Coconut Balls

These coconut balls were homemade by R***. The skin was soft and chewy, and the balls were filled compactly with grated coconut in palm sugar.

Coconut balls

Absolutely delicious! We were so impressed that we asked R*** to make some more coconut balls ....

Coconut balls .... and  we found that R***'s steamed layer cake was also very yum. Springy and fragrant and not cloyingly sweet. 

Inside a coconut ball

Everytime she makes it, we are happy .... to get to enjoy these delicious local cake! 

Lalapan Still Tastes So Good ....

It still tasted good ....

But the other day when I was there .... hmn .... 2 ingredients were lacking. The lime was not there. Neither was the tapioca leaves. Still, we were charged RM9.00.

Hmn ....  I felt a bit shortchanged.

I'm Lovin' It : Double Smokin' BBQ Beef Burger

This was a new limited edition item. Well, sometime ago. I believe it's no longer available now.

A medium meal was RM8.45 including tax. I did not like the smoky-flavoured sauce, so I did not enjoy the burger much. So ... hmn .... dun mind it being left out of the menu ;P

A Visit To Meritz Hotel

There was a press conference cum media cocktail reception at Meritz Hotel the other day, and I tagged along. I've been to this hotel, but have never gone beyond the lobby area. Hence, this was a great chance for me to take a peek at what it had to offer.

Meritz Hotel is situated adjacent to Bintang Megamall, the best shopping mall in Miri. It comprises of 290 guest rooms and suites. On every three levels, there is an atrium. Complimentary wifi services are available here, so guests can actually hang out or gather here instead of being cooped up in the room all the time.

We were greeted cordially on arrival by the staff who stood in a line. After a round of hand-shaking, we took the elevator up to the 7th floor, where the function/meeting rooms were. There were 10 function rooms on this foor.

Seventh floor 

Function rooms were named after flowers, such as Periwinkle or Heliconia. They were of various sizes, and the setting could be arranged to suit the guests. 

The chairman himself, Dato Prof. Lau SiuWai himself was there ... briefing us.

Dato' Prof. Lau surrounded by members of the media ... 

This is Dato' Prof. Lau assuming the role of the PR Manager of the hotel... 

What I loved the most about this hotel was the viewing deck on the 17th floor - the Sky Garden.

Walking out to the deck ...  

A view of Miri ...

 Sipping cocktail .... while enjoying the view below 

The lovely view had knocked a few breaths out of us. Many were indeed impressed. My friend M**** fell immediately in love with the city ... and expressed her wish to come back for a visit in the future. 

At the Sky Garden, we were served some refreshments ....

Japanese-inspired rice rolls

Chicken canape

 Shrimp cocktail with sliced lemon

Seafood cocktail in a glass 

Loved this concotion of shrimps and mussels ... in a creamy dressing. Pleasant to the eye too.  

Chicken boxing & calamari rings

A bit thick on the batter and also a bit bland. So I had them served with a dollop of tartare sauce.

We tucked in all those goodies as we relaxed and watched the sun set slowly over this coastal city of Miri .... 

And this was bliss!!

You Made My Day

I was carrying 4 bags. Really. A laptop bag, a bagful of files, a bag of water bottles, and my handbag. I dragged my feet slowly to the office, where I had to check in for work for the day. As I reached the office entrance, a student smiled at me and graciously opened the door for me.

"Thank you," I said, grateful.

"You're welcome, teacher," he replied.

 He made my day.

***

After recess, I saw a group of my students working together in the hall ... in preparation for the teachers' day steamboat lunch celebration. They carried the furniture and arranged them around the hall. They prepared crockery and cutlery, and set the tables. They helped the canteen operator to wash the vegetables, the mushrooms and to prepare many of the other ingredients. They took the task really seriously, worked together as one big family.

The table .... properly set up

I watched them, and I felt really proud to have them as students. You see, they had just enrolled as Pre-university students at the school. They were in school for barely one week. Yet, they could collaborate so well, the effort that they put in doing every task was truly praiseworthy.

Later, during lunch, they also did a great job serving the teachers. They made my day - every single one of them.

Steamboat

***

Throughout the day too, students make an effort to wish us teachers. Whether I teach them or not, they make it a point to stop and greet me. That's really heartwarming and these students too, made my day. 

***

Some students present us teachers with material gifts. There is always a mug or a container every year ... and also some ornamental items, red pens, and hand-written cards. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. You made my day too.

***

Then, there are former students who too make  it a point to wish us via text messages or the social media. Some even drop by the school for a visit, and bringing with them a cake or two. These students definitely made my day. 

A beautiful cake ... 

***

I find myself smiling as I drive home from work that day. Thank you for making this teachers' day special and unforgettable. 

Happy Teachers' Day 2013

16th May 2013. 

It's Teachers' Day again,  

And I just want to wish all fellow educators,
a great day. 

A red pen from the students ... so necessary to mark the stack of essays ...

Borneo Jazz Festival 2013 : The Food

There were booths being set up at the venue to provide guests with food and drinks. They were pretty strict on not allowing outside food to the venue. I suppose they must have had nasty experiences in the past with it.

On the first night, the security detail at the entrance demanded to check my tote bag.

"Check bag dulu ... ," the lady in uniform said. Let me check your bag first.

I obliged. They were after all four of them there ... and they could manhandle me anytime. ;P 

"No outside food," they explained to me.  

I merely opened my bag and received an approval. "OK," I was told and was allowed into the venue. 

"Don't check my bag again ok," I pleaded. "I'm going to be walking in and out later ... " I informed them. And well .... they did not check me after that. ;P 

***

Well, if the organisers don't allow people to bring in food or drinks from outside, then they very well have to make sure that they provide aplenty. I must say that I was rather disappointed with the food mart, as they lacked in variety and authenticity. Where was the kolo mee, for example? How can one come to Sarawak and going home without eating kolo mee? Or how about selling ayam pansuh? Or umai? Or lemang? Or local kuih-muih? 

Well, to be fair, at least there was attempt to provide local fare. Kuching laksa was available. So was fruit rojak, nasi lemak, nasi goreng kampung, satay, Nyonya curry mee, Penang laksa, char kueh tiaw, teh tarik. It was just that the presentation wasn't that great ... and did not tempt me to try or to buy. For those who prefer non-local food, there were fajitas, shawarmas, hot dogs, croissants, sandwiches, cupcakes .... 

The food stalls

 Nasi lemak .... and cupcakes and tidbits ... and corn on cob in the yonder ...

 Kajang satay

 Shawarma in the making .... roasting the meat

The ice-cream booth ... 

Fajitas on the grill ... RM10.00 each

On the first night, I ate a Bratwurst sausage on a bun ... 

My hot dog ... complete with onion relish, mayo and mustard 

It cost me RM10.00, and tasted alright - not great but edible, at least. It filled me up to the max, surprisingly.  My friend was rather annoyed that they did not serve according to the receipt number ... they must have got the orders messed up.  We ended up waiting a bit for our food. 

On the second night, I had Char Kueh Tiaw or Stir-fried flat rice noodle.... 

Char Kueh Tiaw, RM8.00

Eaten while hot, the noodle was moist and rather palatable. I finished the whole packet! 

Hmn .... I would say ...sigh .... overall a very boring food scene that needs to be jazzed up to match the great ambience and the oustanding music.