Entry 04.06.2026

I've been driving past this place forever! Of course I should have, since it has been at its original location since way before I was born. Lol. 

Brooke Dockyard is Malaysia's oldest shipyard, originally built to service the Brooke Rajah's vessels. Post the colonial era, the shipyard was used for ship repairs, engineering training and later for oil and gas support. 

Now, Brooke Dockyard has been turned into a museum, and opened on 21 April 2026. It is currently free for visitors. Today, my Fourth and Fifth Aunts and I went for a visit. We thought we should go before the museum starting charging entrance fees. Lol. 

First up, I had not expected so many visitors there! Lol. When we drove past there at 9.20 am, there was already a huge crowd waiting at the entrance. And there was no place to park my car. That area had very limited parking spaces, so I either had to park at the multi-storey carpark some distance away or at Merdeka Plaza. We considered our options and drove around, and finally ended up parking at St. Thomas' Cathedral. It was quite a distance to walk. The best thing was that it was free. Lol. 

We walked down the slopes of Mcdougall Road, past Merdeka Plaza, past the Central Police Station, past Electra House and Open Air Market and finally reached the museum. Luckily, we were still allowed entrance. I think there was cap to the number of visitors for each session, since we were handed out tags. We would technically be able to stay in the museum from 9.30 - 11.30 am. 

The mural on the old shops facing the museum

The signage at the entrance 

 

Model of the old dockyard

Well, there were 5 themed galleries, and they were pretty small. I enjoyed the HYY Zalora the most as I spent the most time here in the replica of the Rajah's ship. In the ship, there was the mess hall, the stateroom, the crew room and the wheelhouse. There were also exhibitions in the lower deck. It was quite interesting! 

We spent about an hour there at the museum, and then left. We walked back via Market Street and India Street. India Street is historically a busy shopping street, now, it is sturprisingly still a bustling and colourful a place. Fifth Aunt encountered a shoe emergency and was shopping for a pair of shoes ... lol ... Fourth Aunt and I were just browsing. I wanted to buy a small baking tray to fit my airfryer, but did not have the patience to look for one. 

We also went to Chong Chon Biscuit Maker - they sold the best Sio Bao in Kuching. Now the Sio Bao is sold at RM5 while the Yam Puff is RM7. 

The thing is at 11.30 am, the pastries were not ready yet. They would only be ready at 12 pm. Too bad.

We bumped into this itinerant putu mayung seller! He was trending on social media at one time. My late Dad loved putu mayung. If he was around, we would definitely have bought some for him to eat. 

Fourth Aunt wanted to eat lunch at Lao Ya Keng at Carpenter Street. And so we headed there. It was so crowded!! There were no tables at all. We shared with a young couple, 5 of us squeezing into 1 small table. Fourth Aunt ordered a fishball soup, a laksa and satay. I was so thirsty and in need of a drink. I waved at the server but he ignored me twice. I got really mad at him. 

We waited for our food for a long time. I think there was something terribly disorganised about the system here .... the drinks order ... not sure, but perhaps they had a system by going from table to table? It was an inefficient system anyway. And all the food did not come ... Fourth Aunt enquired the laska and the fishball soup ... then only it came. She went to enquire the satay but came back empty handed. 

Laksa, RM10

This laksa broth had that strong cinnamon and aniseed flvaour ... The ingredients were generous but not really to die for; to me, it's not the original laksa taste ... 

Fishball soup, RM13

The clear soup is sweet and flavourful, the ingredients were fresh. Not bad to eat. Just that the environment and service here was really crazy ... 

Halfway eating, someone asked me for my drinks order ... twice! But since I was annoyed, I decided not to order anything. Fifth Aunt got up and asked about the satay. She came back with nothing. Finally after I finished eating the laksa and the fishball soup, I too went to ask about the satay. Too bad they were finished already. The seller could only spare me 5 skewers. Darn.

5 skewers of pork satay, RM6.00

The meat was tender and well-marinated, not that sweet and the peanut sauce was good too. Just too hard to wait! 

If I had been here alone, I would have left. I would not want to engage in the crazy crowd. The place was hot and sweaty and noisy; the food was expensive and really not even that great. 

We walked back to Plaza Merdeka after that. Since I was so thirsty, I needed to buy a drink. I wanted Chagee but did not have vouchers to warrant me any offers. So I talked my aunties into registering for the app to buy their first drinks at 50% off. Lol. They indulged me so I sat down and played around with their phones. After a while, they got their drinks. Since I referred them, I got 2 pieces of 50% vouchers as well. Heh ... so I bought myself a cup as well. We rested a while before shopping at Parkson and Mr DIY.

On the way home, Fourth Aunt wanted to eat ice desserts, so I brought them to Jubilee Ground. It was not Fourth Aunt's favourite place for dessert but later on, I think she found the desserts to be quite palatable. We went to Ah Tan's ... 

ABC Special with milk, RM5.50

White Lady, RM4.50

Evaporated and fruit cocktail with shaved ice

Sweet and fruity and satisfying 

Long Hair Belacan Beehoon Special, RM12

It was alright, but Fourth Aunt thought the cuttlefish was not springy enough and the belacan broth was too diluted .... 

We headed home after that ..... I think we all enjoyed ourselves in town today! Heh.

P/S : I checked my records. I last bought from Chong Chon in 2022. At that time, Sio Bao was RM3.20 and Yam Puff was RM4.50. Now, 4 years later, the price had increased by 56% for Sio Bao and 55% for Yam Puff. Gosh! 

The owners are now old, and they churn out fewer pieces of the pastries. Demand is still high. So this is a place where even if you have the money, you do not have a chance to buy the goodies. Heh. 

Entry 28.05.2026

It felt like a long time since I stayed at home during a semester break ... It felt really relaxing. I woke up as I wished, tended to the garden, and watched dramas. Mom too was enjoying having me at home ... lol ... since I could bring her out to the market in the morning and then help her with food prep at home. She also spent quite a lot of time watching dramas ... lol ... since the Pursuit of Jade, she has been wanting to watch C-dramas in her free time. We are currently watching The Legend of the Female General. 

Mom and I were also busy with some banking matters for the past 2 days. We finally settled our transactions on the second day. I wanted to go to Boulevard Shopping Mall since there was Eco Shop there. I like going to Eco Shop since the things there are cheap. But mind you, some of the items are of reasonable quality. I bought a few glass containers and some plasticware. After that Mom and I went to eat at Boulevard Chinese Restaurant. I wanted to eat the mixed BBQ platter ... 

BBQ Pork Belly, Char Siu, and Roasted Duck

I think the meats were all very yum, and I particularly liked the duck. The meats came with 2 sauces - a sweet plum sauce and a chilli sauce. Only RM29 per small serving, I think the dish was pretty reasonably priced. 

Plain egg noodles, RM4.00

To go with our meats, we ordered plain egg noodles. Springy and well-tossed with seasonings, the noodles complemented the meats very well. 

Stir-fried lettuce, RM10

I ordered a vegetable dish since Mom said it was mandatory to eat veges ... lol ...

I ordered an iced honey lemon drink, RM10 ... and the bill came to RM57.00 for the both of us. Mom and I enjoyed the meal lots. I was so full that I skipped dinner that night. 

The other day, I went to Kenyalang Park Market to buy some fresh vegetables ... Mom and I bought quite a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables .... and since I did not know what to eat, I went to Mee Too. It had been quite a while since I last ate there ... 

Kolo mee, RM7.50 and kopi o kosong, RM3.50

Heck .. there was a price hike here ... the kolo mee was yum but the portion was a bit sad .... the coffee was also really bitter ... 

Took home some in my new Eco Shop glass container ... 

Don't think I would return to Mee Too for a while ... 

Pullman Hotel 

Pullman had a makeover; the lobby now looks really nice; I was sitting here all by myself at 9.00 am in the morning ... heh ... actually I wanted to go to the supermarket downstairs but it would only open at 9.30 am ... so I spent some time waiting here. I was pretty comfy and could sit for longer but ... 

There was a sale for some items at the supermarket and I wanted to make sure I could manage to buy the Top Liquid Detergent at RM14.90. So in order to make sure I get to buy the detergent, I wanted to enter the supermarket as soon as it opened. Heh. I kind of feel that in Kuching, people like to stock up toilet papers and dishwashing liquid and laundry detergent. 

So I stood at the entrance with a few other people .... waited for the supermarket doors to roll up ... headed straight to the detergent shelves, grabbed 2 bottles of Top Liquid Detergent and left. Yay. Happy. I like having a few bottles in stock at home. 

Entry 24.05.2026.

 24.05.2026

Sunday morning, and I hadn't any idea where to go for breakfast. I asked Mom what she wanted to eat. Probably kolo mee, she replied. Still, I didn't know where to go ... over here at this part of town, there aren't many good kolo mee stalls. Sure, every coffee shop sells kolo mee, but there was still a marked difference in the quality and the taste. I am wary of the newer stalls operated by young people or young workers, hmn ... their kolo mee was either soggy or tasteless. I had eaten one at a notable food court at a notable location in town ... and it was one of the worst kolo mees ever! 

So I headed to King's Centre. There were 2 food courts there, one was Thian You. This was really large. Over at the other corner, there was another food court, but I did not know its name. Heh. I didn't see any signage at all. I had never eaten here before, so well, I thought I would give it a try. Mom ordered kolo mee from a stall at the far end corner ... and when she came back, she tole me that the stall operator was our neighbour. Lol. 

Kolo mee, RM5.00

The noodles were well-blanched and the seasoning was quite fragrant. Overall, a pretty good bowl of kolo mee. Mom enjoyed it. 

Well, my housing area consisted of 2 rows of 23 houses. Very small neighbourhood. But I hardly knew the neighbours .... we seldom exchange greetings, and everyone pretty much kept to themselves. My mom had nicknames for the neighbours ... i.e. 'Mee Seller', 'Food Seller', 'Principal', Tayar Boy', 'Foochow Man', 'Dog Auntie'  ... heh ... I suppose she knew their professions, the dialect group they belong to, or the cars they drove or their passion for rearing canines .... lol ... 

So anyway, I knew that particular household sold kolo mee but I did not know where they were selling, so I had never eaten their noodles before. Till today. Heh ... I think the noodles were quite good. I liked it too, after having tasted 2 mouthfuls. I'd go back and buy from them anytime. 

At the food court this morning, I ordered laksa as well. 

Ah Tak Laksa, RM8.00

The laksa looked great, but tasted bland. The prawns were fresh and the ingredients were generous ... however, the broth was not up to mark .... 

Today's lunch was at Sarawak Club. My friend SH organised this lunch. It was not easy to get various individuals together for lunch as people had different agendas going on during the weekend. So anyway, we got a table of 10 in the end. It was a bit chaotic when everyone met up, since some hadn't seen each other for a while. 

Well, at the Hornbill Restaurant, everything was delicious and the portion did not disappoint. 

Buttered prawns

The best in Kuching, in my opinion, as the prawns were fresh, crisp, succulent and the coating was thin yet so buttery.

Homemade Beancurd

The beancurd was soft and melted in my mouth; the sauce could use a bit more preseved radish, I think; but still yum nonetheless 

Stirfried Eggplant with Basil leaves

The basil was not so prominent in flavour, a very light dish 

Kerabu Midin with Dried Prawns

Very crispy and fresh, and nicely flavoured so that it was sweet and tangy at the same time,

Roasted Chicken 

Well-marinated and crispy, even the chicken breast meat was yum.

Lamb Satay

I had wanted to eat this dish, so I was glad that they had this ... the meat was tender and well-marinated; tasted great with the peanut sauce 

Gula Apong Fruit Cocktail

Sweet and satisfying ... 

The portion of the food was ever so generous, and the taste of the food was great. That day, there were only 2 tables eating ... and so we had the entire hall for ourselves. Really, I have no complaints. 

Entry 23.05.2026

Yesterday was the last day of the first part of the academic year. We had our brekkie at Ban Chuen at Satok. Coincidentally, it was its last day of operations. This coffee shop was closing as the owners were getting old. This was a coffee shop that had everything - braised meats, curry, kacangma, kolomee, fried noodles, Maggi mee, cai kueh, sio bee .... just name it and they can probably whip it out for you. And their prices were so reasonable as well. We normally patronise the shop early in the morning, where we usually ordered deep-fried goodies and stir-fried noodles to go with our coffee. Yesterday, we managed to wish the owners well for their retirement! So glad for them! 

I rarely went to the school canteen, but that morning, I went since my colleague L said he would treat. Lol.

Banana Fritters 

The iced tea and the banana fritters were both rather yum that morning ...... 

Well, Teachers' Day celebration has been quiet in school. I don't know whether it was mentioned in the news that it should not be celebrated at school? Or was it the local education officers who said it should not be celebrated at school? The reason? To reduce wastage of instructional time at school, of course. To me, the reason was really very lame. But whatever it was .... the occasion was not celebrated at my school this year. Instead, my Senior Assistant instructed the Student Committee to buy us an appreciation gift each ..... 

So we got the Solaris Airtight Container and a packet of broad beans, both bought from Signature Market. Well, I appreciate the gesture, even though I do not need more containers. Heh. After school, we headed to Go Veggie for lunch.

It's been quite a while since I had lunch with my friend K and T. So that day was pretty fun since we had not caught up for a while. Why vegetarian, I asked my friend K. She said she found eating veggies less burdensome on the body. She also said that this particular cafe served very good food, maybe better than many non-vegetarian cafes out there! 

Well, after trying the food here, I agree with her. The food was tasty so that I momentarily forgot that I was not eating meat. Lol. We ordered 4 dishes : 

Hot and Spicy Soup

Stir-fried okra

Tofu in pumpkin gravy 

Mushroom in Mongolian sauce 

The soup and the tofu tasted really light and natural, the okra even had wok hei! The sauce for the mushroom was in fact quite buttery! So I agreed with my friend K that the cooking here was good despite the non-meat options. They also sold economy rice and noodle dishes here .... when we were there yesterday afternoon for lunch, there was a huge crowd indeed! 

Barley

I ordered a barley drink to go with the food .... 

I must thank my friend T for the lunch treat. We insisted to split the bill, but she wanted to treat us because she just found out that she had been awarded the APC for 2025. APC was the Excellent Service Award ... and I was so glad that she got it since I knew she fully deserved it! 

This Saturday morning, I brought Mom to buy pork at Borneo Fresh Pork since they were having a sale. Many items except Pork belly was sold at a 25% discount. There were many outlets to go to - I could go to the Kenyalang outlet, Sekama outlet, Petanak outlet, Jalan Song outlet, or the Tabuan Heights outlet. But I had to consider my options carefully ... the Kenyalang outlet often sold out very early and the staff was not helpful and was often very rude. The meat at the Petanak outlet were sometimes not as nice as the other outlets ... I seldom go to the Sekama or the Jalan Song outlet .... so finally I decided to go to Tabuan Heights. I'm glad I made the right choice.

At 7.40 am, the shop was super crowded with so many elderly aunties; everyone was trying to get the attention of the staff to secure their cuts of meat; but the staff remained cordial and polite. The queue to pay was really long as well but at least everyone was orderly. The meat was fresh too, and that was utmost important! 

I went home to store all the meat in the fridge before I went out again to eat my breakfast. I decided to go to Uncle Hainam, and I am glad I did. This eatery was recommended by my friend K. She told me that the chef was once the personal chef of someone very notable. It was only after Covid-19 that he decided to open up his own eatery. 

Beef brisket kueh tiaw soup, RM20 for a special bowl 

Authentic Penang fried kueh tiaw, RM16 for a double special plate

Teh C 

Well, I have a lot of great things to say about the food here. The price point was higher, but the food was great since they did not skimp on the ingredients. The beef noodle broth was sweet and flavourful. And it had big pieces of beef brisket, tendons, beef balls, tripe and stomach inside. Mom enjoyed the beef noodles a lot. The stir-fried kueh tiaw was also tasty. A special platter was sold at RM14, and they added cockles. Double special meant that they used both cockles and duck egg. I found the cockles premium since they used fresh ones! They tasted so good! 

My friend K also recommended other items to try here ... so I would definitely want to come back for more.

Well, it's happy holidays to me. 

Entry 20.05.2026

I've been a bit busy with exams work lately. Today is the completion date. Everything's done, but not without hiccups.  It was because the exams platform was new and it was the first time we used it. Everyone was pretty unsure about what to do. We just did what we felt we should do. Today also, I was at my meeting and then I realised that I had forgotten to bring 2 important envelopes So I had to drive home to take them. Luckily, there was not much traffic and my house was not too far from the meeting venue. The whole trip took me about 30 minutes only! 

Yesterday afternoon, I completed my tooth implant. Back in 2020, I had a tooth pulled out because it had cracked. The dentist actually tried to save it for me. So he did a root canal treatment for me. But it failed. I stubbornly kept the tooth till it could no longer be kept ... and had it pulled out in 2021. I had always wanted to do an implant after that ... but did not get around to do it. Till last year when I had a lot of issues with my teeth - more of them cracked. I crowned 2 and had another 1 pulled out. And so this was the time I asked the dentist to do the implant for me.

The whole process took 8 long months and set me back by RM8000. I had the implant screw placed in September. It needed 6 months for the implant to integrate. Last month I had the abutment or the connector piece placed. And 2 weeks ago, a crown impression was taken. Finally, yesterday, the crown was attached. The whole process was not painful at all, so I was glad. 

Hmn ... at first. the tooth felt strange. But that feeling went away and I got used to the new tooth very quickly. At the end of this year, I am going to do another implant for the tooth that I had pulled out. That one was cracked. I had root canal treatment and crowning done. But after a year, that tooth was infected anyway ... my gum got swollen and I was in pain all the time. So in February this year, I decided to have it removed. I had done grafting as well, and it needed at least 8 months to mature. Only at the end of the year would it be ready for implant.

Some eats this round .... 

My fav beef noodle, RM9 

But that day, it was a tad salty ... 

Stir-fried Zhaocai Fengan, RM9

This was from Chai Shu at So Good Cafe 2, Stutong

I was a bit shocked when the plate was set down before me, since it looked wet and soggy.

Upon tasting it though, I found it palatable .... it had wok hei, and tasted ok ... so I did not complain ... the portion was also huge and I could not finish it .... 

Kolo mee, RM6

Also from So Good Cafe 2, the noodes were a tad soft though it did not look it ... the taste was also average 

Vegetable fritters, RM1.50

This was from Song Corner ... it was crispy, quite tasty ... but a bit too oily

Smile Popiah, RM5

Also from Song Corner. Good popiah, today the roll was bigger than usual. Heh .... but the ingredients were all fresh and well-balanced. 

Chicken and Egg Sandwich, RM6.50 each

From The Breakfast Factory at Song Corner, delicious every time! 

Also very good peanut butter toast, RM5.20 for a double set  

Teh C Peng, RM3

From Yong Kwang Coffee Shop; the weather was so hot that I needed a cold drink ...

The tea was fragrant, but not milky enough .... 

Belacan beehoon, RM7

From Yong Kwang Coffee Shop also, the noodles were too thin. They were also broken, so it affected the overall pleasure of eating the noodles ... the cucumbers were overly moist since they were grated; the broth was too diluted. Well, the whole dish tasted ok ... but not great ... 

Well, that sums up my 2 weeks .... 

Entry 11.05.2026

I had been very busy for the past few days. I had work to catch up on. So I was glad that all my work is at least settled for now. The other day, Mom and I had lunch at Verinice Kitchen. It had economy rice sold for a quick lunch. So I took 3 items, RM8.90.

I didn't find the dishes that yum, heh ... I was just glad that I did not have to cook a meal. A lot of people dropped by to eat or to takeaway, so it seems like it's a really popular place to eat! 

I went to Yeow Kee at Gala City for breakfast the other day .... and I actually did not know what to eat here. Food quality was not consistent - kolo mee was ok sometimes, but sometimes it was not. Popiah used to be yum, but now it's not yum anymore. A lot of people like the beef noodles here, but I found the texture of the noodle to be too soft. The laksa was ok, but I did not feel like eating it. So I ended up ordering ... 

Stir-fried longevity noodles with leeks, RM7

Dumpling soup, RM10

The stir-fried noodles were quite fragrant, ane enjoyable to eat. The pork and prawn dumpling that day was disappointing ... the texture was not Q at all. They tasted chewy - like they had flour in them ... sigh ... for such a long time, they were known to have sold the best dumplings in town .... but now, with the rising costs of ingredients, they might have added flour to the pork and prawn filling .... so sad.

The other day, I tried something interesting - Kun Terung Asam. This pack was given to me by my friend. It sat there in my snacks container for ages, and today, I decided to try it out. This is dried terung asam ... 

Terung Asam or sour eggplant is native to Sarawak, typically cooked and consumed. But this one is dried. It was chewy, sweet with a slight tangy frangrance at the end. Quite interesting.