or panda bear. I have to tell you from the appearance of it, the polar bear is the best looking one .. hehe ..
All you need is just inserted 4 x AA battery and voila, the animal starts to move. You can switch between voice activated or plug in the audio cord into you iPhone and let it rocks and rolls.
Once you see it, I bet you will hardly resist yourself from not getting it.
This is not a post to show the softer side of me. This is also not a post to tell you I got this for USD 70 from Korea International Airport but this a post to show the bad repercussion of Korean Series.
Till now, I still cannot figure it out why I get this apart from impulsive decision. While writing this post, the bear is now dancing gracefully in front of me following the rhythm of a romantic song.. guess what.. I am loving it !
Kuchi-Paku Animal Speaker
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Ouch.. I just got rewarded with sore leg from my RM 20 Crocs (with horn). After a marathon walk in Shanghai city for almost 10 hours, my painful leg refused to operate anymore.
It sent an impulse to my brain that literally direct me to the nearest Nike shop to get this pair of trainer or it will go on strike that need multiple massage to treat.
Ok, for clarification, I am neither wearing Crocs with horn nor having sore leg. I just want to make a point that I spotted a pirated crocs selling for RM 20/pair only.
As much as you know me, I am not a person that will spend few hundred bucks for branded stuff but I do make exception especially when comes to footwear.
For clothing, I do not mind wearing old clothes for as long as it is comfortable but I will spend a fortune for shoe as I believe it is a foundation of good posture (as if I have it ).
This time, I spent approx. RM 600 for this pair of Nike Trainer 1.3 Max +. From the look of it, I know I am making the right choice. What so special about it?
Like many Nike+ shoe nowadays, a chip can be inserted and with iPhone or similar range device, it can track your running. Of course Nike is not dumb to supply free chipset. The chip comes as optional.
Honestly, I am not into those kind of stuff but my buying decision are purely relying on i) if it is comfortable ii) the design (not fancy on uncle design as I am still a VERY young iii) if my credit card can pay the bill.
At first this shoe is not as comfortable as it looks like but after a while, my feet adjusted accordingly. After about two weeks of wearing it, I feel like it become part of my body. I might sound a little exaggerating but I love this shoe as much as I love my leg.
From my “no taste” point of view, I think the combination of orange, grey and white turns out to be quite attractive. Therefore, I decided to capture this memory before it changes its color..
Nike Trainer 1.3 Max +
Web: http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-1/pid-436324/pgid-436325
P/S: I still don’t know what the 1.3 means but who cares? Hehehe
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Did you know that most Peranakans are of Hoklo (Hokkien) ancestry? Ok.. if you don’t know what is Peranakan, they are mixed-race descendents, part Chinese, part Malay/Indonesian.
Maybe the word Peranakan might be strange to you and I bet Baba-Nyonya will ring a bell. Normally, Baba-Nyonya is always associated with a historical place called Malacca.
Yes.. Malacca, A famous tourist spot where Red Stadhuys is located! Speaking of which, just few minutes walk from that spot will lead you to a busy “pasar malam” street on Friday night.
The place will start to get really congested in the late evening. Besides I get to buy my favorite cuttlefish, I noted that they sell a lot of cute souvenirs and chairs too! Quite impressive I would say.
My mission to this street was to locate Jonker88.com. What exactly is that? Isn’t you suppose to search on internet instead?
Jonker88.com is a famous dessert shop in Malacca. Many tourists will stop by at this to grab some chilly desserts. Considering that I am a tourist too, I joined others in queue to try out what is so great about this place.
The dessert shop isn’t a typical modern dessert shop like Chatime or Snowflakes but it is rather a museum to me. You get to see a lot of certificates, old notes, drawings etc here.
What amaze me is they kept many ancient artifacts over here too. If you are at my age, you will probably come across typewriter or ring dial telephone before. Believe it or not, they have it here too!
After spending few minutes in queue, instead of one, I decided to order two desserts. One is Cendol Gula Melaka and the other one is Sago Gula Malaka.
Both are really amazing. I love the taste of Gula Malaka although it is a bit too sweet for me. When I put inside my mouth, I can taste the nice coconut fragrant in it too! Yummie!
The desserts are quite affordable and it ranges only from RM 3 – 5 per bowl. Give it a try especially on hot sunny day!
Jonker88.com
same row as Malacca Chicken Rice Balls
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Yawn.. Did you know I never like to read? Reading is like my sleeping pills .. I used to complain to my mom, I hate reading and why should I study. That was right after my first day in kindergarten.
History is never my favorite subject but I was so good with the first 2 pages on my text books because right after that, I was in my dreamland and when I awake, I restart the whole process. The cycle continues.
BUT did you know I love to visit museums and historical places? Am I contradicting myself? No..absolutely not. Visiting historical places makes me travel back to time “mentally”!
I experienced the same feeling too when I visited Zhan Qiao, 栈桥 (or loading pier) in Southern Shore of Qingdao where the octagonal pavilion is viewed as symbol of Qingdao.
What so special about this place? For Tsingtao Brewery Museum, the structure that was constructed in 1930 is a label of their beer bottle. For me, it means much more than that.
Apart from shopping on top of dead coral reef, this is the place where I saw a real fisherman casting the net with my own eyes. You can call me cityboy but this is another serendipitous finding for me.
The entrance ticket to this octagonal pavilion is only RMB 4/person (~RM 2/person). As soon as you enter the building, you are greeted with this mysterious black rock. Yea, it still remains mysterious until today.
I don’t think there is any significance about this place except they sell a lot a lot of creative souvenirs at “tourist price”
One of the creative souvenirs that I saw is burned art on wooden sheet. Considering my mom was also a tourist, she bought this as a souvenir for my sis at the price of RMB 50 each (~RM 25).
I did not spend much time here as we have tight schedule to follow but this place is worth to pay a visit. The place might not be as interesting as it is but the hawker stalls by the roadside around this vicinity are VERY attractive.
Zhan Qiao, 栈桥
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