I believe this particular coffee shop looks familiar to most of you, thats assuming majority of you readers are from USJ. Anyway, even if you’re not, my fellow author, Christopher has blogged about this place before, which was about his Char Siew Rice! Let me refresh your memory.

I so happened to decide to have my breakfast with my parents at this coffee shop on a Sunday morning after church, after hearing much about the curry laksa at the place.

To illustrate its popularity, when I first stepped into the coffee shop, I could actually spot at least a bowl of curry laksa on every table. So I sat down with the parents, and ordered a bowl of curry laksa, which cost only RM4.50. Thats the price for the ’small’ portion though, the ‘big’ one cost around RM5?

Anyway, I was taken aback by the portion.

It was huge. Then again, the soup seems to be the one filling up the bowl rather than the noodles!

No complains for the laksa though, it was tasty and the soup makes you wanting for more! (MSG?) The chicken that came along with it were tender and blended well with the curry. Of course there was a mini plate of sambal for you spicy lovers if you wish to add some more flavour into it!

You can also choose the noodles of your preference to go with the soup, I had mee hoon + kuey teow! I know its a weird combo, but I love the fact the mee hoon absorbs the curry to make it more flavourful and at the same time I like kuey teow, so why not have the best of both worlds? Try it, you might end up liking it too!

So for you USJ peeps, if you’re around the corner, drop by and give the curry laksa a try! Its easily noticeable in the coffee shop itself.

Where’s Restoran MeiSek again? It’s along USJ 14/1K.

View Larger Map

A New Beginning….

I slept for 13 hours today. It is probably a result of my body just feeling so sick with all the crap and roller coaster ride that I have to go through last week. Tomorrow school will begin again. The time out in the middle of the game is over. I am ready for a fresh start; a strong sprint to kick start the second half of the semester. And this Saturday is the Malaysian Cultural Night in which I am the director. Kinda nervous. But I have a strong team working with me.

And I really think things are gonna be great. =)

]]> http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/03/a-new-dawn/feed/ 2 http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/03/confessions-of-a-procrastinator-tomorrow-never-dies/ http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/03/confessions-of-a-procrastinator-tomorrow-never-dies/#comments Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:47:03 +0000 Jian Wei http://ourcoffeestops.com/?p=4972 There are many types of addictions in this world. Addiction to alcohol, to sex, to cigarettes, to drugs, to gambling – all the conventional plagues that have ruined the lives of many [I am not too sure about the sex part though]. Just like all the other addictions, they all exhibit a common characteristic: a downward spiral effect. In most layman terms, it’s easy to get in but the exit door is seldom there when you need it. It’s not about aptitude – it’s just that these addictions are very often oblivious to the consumer and if they are, pride always step in the way – making denial a convenient saviour. But the honest truth is when we are engaged in such activities: it just feels bloody good.

I have a confession to make. I too have an addiction – an addiction to borrowed time [procrastination]. Considering that my parents are at the complete end of the spectrum, it’s ironic that I have displayed such an addiction since a young age, much to their chagrin. They often call me: Mr Wait. They nagged me on the simple harmless things…washing the dishes, tidying my room, clearing the mess on my study table etc. But as the saying goes, old habits die hard. I carried this ingrained habit to school – homework will only be done the night before the due date, perfected the art of pulling close to an all-nighter for an exam the next morning, finishing my US Universities applications only hours before the post marked date…

Why would I put up with that lifestyle?

Do you remember the roller coaster ride?

To that question I can only say this: Do you remember the adrenalin rush that you feel when you are sitting in a roller coaster as it makes its way to the top? It ascends so slowly to the inevitable plunge that your heart just beats faster and faster every second. When the roller coaster takes its awaited plunge, you can’t control it but to scream your lungs off – releasing every bit of accumulated tension that has built up a priori. And when it’s all over, you just feel: DAMMIT! I wanna be up there again! You keep going back for more.

That’s what I feel every time I live on borrowed time, literally. As the workload piles up, my heart beats faster and faster knowing that sooner or later I would have to face my demons. Oh, you have no idea how good the feeling of invincibility as I walk pass my peers who are struggling to finish their work while I elicit a sense of detachment. “Oh for you sure got no problem wan lah!” remarked a friend. Comments like these inflate a dangerous ego. I won’t lie that it made me feel GOOD about myself – that I can do something that most of my peers can’t/fear – finishing a work in record time and more often beating them to it when it came to the final grades. I felt I could be the hare who took a nap during a race and wake up just in time to still kick the tortoise in the ass. Who says slow and steady wins the race? Pfftttt….

[Work debt during Internship] Crossing out work debt…is THRILLING.

That was the slow ascend to the top….now comes the plunge: the adrenalin that rushes through my whole physiological existence as I slowly cross out all the work I owe. It is as though I am in a never ending street race; a constant rush of adrenalin till the finishing line. I often quip to my friends: “Did you know that none (with the exception of Upenn) of my university applications were submitted from Malaysia? NONE.” I rushed both my UIUC and UChic’s electronic application in Bangkok during the World Universities Debating Championship and submitted them 3 minutes before the deadline; the same goes for UWM, Penn State, Purdue and Umich’s electronic application in Singapore when I was there for a conference – 6 minutes before the deadline. I did it all for that ONE sigh of relief when it was all over. Such addictive exhilarating sigh….

The truth is I was lucky. Never once was I ever severely punished for procrastination. I did very well in school, got to the universities I wanted, and often produced work that are sometimes better than the ones from those who have slogged for days and weeks before hand. This is the part when the roller coaster ride is over; the feeling of bingeing on borrowed time just resurfaced again. And it goes on re-loop…all the time.

Then university life came…

If you just stop and look around during aftermath of a roller coaster ride, you will notice that not everybody enjoyed the ride. There are bound to be a few individuals who just look like they went through the black hole. And there is a voice at the back of your head that tells you….this could one day be you. And that was me during my university life. The fact is I could no longer procrastinate as I used to. Let’s just cut the crap, there is no way that I could cram the entire 4 chapters of advance undergraduate economics work with horrible applied math in just 2 nights; or pull all nighters to finish probability…..but yet I did it. My grades didn’t suffer mind you, I scored A+ for both classes and even top my class for probability. But there was something different. There wasn’t any sigh of relief. There wasn’t the familiar rush of addiction anymore; the yearning to just ride the roller coaster again. Instead, I felt as though I just been through the black hole.

I felt like shit.

No more denials. No more hiding. No more pretending.

What do you do when you know the way in which you have led your life for the past 20 years in now unsustainable? I guess the answer is obvious: you change. I have to steer this Titanic before it hits the iceberg. So this is my first step in changing: coming clean with the weakness that I have. No more denials. No more hiding. No more pretending. If I don’t write this, I don’t think I will ever change.

Tomorrow Never Dies??

The days are easier when my parents can just beat the crap out of me and boss me around. I just have to follow what they say. But it’s different when one is all grown up now; where there’s no one policing one’s life and where one is ultimately accountable to his or her own conduct. As I go through this transition, I am sometimes afraid that I will succumb to my old ways. After all, isn’t the saying true?

That Tomorrow Never Dies.

]]> http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/03/confessions-of-a-procrastinator-tomorrow-never-dies/feed/ 3 http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/03/walk-away/ http://ourcoffeestops.com/2010/03/walk-away/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 22:23:34 +0000 Jian Wei http://ourcoffeestops.com/?p=4966 There is always a stigma associated to walking away. I often view it with scorn – coward, I would mostly think. But there are times when one has slipped through the slippery slide of a downward spiral; and from the bottom of the valley one looks up and see an endless flight of stairs. Is it worth climbing those stairs again? It takes so much effort and in the end there comes a point where it doesn’t matter anymore. Spilled milk is spilled milk. And that’s calling a spade a spade. There are times when it’s much better to take a deep breath, pause….and walk away.

I’ll walk away…

It’s not giving up. It’s recognizing that the time could be better spent climbing other steps than the ones you slipped. As a whole my sophomore year hasn’t been too good to me and guess what…I only have myself to blame. But it’s time to stop this whole finger pointing drama, take the beating, and close the books. I’ll begin a new one – fresh, new, and free of mistakes.

I’ll walk away.

Considering the fact Valentines day and the 1st day of Chinese New Year were on the same day this year, we have decided to postponed her birthday celebration until much later.

On the 27th of February, a total of 10 of us made our way to Souled Out Cafe & Bar in Desa Sri Hartamas to celebrate her 21st birthday.

This, is the infamous Lisa Khoo. HAHA! Never fail to have all sorts of funny and weird poses for the camera! Like seriously, its like her trademark LOL!

Food was great, no complains at all, albeit abit pricey, but what do you expect? We’re eating in Souled Out. Haha, though I must compliment the portion of the food, they’re huge for the price we pay!

See what I mean? LOL!

Anyway, if you’re wondering whether we brought the funny hat and glasses, no its not from us. The management of Souled Out forced them on Lisa! HAHA! Guess its like TGIF, Souled Out too had its own style of making birthday celebrations memorable.

Like this, it was taken and processed all within 15 minutes!

I was actually quite amazed by the efficiency. I’m not joking! Call me jakun, okay. Haha!

Of course I have a better quality one taken using my D40. =P

So, Lisa, hopefully you did enjoy your belated 21st birthday celebration, despite the mishap at the end of the day. =P Hahaha. Well, it IS memorable in a way. LOL!

Happy belated 21st, once again!

P/S The rest of the photos can be viewed here.

Both of my closer friends have graduated from ACCA, and will be starting their employment stint with Ernst & Young on Monday.

Congratulations to you two, Andrea Mah and Kay Sim! Well, Kay Sim if you’re reading this, don’t be jealous the title of the post only includes Andrea’s name, this is entirely because the post is suppose to be about her graduation party in Novotel Accor Hotel! XD

On the 26th of February, Andrea’s parents treated a bunch of us, mainly her close friends in ACCA and also from her High School to brunch in Qing Zhen, Novotel KL!

Andrea, Ee Leen, Kay Sim, Edmund, Jun Xiong, Edgar and I were probably the few remaining remnants of the original Group 3 of CAT Jan 2007 who attended the party.

I remember when Andrea first know me back in CAT, she actually thought I was gay. (Argh, darn it! 1st impression epix fail max!) That was probably due to the fact I wore a pink long sleeve shirt with a super brown golden hair on Orientation day. T_T whyyyy laaa did I went to dye my hair back then?! Hahaha. Anyway, we became fast friends with a whole big bunch of us! However, as we progressed, the harsh cruel reality of ACCA eliminate us from the bunch one after another.

Soon, I was eliminated from the pact by the F5 examiner. =/ but well, life went on as usual, thank God we still keep in touch! and yeap, now that the 3 year period is up, Kay Sim and Andrea are the only ones from the bunch who manage to graduate together. Guess Ee Leen, Edmund and I will have to wait for the next one then! EH EE LEEN WE MUST GRADUATE TOGETHER WEI!

Qing Zhen was a great place to feast, despite it being a Chinese Muslim Restaurant (HOW CAN NO PORKKKKK??! T_T). The ambience of the place was very nice, though the restaurant itself is actually quite small.

The whole lot of us really reminisced on alot of stuffs, some really funny too. Considering the fact that all of us haven’t really gotten together like this to CATCH UP in a very long time. Okay, maybe they did but since I was quite distant from the pact now because I’m mixing more with another bunch due to classes.

Well anyway, all the best in work and in life, Andrea Mah Jia Yi! Do keep in touch! I’ll see you IF I manage to get into Ernst & Young okay? XD

The rest of the photos can be viewed here.

P/S – Oh yea, do thank your parents once more for the amazing treat! =D

My birthday was a few days ago and being new in a new country means that there would be a high possibility I would be celebrating my birthday alone (I mean physically)! My appreciation and gratitude to everyone who wished me on Facebook, sms, Skype, MSN, called or verbally Thank you very much!

I was surprised and delighted when my house mates got me a cake for my birthday. Even though we have only known each other for a few days! Although I kind of saw through the surprise but that’s fine! I appreciate what they have done for me a lot. Next up is my Singaporean housemate’s birthday! Wohoo!! Going to throw him into the pool maybe?

The kid among us finally turns 20! Face the fact, old man you’re now officially in the 20s Club! Considering the fact you’re living in the future now, I’m not LATE in wishing you nor posting this blog post up okay. its still before 12am when I draft this post, haha!

Anyway, wishing you the best returns for the year, and celebrating your first birthday out of Malaysia! Take care of yourself, buddy. Make the 20th year of your life the best!

Hmm, I wonder.. now that you’re in Brisbane, will any of your fans sob over the fact they can’t celebrate your big day with you or pass you any presents? XD Haha, just joking! Well, we’re definitely sad you ain’t here so we can smash a cake on your face!

So, blessed 20th birthday once again! May God showers His neverending blessings onto you and keep you safe and sound always.

Brisbane is a city where the Brisbane river (DUH!) runs through it! I’m fortunate to be in the part of Brisbane which is along the river! That provides another means of transportation as well! I wanted to go to the Central Business District (CBD). It was either the bus, train or ferry. The University of Queensland has its own ferry stop! My house mate and I decided to take the ferry. A first for me Definitely not the last. It was a scenic route. Boy, was it windy too! The fare to CBD with a concession card is slightly less than $ 1.50. Not bad at all. Took some pictures with my handphone but I would definitely bring my DSLR along one day So yeah, enjoy the pictures!

That magnificent bridge is actually a pedestrian walkway! Cool huh!

That’s the tall buildings at the CBD!

If you’re wondering where it is, its located beside Prince Cafe, the row behind Murni SS2. You couldn’t possibly miss it, especially during nightfall, considering the fact its so brightly litted up.

The ambience of the area was considerably okay, it kinda gives a very China-ish feel, probably due to the red long chinese wordings backdrop. Surroundings aside, the menu is always the main point!

One glance at the menu, the prices are going to tell you they aren’t cheap, lol. BUT its not overly expensive as well. Seeing as to how much investment they dumped into decorating the interior, the prices of the food are always going to be the place they recover their investments!

My Pork Dumpling Ramen! For starters, the ramen was really smooth, its soft and tender without being too thick, which at the same time reminds me of the ramen in Dragon-i. The soup didn’t disappoint as well! The pork dumplings were awesome, I don’t know about you, but being a fan of PORK, anything pork-ish tastes good. XD

If I didn’t remember wrongly, my bowl of Pork Dumpling Ramen cost RM8.90.

My brother’s Seafood Sichuan Ramen! At first glance, you would notice a healthy amount of seafood given, which is great! (Look at the size of the prawn!) I didn’t take any of it though, but by judging from my brother’s expression throughout the meal, I know that dish didn’t disappoint him one bit. He was the last to finish up everything anyway, talk about savouring your food slowly. XD

That much of seafood sure didn’t come cheap, if I wasn’t wrong, it cost RM14.80.

Going out with the family for dinner, is awesome. There will always be side orders! XD The much popular Siu Long Pao (小龙包), which in my opinion, rivals the ones at Dragon-i, but of course in terms of overall, I still very much prefer Dragon-i’s Siu Long Pao.

Nothing much to say about the dish, except for the fact that it wasn’t dry, the tasty soup contained inside the Pao was very much delicious! RM8 for the side order.

I gave my experience at One Noodle SS2 a 7/10!

The One Noodle
No. 66 & 68, Jalan SS2/67
Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
View Larger Map