Letdown... And My Brownie Points Gone

I offered to help Mr. Gecko to deposit his cash at a cash deposit ATM in town today. Thought I could save some trouble on his part as my working hours are more flexible so I can drop by to the ATM anytime.

I deposited the cash on my way to work, happily in fact because I love collecting brownie points from Mr. Gecko. I even wrote an email 'report' to him for this miniest favor done. Yes, I am one of those who loves exaggerating my little acts of convenience but only to him.

Guess what??? I left the bank without realising his ATM card was still in the machine. I did not even realise my BIG blunder till very, very much later in the afternoon. IF... the bank account gets cleaned out, I think... oh dear... oh dear... I don't want to think.

*Sigh~~* Luckily all's well now. Mr. Gecko had to call the bank to cancel the card. The money's intact but all my brownie points are wiped out by my stupid act of carelessness. What a letdown...

:( Sorry, Mr. Gecko.

Good Eating Places In Johor Bahru, Malaysia

When I am known as one who hail from JB town, I always have friends and associates asking me for advice on the yummiest places to go across the causeway. Sadly, I am not the expert they should look up to as I am actually more well-trod in Singapore than on my own land. I am a true blue Ipoh gal by the way. Ipoh is my rightful birthplace where I also live out my childhood before I moved on to JB purely for my educational purposes in Singapore.

I don't eat out much when I am back home as mommy ensures I take home-cooked instead. But I do have a few fave eating places / outlets in JB. Some of them I do not know their addresses as I am driven to locations all times coz' I don't know how to drive, so I don't know how to direct others too. But there are these places I strongly recommend and which you will find appealing to your dining palate should you drive down with friends or family.

1) Da Ma Ba Sa (Literally translated from Mandarin - Big Horse Market): This is one sheltered, open air food court haven you must not miss. With all kinds of hawker fares from authentic claypot chicken rice, Chay Keow Teow, Bakar Fish and seafood - almost reminiscent to Singapore's Newton Hawker albeit with much more alternative food varieties. My fave stall can be found in the middle of the hawker centre selling only "猪肠粉". Served in original Hong Kong / Ipoh dim sum style, the pasta is made fresh and only when you order. Comes in only 2 kinds of fillings though, either chinese BBQ pork or prawns. But it is yummy enough and not very filling so big eaters can order this as a side dish. Hygiene is not a factor here but it's bearable lah - it's a Malaysia hawker centre leh, what you expect? The place is active only at night. Please don't venture there in the day or you will find minimal stalls open for business.

If I am unmistaken, the address is Jalan Tebrau / Jalan Kris. Ask any JBians if you are lost and you shall be directed there quite fine. It's pretty near Holiday Plaza. If you are driving down from the JB custom expressway that will lead you to Pelangi Plaza towards Holiday Plaza, the market / hawker centre is on your right side, after you pass Pelangi Plaza and before you turn left to the Holiday Plaza area. This place is a MUST GO!

2) Peking Restaurant - This is one of our family's fave chinese restaurant. It's quite well known and is busiest during weekend evenings so you may want to make reservations beforehand. Do try the braised trotters or "mei cai kou rou" (preserved vegs + 3 level pork) with the traditional steamed buns. According to my dad, it's nostalgic hometown flavor for these two dishes. The curry prawns with deep fried buns is a winner too!
The address is JLN BALDU 5, TAMAN SENTOSA, 80150 JOHOR BAHRU Telephone : 07-333 2928.

3) Bakuteh Tradisional - My family loves the Ba Ku Teh here. We usually have it for lunch on weekends and the place is often full house. Besides the usual Ba Ku Teh with the usual "油条", you may want to try the other cooked dishes offered. My parents love the Asam Fish (kampong fish) though I am contented with eating white rice flooded with the Ba Ku Teh soup alone. Yeah, it's that yummy to me. This restaurant is only open for business during the day and do not serve dinner. It is also a very starkly furnished restaurant / coffeeshop, in case you think you step into the wrong restaurant.
The address is JLN SRI PELANGI, TAMAN PELANGI, 80400 JOHOR BAHRU Telephone : 07-332 3331

4) If you and your friends / family have the time to travel further up north, you may want to proceed to Kukup for a day. Seafood there is dirt cheap, fresh and served in big helpings. There are also fishermen who take passengers in their bumboats to visit their kelongs in the late afternoon. It'll be a fun activity for both the adults and kids before dinner. Well, may I add, an eye-opener for those are wont to city life.

Anyway, I do hope that those who happen to chance upon this entry will find my info useful. I wrote all these down so when the next person asks me the same question, I can just copy and paste from here. Yeah, this's for my convenience too.

The Jerms - In Love On Monday

The Poster

Foremost, let me give The Jerms a standing ovation for their performance. *stands up, claps and nods my head in respect*

Their performance was tight, good songs delivery, some originals were remixed and this gave the core fans a good listening change. Ken the drummist gave a few comical actions, Mr. Gecko, the lead vocalist was relaxed and put in more efforts to engage the crowds. Summarily, they had good stage presence this time round. Well, it helps that Mr. Gecko had a new fan base that night. His whole posse of ex and current colleagues came just to lend him support, they even gamely screamed his name. The boy was suitably touched at the end of the night.

The Jerms on Bar None Platform

It was so coincidental when I last mentioned Bar None was a new platform for them (Read: The Jerms @ Prince of Wales). My word could be read like I was already prophesying! Geeez. I can change my career path. In fact, I am declaring that their performance standard is reaching a whole new plateau like never before. Even the usually stringent Mr. Gecko was pleased with himself.

Well done Mr. Gecko! Well done The Jerms. I was impressed :)

Postnote: Check out mtvasia.com for more juice on Bar None's Mondays local music sessions.

I SSSSOOOOO WANNA GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh dear... I so wanna go to both Sam Hui's and Beyond's farewell concert in Singapore...

But I can't because then I WILL BE SO BANKRUPT till the end of this year. I am saving every cent for our Sydney trip coming in October. Mr. Gecko's paying for the whole trip beforehand so there's no extra cash for him to indulge me further. Why? Why must they both perform at the same time of the year? Huh? Huh?

Sigh~~~ I SO WANNA GO!!!!

I am secretly hoping they will sing only Mandarin songs so I don't feel so missed out and pained. I will not pay to go if I know beforehand that they will be singing only Mandarin songs -pandering to Singaporean's taste. Yeah, I gotta be evil since I cannot go.

But still... if only I am not so cash-strapped... *whines*

The Jerms @ Prince of Wales

The Jerms (Mr. Gecko's band) jammed in Prince of Wales last Sunday night, playing a string of familiars and debuted two originals, one of which I kinda liked upon first hearing - think it's called Swimming In Dreams. The Jerms packed quite a punch in their song delivery, I say, this was one of their best performances for the year. The band is on a massive gig circuit with THREE!!! gigs lined up this month alone and this is their first gig of the month. They are jamming at the outdoor Esplanade stage next week and I am eagerly awaiting for the Bar None gig end of this month. That's a new platform for them!

Well, nestled in the heart of Singapore's Little India, Prince of Wales is one intimate pub cum backpackers' lodge serving mostly Caucasian backpackers. Seemingly out of place whereby hordes of Indians weave in and out of each corner on the outside street, yet you feel like you're in holiday mode by the beach once you're soaked in the pub's laidback atmosphere. Like having an Italian fogy going round asking for help to light up his weed, went up to my friend and I and tried to strike up a conversation by showing us some kids' tricks... oh please...!

Malcom is the friendly owner, bartender and check-in registrar all roll into one. When he's free of tasks, he walks around the pub with his frisky curr which will sometimes curl up on your lap and give a wet licky-lick on your face if you are seated on the couch. It was my first time there and I was already quite taken to the place and took little to settle myself comfortably. I felt good watching The Jerms performing that night - relaxing with the usual gang of friends cum core fans and observing the motley crowd. Was this what it means to wind down the night by going for a drink at a pub? I sure feel like it.

The Jerms jammin' away in The Prince of Wales

What more can I say about that night...? Great music. Great crowd. Great pub. Great night.

The Great Birdy Rescue

It was an unexpected rescue mission. Mr. Gecko and I were taking a leisurely walk back home after lunch when we spotted the distressed bird; and just in time too!

We Rescued This Birdy

I spotted a pigeon keeling clumsily backwards like as if it was drunk and I was puzzled why it couldn't fly. I knew the story when I saw a cat nearby with an arching back, ready-to-ponuce stance and all. If we had not interfered, that would be its second killing attempt at the pigeon.

I don't hate cats but I don't have a soft spot for them either. I think they are kinda evil because they like to prey on and torture smaller animals just for pleasure. I had once witnessed a cat clamping its paws at a bird's tail and enjoying the scene how the little bird tried to escape but can't. Believe me, that was called slow killing. I can almost imagine the cheshire grin on its face. If cats eat birds, I think Mr. Gecko and I would have gladly left the cat to do its killing, after all we do understand the workings of a food chain. BUT CATS ARE EVIL! *ahem*

Anyhow, we found it so funny how both of us were so mightily afraid of holding the injured bird in our hands. We are such city kids. It was a blessing we managed to find a thrown carton box and lured the bird inside or we would really, really be at a loss. You should hear how Mr. Gecko did the birdy sounds and all. *kekekeke*

I hope the pigeon is recovering comfortably in SPCA now...