Because I'm Not Going To Be This Relaxed For A Long Long Time.

I am not done with my Ipoh series yet! Just taking a break from being a virtual tour guide and from all the free advertising I've been doing. =P

And yes yes... 3 entries in a day. Bravo me. I have quite a lot to blog about but I won't be online from Wednesday onwards till I get back to KL for reasons I shall not disclose. And I'm sure by the time I get my hands on the internet again I will be too lazy to blog so here I am while the blogging drive is still within me. Plus I think I write better when I'm at home in Ipoh anyway.

I feel so accomplished. So many things done in the last 3 weeks! Didn't feel like I was a medical student at all. But heck all this hype will die down when Sem 5 commences so I should do everything I want to do until it does. Because... it's Sem 5. Last sem in IMU. End of Phase 1. And then we're off for clinicals. Can't screw up. CAN'T SCREW UP. (God please let me pass please please please please please.)

More movies watched since 2 weeks ago!

- Batman. I can go on and on about how great it was but... I'll spare you. =)

- Red Cliff Part 1. Quite good, but forgettable. Have to watch Part 2. Chinese war movies are good most of the time.

- Journey To The Center of The Earth in 3D. If you've watched the 2D version of this I'd like to know how you sat through the movie without pulling all your hair out please.

- Hellboy II. That's 9 bucks I'll never see again. Terrible story, bad acting, cheesy lines from the beginning till the end and I mean TO THE LAST WORD. The only consolation was the creatures. I mean it's sad because I actually liked Hellboy I! If you can't do a better sequel, DON'T DO IT. Oh but but but... did you know the actor who played Prince Nuada actually looks like this in person?


Goodness gracious me.
If I had known this before hand I would have refrained myself from being exceptionally annoyed by his character the entire time.

- Hard Candy. Disturbing. Rather dull. They could've inserted some flashbacks about how the characters came about, then it wouldn't have been so dry. I liked the artistic effects that came along with it and I agree that Ellen Page played the role very well but I think I've had enough of her for now. 3 counts of Juno (yes I've watched Juno 3 times) and 1 count of Hard Candy. That's a whole lot of Ellen Page. Boring boring.

- Frida. An academy award-winning foreign movie and a true story about a Mexican painter named Frida Kahlo (portrayed by Salma Hayek) who lived a colourful life as she stayed positive while enduring many of life's challenges. Very very nice. Could do without the many... MANY... many sex scenes though. =l

6 movies in a week. Not bad. And I've been hooked onto That 70's Show seasons 2 & 3. Hehe. Laugh non-stop. Anybody with seasons 1, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 pleeeeeeeease be kind and pinjam thank you in advance!

Other notable events:

- Went to the AIDS exhibition at DUMC. It was brilliant. I appreciated all the effort and hard work put into the set-up. A superb way to educate people on how serious AIDS is. You'd think medical students are well-versed with the disease. Well we are, medically, but to put ourselves into the victims' shoes... totally changed our perspective towards it. More about our experience at the exhibition on Joon Heng's blog.

- Finished Selectives on Patient Safety. Exam was easy-peesy. If only all our other med school exams were like that. Hahaha. See I told you Dr Ranjit is the best.

- Endocrine-Repro-Renal summative results out. Seriously I think IMU has made it such that I be stuck with that grade for the rest of my time here. Anyway I'm not complaining. Hehe. I'm just thankful.

- Girly teatime + eyebrow threading time + sushi time with dear Eli in Bangsar. Hadn't seen her since April. It was good. OH and I received my super belated birthday present from her! Always nice to get a gift =P. It's a customized key-chain with our faces on it. Very special. I like!



We should do this more often!

Oh and randomly, current favourite album is Coldplay's Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (man why can't they just pick a shorter title), of which my favourite song is VIOLET HILL! And Cemeteries of London! And 42! And Death & All His Friends! No but Violet Hill is the. best. BEST! Go get the original album. Totally worth the buy. Initially I didn't quite like what I heard but the songs just grew on me and I am now hooked onto them.

Things To Do/See/Eat in Ipoh

Part 3: Little Cafés and Fine-Dining

Contrary to common belief, IPOH HAS ITS FAIR SHARE OF GOOD WESTERN FOOD! Geez. How did you think I turned out to be how I am today. Bodoh.

Here are some of the nicer restaurants in Ipoh. Indulgence is by far the best, of course.

1. Indulgence Restaurant and Living (website)

Indulgence is probably my most frequently visited dining place and my favourite eatery in the whole of Ipoh. My mum and I have been loyal patrons to the restaurant ever since it first opened more 12 years ago. At that time it occupied this quaint little shoplot in Canning Garden (which is my area of residence) but it is now housed at a beautiful heritage bungalow along Jalan Tambun.

What I like about Indulgence. Let's see. EVERYTHING! But what I love most about it is that it shows that Ipoh isn't as bad as it could've been.

Go look at the website and you'll see what I mean. Or better still, go there yourself. STAY there! At their bed and breakfast. Then tell me how it's like. It'll be stupid if I do because 1) my house is 10 minutes away and 2) I have no money. =(

2. Beacon Point (website)



Beacon Point is nothing like Indulgence. It has more of a family feel to the place. With comfort food for the soul, delicious Western and local delights, colourful drinks and heartwarming cakes, this place is for the youngest to the oldest of generations. Set lunches are quite worth it and it's quite a nice place to hold private functions.



3. Brewster's



Brewster's is a relatively new dining place in Ipoh. Located opposite the famous FMS Restaurant in old town, the most exciting thing about it is that it is NON-HALAL! Hahahaha finally a Western restaurant with pork. Yummmeee. Almost everything here has pork in it. Caesar salad with roast pork. Pork burger. Pork chops. Pork knuckles.

Their best dish I reckon? The barbecued pork-ribs - to die for! Especially with their signature ice-cream coffee to go with it.

Set lunch here is good too, slightly more expensive than Beacon Point but worth it.

4. Citrus

Citrus is all the way inside Ipoh Garden East. It's a funky dining place that serves high-end Western cuisine. It used to be good but I haven't been there in ages and there have been comments that the quality has deteriorated. I've yet to go there again. The place is nice, though. It has a unique ambience and the background music is tasteful. Not too shabby. =)

5. Paprika

Another fine-dining place in Ipoh Garden East. Have only been there twice. Not bad, but nothing to shout about.

6. Sincero Riverbank

The latest "in-thing" in town. Wine and dine. Beautiful atmosphere. Has separate areas for clubbing and dining, and a riverside garden which is breathtaking at night.

7. Ristorante Italia Mia

A comfy little Italian restaurant in Sunway Ipoh. I actually like it very much. On the pricey side, but has quality main courses and desserts. Only downside is that the menu is limited, but do check out the day's specials.

8. Sidewalk Ice-Cream Parlour

I like this place because it is a reminiscence of my childhood. The menu offers a variety of ice-cream flavours, snacks, milkshakes, pancakes, brownies and sandwiches. You can customize your own ice-cream by the number of scoops, flavours and how you want it presented. Don't expect Baskin-Robbins or Haagen Dazs but I think the ice-cream they serve is either homemade or of a fairly good brand because it sure doesn't taste like cheap ice-cream =P. The parlour only opens from 7PM to midnight and is usually packed on weekends.

Great place for families. Great hangout among friends. Great place for a late night date. *wink*

Things To Do/See/Eat in Ipoh

Part 2: Hawker Food!

You can't come to Ipoh and not have its famous hawker food. There is a wide range to choose from, most of which you can't get elsewhere.

1. Hor Fun

Ipoh hor fun is the best, no doubt about that. There are so many dishes made with hor fun and all of them are gooo-oood!



Nga Choi Kai (Taugeh Ayam)

I like: Onn Kee and Lou Wong in Ipoh Old Town (though I like Onn Kee better - Lou Wong is too commercialized... these people spoil everything!!), Kam Hor in Ipoh Garden (super slow but worth the wait if you're not in a rush).



Kai Si Hor Fun

I like: Kong Heng and Tin Chun in Ipoh Old Town. Actually there are many other coffee shops in Ipoh which serve really good kai si hor fun as well but I don't have them at the back of my head at the moment.



Chee Cheong Fun

I like: Ipoh Central (next to Ming Court, near Excelsior Hotel). Again there are tonnes of good chee cheong fun stalls all over Ipoh! But this is one that I really like.



Hor Hee

I don't fancy hor hee to be honest, but many people do and apparently one of the better ones is Lok Wee Kui in town. I don't mind the ones at Ipoh Stadium and Gourmet Square in Ipoh Gdn but then again hor hee doesn't appeal to me so you shouldn't trust me on this one. Haha.

2. Hakka Mee

Ipoh isn't exactly renowned for hakka mee but the one at Pusat Makanan Majestic (seriously I never knew what it was called until yesterday when I bothered taking note of the signboard. I would just call it "That Hakka Mee Place Under The Tree" - for obvious reasons) is my FAVOURITE OF ALL and I would die if it were to close down. I brought Pei Shern here and she absolutely loved it! The noodles are chewy and drenched in lovely sauce, topped with a generous portion of wonderfully-marinated minced pork and served with your own choices of liew (which are homemade and not mass-produced). THE BEST.

3. Chicken Rice

I don't like chicken rice, whether in Ipoh or in Mars. But I am compelled to state that Ipoh chicken rice is the best so here it is. The famous one is Pak Kong. I don't know if the one next to it called Rasa Sayang is any good, but to be safe just go to Pak Kong lah.

4. Dim Sum

OK I know that dim sum isn't considered hawker food but I'll just list it here anyway. My favourite dim sum place is Ming Court as opposed to the popular haunt that is Foh San. Both are great but there's just something about Ming Court which I like. I think it's the ham sui kok and the black sesame dessert. =P

Another good dim sum place is right opposite Ming Court, called Yoke Fook Moon.

Basically those are the 3 good dim sum places in Ipoh. Always always crowded, be it on weekdays or weekends (of course weekends would be worse), so do try to get there early as the good stuff like char siew pau is sold out by 9am!

5. White Coffee

For coffee lovers, no trip to Ipoh is complete without having a cup of the famous white coffee. If you think you can simply settle for the ready-made packets or the white coffee served at commercialized Old Town Kopitiam branches which are sprouting like mushrooms all over the country, YOU ARE STUPID. Authentic white coffee can be found in Ipoh old town at Sun Yin Loong, Nam Heong and Chang Jiang (to name a few). These coffee shops are usually crowded at any time of the day but if you do manage to find seats, try having your white coffee with Hainanese kaya butter toasts. Very nice. =)

6. Tau Fu Fah and Soya Bean

The best place for tau fu fah and soya bean has got to be Funny Mountain (lame, I know. I mean how can a mountain be funny, stupid). I've brought Loo Yeen, Pei and Ho Wai there and they all liked the tau fu fah! The texture of the beancurd is smooth and the ginger syrup is just nice, not too sweet. I'm not a big fan of tau fu fah but I love the one here very much. Funny Mountain is a little stall near Foh San Dim Sum Restaurant (can easily be seen).

7. Other Goodies!

There are various snacks and many other delicious hawker food found all over Ipoh. These are some of my favourites at Kong Heng and Tin Chun, which I'm sure can be found everywhere else in Ipoh too.

Clockwise from top: Egg tea (dan char); poh piah; old-school caramel custard; pork satay!

I also love: salt-baked chicken at Aun Kheng Lim, ondeh-ondeh sold by this old man on a bicycle at the Canning Garden shophouses; ais kacang at Ipoh Stadium; dai gau min (kuih bulan) at many places but I like the one at Yat Yat Seng in Ipoh Gdn; fah sang wu (peanut butter dessert) at this roadside stall in Pasir Pinji.

Things To Do/See/Eat in Ipoh

I'm going to start a series of things to do/see/eat in Ipoh to console myself that Ipoh really isn't THAT pathetic. Besides, I hope that these entries can serve purposefully to other Ipoh people - to spare them the trouble of cracking their heads when their friends come to visit. =P

These are in no order of preference!

Part 1: The Limestone Caves!

Ipoh is famous for its surrounding hills which house many limestone caves. One of the caves in the city itself is Kek Lok Tong, which is less accessible compared to its popular counterparts like the Perak Cave and Sam Poh Tong, and that's probably why I like it. It provides a sense of serenity and peace for those who visit while the others are commercialized and crowded most of the time. It isn't huge and only a small part is open to the public. The gardens in front of and behind the cave are well-kept with a lotus pond and other small ponds in which tortoises and koi inhabit.

The last time I visited Kek Lok Tong was about 10 years ago. I don't remember being in awe during my last visit (probably because I was being a difficult kid and was throwing tantrums at my mother who made me follow her take some Australian friends around), but I sure as hell know that yesterday I was taken aback by this wonder of nature and you can see why from the pictures. =)

I like the big hole right at the top of the hill. Very Chinese kungfu movie-like. =P

This is a bit like a scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Hehe.

Stalactites!

"Batgirl". Hahaha whatever.

THIS... is like the setting of the Last of the Mohicans. Heh.

Christian Bale Is My Batman

Hello hello! Sorry for the lack of updates. Been... erm... busy. Hahaha.

This is going to be short because I just want to say that THE DARK KNIGHT was the best ever.

All hail Christian Bale.

All hail Heath Ledger. He deserves a post-humous Oscar. I thought he executed the Joker role superbly.

Whatever that's said about Batman being the weakest (physically) among all the DC Superheroes (still I refuse to believe that Wonder Woman is stronger than him), he is still my favourite. I mean sure he's physically weak... cos he's only human after all, but he has all the cool gadgets! I don't like his bat-ears though.

I love all Batman movies and they just keep getting better. Chris Nolan said he doesn't make a sequel if it can't top the previous one. I just can't imagine how great the next movie will be.

Anyway. Pei Shern is here in Ipoh for the weekend! We've been eating eating eating cos Ipoh is dull. I am embarrassed. Oh well.

Update more soon =)

My Short-Lived Freedom

I'm enjoying life VERY MUCH right now. Selectives are shit boring but there were a few good lectures on Patient Safety which I actually paid full attention to. They managed to bring in Dr Chong Su Lin, CEO of Sunway Medical Centre to give a lecture... and I must say, she was pretty cool. Her charisma, her use of the English language, her knowledge... impressive! I took the liberty to google her (as I do with everyone/everything in this world - I know... I have little life, but not as bad as Michelle & Ho Wai MUAHA) and found that she obtained her MBBS and an MBA from London. MBBS and MBA. Unusual combination. Interesting.

Also enjoyed listening to Prof Victor Lim & Yadav as usual. The rest... aiyo. I was just stoning lah. Oh and did I mention Dr Ranjit is THE BEST? I'm so glad he's in charge of our option. He gives us choices for everything while still conforming to the rules. We are scheduled to go to Hospital Seremban either tomorrow or Friday to observe certain things about patient safety. So naturally we have to be divided into 2 groups - one that would go tomorrow and another on Friday. I was sure he would divide us according to the name list (coz that would be the easiest way) and I would've been pissed because I would be separated from TR, Pei & Ho Wai thanks to my stupid name. But he was cool enough to let us choose, as long as there is a maximum of 22 people per day. So yeah. We're going to Seremban tomorrow. Not that I'm excited but at least it's something DIFFERENT from our boring classes.

Then there's the group presentations on case studies next week. He let us choose our partners to work with! And we were allocated 2 days for presentations but he said we can do it in one. Supposed to start at 8 but he gave us a half an hour extra to sleep in coz we would all turn up at 8:30 anyway. And our presentations must only be done on 3 Powerpoint slides in which the first slide will be the case study question. LOL. He's cool and understanding. Such a good person!

So what have I been doing since I have so much free time?

Watched more movies!

The Red Violin, which I really liked this time around. I think I was too young the first time I watched it.

Watched Persepolis twice. It's an animated film about the autobiography of an Iranian named Marjane Satrapi who saw through the Iranian revolution while growing up. Great movie. Loved the graphics and plot and everything about it.

Pei made me watch The Last of the Mohicans, though she spoilt some parts imitating their conversations since she knows almost the whole movie by heart (including the orchestral soundtrack OKAY). Freak.

Watched the Italian film Life Is Beautiful. Very good movie. Beautiful indeed, but very sad. =(

Hmm I've yet to watch the latest movies in the cinema. Kung Fu Panda (I'm not big on Disney/Pixar films nowadays coz most of them are lame and always disappoint - but since most people said it's good then I'll watch), Hancock (??? Don't know if I should watch...), uh... somemore what. Whatever la. Oh I can't wait for Batman.

OH and I can play the guitar now. Self taught. =) My brother surprisingly allowed me to take his guitar back to KL. How kind. Now I know that beneath his perpetually emo self he is essentially nice.

I can play Dishwalla's Angels or Devils, Howie Day's Collide (the simpler version), Death Cab for Cutie's I'll Follow You Into The Dark, Muse's Unintended, Hillsongs... all the retardedly easy songs la! Haha. Basically any song with the chords C, G, D, E, B, F, Am, Dm, Em. Which are a LOT of songs, actually. Currently in the midst of learning up some Pete Murray songs. I still struggle to play certain chords like Fm and most of the flats and suspensions and blah. You'd think someone like me can easily stretch her long fingers across the frets but apparently I can't. =/

What sparked my sudden interest to learn up the guitar, you ask? Let's just say I was INSPIRED by Merv, Chong Bing and Pei at The Maple the other day. Hahaha. And Pei repeatedly told me "FASTER TAKE YOUR GUITAR BACK! IT'S SO EASY YOU'LL LAUGH!" and laugh I did. It's easy to learn but definitely not easy to master it. Not that I'm planning to. Just play for fun only. At least I can play some music since I don't have my piano here. =(

The Other Boleyn Girl

Summative has ended and selectives are here. Too much free time in my hands. I'm doing Community Medicine which was my first choice - don't ask why. I enjoyed it on the first day. Dr Ranjit is the best lah. Really. He is. Initially I didn't regret opting for Comm Med because our topic is Patient Safety, so we would learn about how to avoid making errors as doctors and putting our careers in jeopardy - basically things we can apply in the working environment in the near future. It was good. On the first day. It is now the 4th day and I just finished 2 hours of draggy classes, both on Behavioural Sciences! WTF. I hate Selectives now. Ffff. OK la I hate the classes but love all the free time I'm wasting away! Haven't had this much time to spare in a looooooooooooong time!

Anyway. I want to tell you guys about this movie, The Other Boleyn Girl. I didn't get a chance to watch it in the cinema when it first premiered, but thank goodness I remembered it and bought the DVD instead.

I really enjoyed it.

Melodramatic, intriguing, (almost) in line with English history... this movie is about the Boleyn sisters (Anne, played by Natalie Portman and Mary, played by Scarlett Johansson) who fight for the affection of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) when he is disgruntled with his wife, Queen Catherine's inability of bearing a male heir. The King at first sets his sights on Anne but later lusts after Mary, who, initially unwilling to become the King's mistress, comes to fall for him.

The whole movie depicts jealousy, betrayal, cunning, ambition - basically 16th Century bitchiness (LOL) in the setting of the King's court. What I liked about it is that it was more of a drama than a historical piece, because if it was merely based on history it would have been very dry. Then I read up a bit on English history and found that most parts of the movie did in fact take place, so it didn't run that far away from the truth.

One of the interesting things I got from this movie is that it had something to do with my post below on the rhyme Mary Mary Quite Contrary! Mary Tudor (NOT Mary Boleyn, don't get confused. Somehow these English people in the olden days had limited names. It's quite sad.)'s father is King Henry VIII. She is the only child born by Queen Catherine, so she inherited the throne from her father. You will see little Mary for a teeny-weeny bit in the movie somewhere in the beginning. Anne Boleyn (who became Queen) gave birth to Elizabeth, who later became the famous Queen Elizabeth I, and was successor to Bloody Mary's throne. Interesting isn't it. I love English history.

SO... go watch go watch! Stars Jim Sturgess as well, for those who fell in love with him after Across The Universe *rolls eyes*. But I forewarn you that he only plays a minor role and you MAY cry in the end. =P