The Meat Lover In Us...

Two weekends ago (the week where Man United whoooped Arsenal's ass), me, Don and Yong were having dinner @ 1U and talking about good places to eat around here. Don suggested this place up in Damansara Jaya called Carnaval Churrascaria which served authentic Brazilian BBQ. I've seen Brazilian bbqs before though only on tv and I knew if it was anything near that, it was gonna be legen...wait for it... dary... So the 3 of us decided to check the place out the following week/yesterday.


Only thing lacking was a Brazilian dressed in carnival costume to open the door :P. Pic taken from http://eatfirstthinklater.blogspot.com

So around 7pm us three amigos arrived at a nice corner shop restaurant that didn't look out of the ordinary from the outside. But step right in and you can see a big Brazil flag hung along with our good ol' Malaysian flag with green and yellow coloured tablecloths. I was kinda surprised that Don made a reservation cos the place looked kinda empty at that time but I was soon to find out that making a reservation is very important. I was also very impressed with how the owner of the restaurant (well, at least we think he is) took his time to explain to us about the cuisine and how to eat and what to eat it with. And it's only natural for a Brazilian cuisine restaurant to have a Brazilian as a head chef right? His most important sentence was : Don't eat too fast or you'll throw up, take your time and enjoy your meal.


Warnings are there for a reason, but some just don't listen...

Well, for those who don't know what this kinda cuisine is all about, it is basically different kinds of meat being grilled over the bbq back in the kitchen and servers will come out with them and serve you table side. And its an all you can eat buffet of sorts which meant that the food will keep coming to your table and it's up to you if you want to take a piece or pass. There was chicken, beef, lamb, fish and shrimp. The meats were cooked several different ways and different cuts. There was also a salad bar which the owner suggested we raid as to accommodate the richness of the meat. But what? Veges at a meat buffet? At first we didn't bother with it but soon enough we kinda figured out that the dude knew what he's talkin about...


Let the feast begin...

So first thing that came out was garlic bread, though I don't think its authentic Brazilian but it was good, and the only carb we ate all night! Then there was this big ass piece of chicken ham next. If there's one thing you can't go wrong with it's bacon, second would be ham. Boy did we whack the ham... And after awhile a whole range of food kept coming to our plate. I had to keep retaking the pictures of my platter cos it was constantly being filled with new stuff like normal grilled chicken, curry chicken, garlic beef (which was a tad well done but still awesome), chicken sausage, chicken gizzard, some curry/kunyit grilled dory fish, shrimp and lamb chop. Not that I was complaining though.


Now this is a plate full of goodness...

We took our time gobbling down all those goodness though at different rates: Yong was already cleaning his plate and looking up for the next round of food while I was still clicking on my camera and enjoying my cocktail with for the life of me, I can't remember the name (prob cos its so long and complicated) but it did taste kinda mojito like and goes extremely well with the food. Don on the other hand was struggling to finish his, or was he savouring every bite? We didn't add anything to our plate for a brief moment as the same food was making the rounds so we took this time to spam on the greens... I don't know what kind of leaf they took but it was actually good! Sweet and full of roughage.


The leaves were actually good! There is the mint sauce and some capsicum vinegar mix...

The best was yet to come though, as up next was the beef rump (think thats what it was). It was just so juicy (as the guy sliced the meat, you can see the juice and blood flow) and heavenly and nicely seasoned. No MSG or meat tenderizers so says the owner. But if thought that was good, what came next just blew us away: A big, juicy shoulder of lamb. For those who thought the lamb at my BBQ was good (if you didn't then screw u :P), this one kicks that one's ass to a bloody pulp. It literally melts in your mouth! I couldn't remember when was the last time I had a piece of meat so juicy, succulent and mind blasting... oh wait, just several minutes before...



Lamb (Shoulder) of God -Don, we concurred...

By then we were already bout half full with Don gasping for air while me and Yong decide to take a half time break. Well, sort off la, if the lamb or beef were to pass us, we'd take a piece, or 2 or 3. They still had 1 thing up their sleeve: grilled pineapple. They coated the pineapple with sugar which caramelizes giving it a sort of crispy bite. It was just so nice and yet again, juicy! And the when all the burnt part of the pineapple has been cut off for the customers, they bring it to the back and recoat it and regrill it so when it comes out again, we can see it got smaller but still had the burnt goodness! And that's the same way they do their lamb shoulder and ham minus the sugar of course.


This folks, is the shyt...

So after barely an hour feasting, we we're kinda stuffed but no matter what, we couldn't resist the lamb shoulder, beef rump and pineapple. So we just sat there, looked at the other people eating and Yong and Don exchanged secrets on how to lose the flab. And after another half hour or so, all 3 of us decided to raise the white flag and determined we had enough. Don was constantly adjusting his seat while being in a food coma (stoning) while Yong was complaining of meat poisoning... wuss... :P. I was also probably half stoning cos I forgot to take pictures of the pineapple even though we had plenty of it =.=''.


Heaven on a skewer...

Earlier I mentioned that it was important to make a reservation beforehand and the reason was clear for us to see, the restaurant started filling up about half an hour after us and every table was already reserved. The whole time we were there, only 1 table got up and left being replaced by another group of people. That also because they were already here way before we came. So if any of you wanna come here next time, do make a reservation. As for the price, it only costs RM50 per head for the full spread excluding drinks of course. So for the amount and quality of food we got, and for the price we paid which came up to roughly RM59 after tax and a glass of refillable water each, it is freaking worth it! LEGENDARY indeed (Y)!


No feast would be complete without some alcohol...

So to all you meat lovers out there, if you want good food, good drinks (I think they have a few specials) and good prices, this is the place to go! Though I'd only come back again say after a month? Only because it is a really kao kind of meal and not cos of the price. Oh, India Boy already says he wants to come in March... So Yong, make a reservation lah :D


A nice quite place with kick ass food...

And the perfect way to cap of the night? Watching United whoop Portsmouth, though there were 3 own goals but Rooney did score and had an assist so =D. His feat was then replicated and I dare say bettered by Leo Messi in Barca's win later that night. Oh happy days...

24...

So the 26th came and went, and now I'm officially 2 dozen years old... If that even makes any sense. Haven't really achieved much, let alone much as I would like. Some people my age are already earning 100,000++ pounds per week! Yes yes, I am talking bout professional footballers. But hey, if they can get there during the same amount of time, why not me?

One sad thing is, I was sick yesterday. Think it started with a sore throat (but not the kind you lose your voice) from taking shots of Mr Takila and Mr Smirnoff on Saturday... Felt like sandpaper grinding each other on the walls of my throat on Sunday but by Monday it eased up but in came the cough... Don't wanna get into details here but it involves a lot of coughing and quite an amount of 'green stuff'... So I pretty much spent my birthday at home, either lying in bed or in front of the screen...But then again, I guess I should be thankful that I even get to celebrate being a year older. Some people will never get the chance to do so.


Drink with caution, side effects include blackouts, vomiting and sorethroats....

On to other things, if there is one thing I have to say I dislike about HELP UC, it has to be the way the different departments are ran. Each department (econs, business, psych) has a totally different way of doing things that makes me wonder at times, are they still under the same institute? For instance, in the econs department, all we have to do is to get the timetable, see which subjects we get, and go. Whereas in the business department, have to register for which lectures and tutorial groups you wanna join on a first come first serve basis. As for the other departments, I'm not so sure, but it can't be any much the same...

Now, if the student was to say stuck in that one department for their entire duration of the course, it's fine, probably after the first week or the first semester, they will get used to it. But if they were to be like me for instance, taking different subjects from different departments, its a real pain in the ass. Not only do I have to run to different departments to get my timetable, I have to arrange it myself. Times like these makes me miss TARc =\.

So it all boiled down to today when I (I'm from the econs department) went to see the coordinator for the business department to register for my tutorial group which I had no idea I had to do in the first place...

Me: Kak, I nak register for marketing tutorial group 6 boleh tak...
Coordinator: Hah, apasal now ni u nak register? Anyways, group 6 sudah penuh...
Me: What? I tak tau kena register untuk tutorial lah kak, can lah tolong skit, my jadual pack d...
Coordinator: Awak mia department coordinator nvr tell u that this department need to register kah? ok, give me ur ID and class that u clash... These are the only available tutorial groups.....

After taking a long hard look, deciding and changing, I made up my mind. See it is not that easy when you've actually planned your initial schedule to near perfection...

Me: Ok kak, I'll join this group lah, eh thn can I register for other subjects oso ah?
Coordinator: *giving me the O.O wtf look* you mean you langsung tak register?
Me: *givin the -.-' face* No la kak, I dah cakap, I don't know this department need to register tutorials...
Coordinator: Ok ok, here are the available slots for each subject, btw, apasal I call your department, takde orang angkat har?
Me: Oh, sekarang lunch break ma, 1230-230 they all break. Ok lah, I'll go for this and this tutorial..
Coordinator: *O.O wtf look again* Ada lunch break ka??? 2 jam lagi?? kita sini lunch pun buka juga...

So after rearranging my timetable for the 3rd time (I'm sure got at least one more time to come) I can finally sit back and relax for just that little while... But actually, I get why the administrators here give each department the liberty of setting up their own way. Some departments have way more students then others so certain things must be done this way and not that. But still, it doesn't change the fact that it is a pain in the ass...

Oh and it didn't take long for the coordinator from my department to call me and ask wtf was all the commotion about. She can even say I make her 'lose face' in front of the business dept ppl. -.-'. Luckily she's quite friendly and given the our department isn't that big, she does know almost all the students quite well so, can say it was quite a light hearted banter we had...

Oh look, now pig heads are being thrown into mosques. Another May 13th incident? Well, all I can say for now is, after watching sooooo many movies, it is pretty easy to say this is one of those reverse psychology, framing someone type of gag. Hmmm...

What Better Way To End The Week...

After 5 days of dragging my ass out of bed for the first week of class, watching the whole name calling over a 'higher being' debacle unfold (actually that was pretty amusing) and a tragic sudden loss of an acquaintance, I really needed a 'pick me up'.

And what better way than to look forward to the weekend matches of football. So far it has been good news, better news, great news and well, silly potty one. Good news: watching Liverpool and Real Madrid falter. Seriously, the only feeling better than watching your team winning is watching your team's arch enemies choke up. =D

Better news: United returned to their winning ways with a 3-0 thumping of Burnley thanks once again to the dynamic duo of Rooney and Valencia. And it pays to have them in my fantasy team though I made a wrong captain choice this week so far =.=...


Moment of relief...

Great news: Barcelona absolutely obliterated Sevilla with a score of 4-0 with Pedro, whom if I'm not mistaken is only 18 or 19 scoring his 15th goal this season... Oi Berbatov, saw that mou? Kid a decade younger and MUCH cheaper doing way better than you... Adding icing on the cake of course was World Player of the Year Messi scoring his 100th and 101st goal for the club at the age of 22!! At 22, I was basically flunking college...


Should be scoring with girls at his age, but I'm not complaining...

And the silly potty one? How the fark can Chelsea without Drogba or Essien tapao Sunderland 7-2 with the score already 4-0 in the 34th minute? Aih... hopeless Black Cats... Watching the highlights, I had a strong feeling that the Sunderland team was actually Chelsea's youth team in disguise out for a training match.


Swore something was amiss when Malouda scored...

Oh, about the politically fuelled (come on, even a blind man can see that) name calling thing. Its one thing to fight over something you believe in, but doing so over some imaginary friend made up by adults who apparently lives 'up there'? Seriously, what are these people on?



So yeah, a pretty good way to end the week with I must say.

p/s: Sandra, if there is a Heaven, I know you will be up there reading this. Though our paths cross just briefly, you are exactly like your friends described : funny, cheerful and bubbly. Here's to you finding peace once and for all. You will be missed.

It Was Legen...Dary!...

(WARNING: Do not attempt to read the following on an empty stomach. I won't be held responsible for anyone's stomach growling when there is no food at reach)





2010 couldn't have kicked of in a better way. Couple of months ago I suggested we all went for an island retreat some time around New Year cos I know most of us needed the break especially those overworked ones (no, I'm not referring to the one who gets of at 6.15pm and claims to be overworked). But due to some unforeseen circumstances or rather typical Malaysian 'besok lusa' mentality, it did not happen. So I thought it would be nice to have a BBQ. Not just any BBQ, no, when I suggest a BBQ, it has to be LEGENDARY!


Yong doing work, one for the album indeed...

Quite frankly, I'm kinda sick with the chicken wings and measly looking hotdogs on the fire, well I thought of making a comparison bout the hot dogs but I guess I'd better not. Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy BBQs in the past with all those stuff and all, especially thankful to the people who took the time to organize and cook but I think its time for an upgrade. So up popped my idea of having the most legendary BBQ to date with burgers, lamb and cheese sausages amongst others.


I give you, "The Pit"...

So as the days drew closer, plans started to come together and the necessary stuff and ingredients were bought. Heck we were so ecstatic bout it that we went shopping at 9am on New Years Day! We manage to delegate jobs to those who were there and me being me, the only thing I was interested in doing was the burgers! I thought, "Hey, all those years of eating McD, Burger King, Carl's Junior, A&W, Ramli Burger, Burger Maut, etc. should give me quite a good idea of how to make an awesome burger rite?".


If you smell what the chef is cookin'...

Now besides the awesome food, what else is essential in making an epic BBQ happen? Why the BBQ pit itself of course. None of us had those high end BBQ grills that have temperature control and the one that Liang had was well, a bit too small for my plans. Wanted to use those for the sausages though. But I figured, we have like 4.5 qualified engineers around (the 0.5 comes from yours truly with a diploma :P), impossible we can't design a grill right? Oh and we have a medic in training in case shit happened. We have the resources, so how hard could it be? With some help from my dad, Zhou, Daryl, Yong and Phang came out with what I must say is a marvellous piece of engineering.


Awesomeness at work...

As for me, I was busy making ketchup, yes ketchup. Zhou at first asked why make when you can buy. After giving him 'the look' and giving him a taste of my concoction, I guess he knew then. Though not all of our food was 100% self made. Example, Yong was suppose to do the marinade for the lamb himself but his mom got in the way. Zhou was suppose to make croquette (sorry if spelling wrong ah, my england not the powderful) but his grandma took over and my mom had a hand in my burger making attempt. Thankful we are, cos without them, who knows what we would've been eating.


The dude staring at the camera wanted to ditch this and go Penang instead...

Anyways, when it came time to start the fire, it started to drizzle so with a slight change of location, THE BBQ got under way. See not even that imaginary person in the sky could stop me :P. Had Daryl and Phang on duty for the lamb. And I have to admit, Tesco marinaded lamb tastes pretty damn good! Of cos the home marinade one kicked Tesco butt lah but hey. I guess hours watching the Asian Food Channel on Astro thought me a thing or 2 about determining how well done to cook meat cos the ones that came out were tender, juicy and I have to say perfect! So kudos to the chefs!


Concentration is key to perfect grilling...

Next up was the burgers, already before it got on the grill, I proudly announced it was gonna kick so much ass, this burgers eat Burger Mauts for breakfast! This time, I took over the grill cos I wasn't gonna let anyone else mess with nothing less then perfection. Yes yes, I am gloating quite a lot here but hey, its my party and I do what I want to rite :P. Anyhow, remembering important tips to cooking the burgers surely did help, namely 1) Do not turn them until one side is done 2) Do not press down on the burgers. And how did it turn out in the end? I guess it was THAT good that no one bothered to take pictures of people eating em. All busy stuffing their face full. Well, the look on their faces says it all and for me, a job well done. Mr. Yeah even said it was better than McDs, and coming from him, I take that as the utmost compliment!


My master pieces...

Well, after the starters and mains, everyone was visibly stuffed like a Christmas turkey but the night was still young so what better way to carry on then to have a drinking game? Now while we were out shopping, me and Yong asked the rest who followed us who wanted to drink and one by one said 'no' or assume those not around would not. So fine, we just bought 1 bottle of tequilla. When the games got underway however, one by one begin to show their stripes and drank along.



Ahem, step one to cook an awesome burger is...

I for one was pleased cos if it was just me and Yong and Zhou drinking, it wouldn't be so fun. And thankfully Siang became our saviour by bringing a half bottle of Absolut which we cleaned dry as well! This couldn't have been achieved if not for Yong's brilliant idea for a drinking game. I was surprised to see how fast the drinks went! Another good thing for me was that no one puked or got wasted. Though I think some were pretty close to!


Great food deserves great company...

Before calling it a night, I had one more surprised up my sleeve : Peanut butter banana shake. Granted that night's batch wasn't my finest. Think the one earlier in the day was better. For those who want to know, inspiration came from Paddington's House of Pancakes. And after the cleaning up, everyone went home at 3 am. I really do hope everyone had a blast and by the looks of it at the end of the day, I hope I have my reputation intact (cyeh, 'sif I have one to begin with o.O). Drew pointed out that it was the same time that I actually said it would end on Facebook, now hows that for good hosting!


When the drinks start pouring, the horns start growing...

The next day, I was seriously burnt out. Don't know if it was the excessive indulging of good food or the way I slept and certainly not the liquor, but I felt very lethargic and aching. Haha, signs of old age. Slept almost the whole day in fact. But most importantly, NO trips to the toilet for unscheduled stops! Asked a few of them and seems that everyone did not suffer from any food poisoning. Hahaha. Daryl and me were relieved to hear that. Unless of course someone contracts mad cow disease within the next 10-14 days and turns into zombies!


One for the road before he jets to the States...

Of course couldn't have done it without the help of everyone who cleaned, carried, arranged, cooked that day. So as cliché a speech as it gets, without you guys (and girl) being there, it wouldn't have been LEGEN...wait for it...DARY! For those who must be wondering why or where I keep/get that line, here's the man himself to explain:



Oh, I really do hope the next one (when ever , where ever) will be better then this!

In A Nutshell...

As the 1st decade of the new millennium winds down, 2009 for me can be described in short as one full of ups and downs. To not bore you all to death (we've had ENOUGH of those already this year) I'll try to summarize it as short and simple as possible. If there was a song that I can think of at the top of my head right now to sum it all up it would be Katy Perry's Hot & Cold. Yes, not so rock-metal-type of song usually associated with my music taste but hey, it has been that kinda year for me.

Best moment of the year has got to be being able to watch Manchester United LIVE in our very own backyard. Everyone knows what a die hard fan I am so it might not come as a surprise eh. But spare a thought to the tragic bombings in Jakarta for which if it did not happen, this would've been THE worst moment of my life, let alone year. However, it all went well and part of my life long goal has been achieved. The next part is to actually go to Old Trafford and watch them in a competitive match. 2010 perhaps?


Dream coming true...

Close runners up as far as I can think of would be those road trips to Penang, getting a new laptop, quitting TAR College and starting afresh, finding new ways to get hammered, watching The Foo Fighters Live via Facebook, going white water rafting.


The Power of Facebook...

Worst moment of the year, well I tend not to remember bad things for long, so I have to say, waking up early in the morning, checking Facebook and realizing Micheal Jackson had just pass away. That totally spoiled my mood for the entire day.

Which brings me to the main theme of 2009: Death. I am well aware that people die everyday, but famous people? Ones that I know of and not some old fart whose time is due anyway is just sad. Probably 09 will be remembered more for the demise of the Gloved One than the election of America's first Black president. Other notable ones include Sir Bobby Robson, Patrick Swayze, Brittany Murphy and most recently, The Rev, drummer for Avenged Sevenfold. On the local front lets not forget film maker Yasmin Ahmad and victims of political evil Teoh Beng Hock and Kuga.


Story of The Year?...

Which leads to my bleak outlook at our country for 09. I knew we were already in the shits back then, but this year has really opened my eyes to see how much shit we are actually in. And by the looks of it, 2010 will reek of crap spilled over. From riots to fugitives to murders to corruption to racial incitement and deaths and suffering of innocents. Literally every single offence you can think of, it has happened at the highest level. And to think the new 'slogan' for our country is 1Malaysia. Will it be better or worse next year? All I can say is I love my country (yes you read right) but I hate the people running it.


The State of The Nation...

Right enough of that, lastly though it wouldn't be right to wrap up my review without including the girlfriend. She has been through the best and worst parts of the year with me, through thick and thin. For that I do consider myself lucky. Happy New Year to you in Hong Kong love.


Let The Good Times Roll...

So there, wrapped it up pretty short right? In a couple of days time it all goes back to 1 and we shall start the cycle again. All I can do now is show the middle finger ..i.. to the bad times and the devil horns \m/ to the good of 2009. As for the upcoming year, 'Just Bring It'. How has 2009 been for you?

Injury Crisis...

I think everyone knows that in contact sports, injuries are part and parcel of the game. Heck, Manchester United has 12 players out at the moment, majority of them made up of the defence. Well, at least we are at the top of some kind of table.


Dear Santa, for Christmas please give us a class defender - Fergie...

And if I was a player on the squad (oh how I wish!), the number would be up to 13. Well I suppose playing futsal 3 times in 4 days is bound to take a tow somewhere down the line on me. Firstly, I strained my wrist a little. Odd thing was, I had no idea how it happened and all I knew is after 3 hours of futsal on that day, only when I came back did I feel the pain. Only theory I can come up with is I got injured when using my hand to cushion my fall. Aih... life...


At least I could still strum...

One of the reasons I dislike playing futsal on turf is because of the major carpet burns I get. Seriously, each time I play on the turf/green court, I can say 90% of the time I get carpet burn. -.-'... And I'm sure most of you know that getting water onto the wound is a major pain in the nuts!


Carpet burn #5647

And to sum it all up, my reoccurring injury on my left knee well, reoccurred last night. Luckily I had my knee brace on or I think I would've seriously twisted it already. Yeah, today left knee internally injured, right knee superficially. Putting on pants has never been this troublesome!

But I can consider myself lucky as this is by far the most serious injury I've had playing futsal/football. I know people who have broken bones and torn ligaments so I'll quite whining now =P.

And to add salt to injury, I will have to extract another wisdom tooth ( am I not unwise enough already?) soon. Aih...

Football Karma...

Some call it fate, some call it destiny, some call it karma, some even call it an act of God. What ever it is, this season's Champions League draw has been throwing up seriously ironic and yet scrumptious ties.

Case and point, initial group stages, Real Madrid vs AC Milan: The return of Kaka to his once hunting ground, claiming he wouldn't leave. Well he hadn't left long enough as those grandpa's in the Milan defence still remembered his playing style and marked him perfectly.

Then it was Barcelona vs Inter Milan. The return of Zlatan and Eto'o who ironically switched sides during the off season. Oh there was Maxwell as well for Barca but that didn't really matter.

Now, right after the draw for the knockout stages were done, this mysterious force can be seen at play again. David Beckham's Christmas wish came early cos couple of days ago, he said he wished to return to Old Trafford with Milan in the next stage. And lull and behold, he got it. Must've a good boy this year eh Mr. Becks.

Then there is Real Madrid vs Lyon. I highlighted this tie cos Madrid do have a former Lyon player, key and star player in fact, who goes by the name of Karim Benzema. Prolific player no doubt but maybe not such a prolific match cos he hasn't been getting his chances at the White House.

But the draw that takes the cap has to be the return of The Special One to Stamford Bridge as Inter has been paired with Chelsea. And with current Chelsea gaffer Ancelotti previously managing arch rival Milan, sparks are sure to fly!

So yeah, come February, another set of mouth-watering ties are in store. On a related manner, Mr. Wy has finally chosen a team to support. Well, at least now you will be able to enjoy or suffer (which ever makes u happy) the turmoil and stress of being a supporter of THAT club. Seriously, I know die hard supporters giving up on watching the team play cos of that fat waiter that seems to have the managerial job in the dugout. Well at least on paper the have an easy draw in the Europa League. Yes wy, the taunting has already begun :P!