Canon EOS 550D vs. Nikon D3100

Have you ever wondered how others take beautiful, awe-inspiring photos, be it a beautiful landscape or lifelike portraits? Surely, a slr camera is a must-have to express your hidden creativity. As the price of dslr cameras has gone down over the years, more and more people are able to afford these cameras to capture the precious moments of their life, they are no longer just the bread and butter of professional photographers. Investing in a good basic dslr camera will allow me to take better pictures especially when I am travelling, and will probably assist me in my blog venture too!

Canon EOS 550D and Nikon D3100 are entry level cameras for their respective brands. After reading through all the information and comparisons between the two on the internet, till my head started to spin, I went to Canon Concept Store and Harvey Norman in Sunway Pyramid to see, touch and feel the real thing.

Canon is priced at around RM3000, whereas Nikon is much cheaper at RM2000+. That’s about RM1000 of difference! According to web sources, these 2 cameras are neck and neck in terms of performance. The salespersons highlighted that the colour of the photos taken by these cameras are different, you will have to see for yourself to decide which one is to your liking.

So why is Nikon so much cheaper? The answer is Canon is made in Japan, whereas Nikon is made in Thailand. The material used for Canon might be of better quality, so perhaps more durable than Nikon. Another obvious difference is the LCD display for Canon is clearer. Canon is also slightly lighter in weight. After considering the price and quality of each camera, I have found myself a winner.

Ta-da! The Canon EOS 550D.

I chose Canon for its better LCD display and also lighter weight, very important when travelling. In my opinion, if you are looking for something more economical or to test the waters, Nikon will be a better choice, it has a nicer shutter button too. I purchased mine from Canon Concept Store and got a bag, a 4Gb memory card and a tripod for free.

When I got home, I immediately charged the battery for 5 hours and was later playing with the camera like a kid with a new toy, except this is so much more complicated and delicate and expensive.

Canon EOS Academy organizes photography workshop to guide Canon dslr camera owners, check out their website for workshop details.

Canon Concept Store
LG 2.30, Lower Ground 2, Sunway Pyramid,
No. 3, Jalan PJS 11/15,
46150 Bandar Sunway.

Tel: 603-5633 1818
Fax: 603-5633 1313
Business Hours: 10am to 10pm

Harvey Norman Sunway Pyramid
LG2.140 Lower Ground 2, Sunway Pyramid.

Luk Yu Tea House @ Starhill Gallery

OVERALL: 3 /5

Food: **

Price: **

Service: ***

Ambience: ****

Cuisine: Chinese

"爺爺泡的茶 有一種味道叫做家
 陸羽泡的茶 聽說名和利都不拿 ..."

As I passed by Luk Yu Tea House（陆羽茶馆）next to Shook Restuarant, I couldn't help singing Jay Chou's "Grandpa's Tea", " 爺爺泡的茶有一種味道叫做家, ohh...." Yeah, it's addictive. Mesmerized by the beautiful lattice walls of the chinese restaurant, we found ourselves flipping though the dim sum menu minutes later.

Initially we wanted to dine at Shook, but they were having the " Watch of the Year" award ceremony which was attended by popular figures like Tan Sri Dr Francis Yeoh, Datuk Jimmy Choo and Dr Ng Yen Yen, and Australian singer, Delta Goodrem was there to perform.

We could watch the chefs working wonders in the open kitchen, while waiting eagerly for our dim sums.

Appetiser

Appetiser was on the house, not sure what it was, too salty and oily for my taste, nevertheless good in stimulating our appetite.



Carrot Cake



Xiao Long Pau

Overall, I find the food ok but mediocre, hence not quite worth the "starhill price". Personally, I feel that the restaurant is more for customers who enjoy dining at restaurants with  fancy decorations and are not so particular with the food.

Luk Yu Tea House

Starhill Gallery 181,

Jalan Bukit Bintang,

55100 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 603 2782 3850

Fax: 603 2782 3818

Opening hours :
Mon.- Sat: 12:00pm - 1:00am
Sun & Public Holidays : 10:00am - 1:00am



Year Planner 2011/2012

Christmas is coming again, we could all feel the holiday mood and joy in the air. As we celebrate the end of this year, a brand new year is about to begin.

Have you thought about what you want to do next year? Have you ever thought about your goals in life?

Perhaps it's time to do some deep pondering about life, perhaps the time to worry has yet to come, or never for some. But certainly a little planning for the near future can only be beneficial for all of us, even more so for those who like to follow a well organised schedule.

I have created yearly planners for 2011 and 2012 in Excel (with public holidays in Malaysia highlighted in colours), feel free to download them from the links below! 

2011 YEAR PLANNER

2012 YEAR PLANNER

I have also uploaded the original templates (without Malaysia holidays) on Microsoft Office.

Canton-i 香港粥面家 @ ION Orchard, Singapore

OVERALL: 3 /5

Food: ***

Price: **

Service: ***

Ambience: ***

Cuisine: Chinese

"Canton-i - Truly Hong Kong"

As highlighted by the restaurant's theme, Canton-i restaurant serves authentic Hong Kong cuisine. Canton-i is in fact under the same management as Dragon-i which has gained popularity since its first opening in Mid Vallery Megamall. Both chain restaurants have been widely expanding throughout Malaysia and I was surprised to find it in the relatively new ION Ochard mall. Having tried Canton-i in Sunway Pyramid, I walked in for dim sum as I was curious to see how it compares.

The decor was very much similar to the one in Malaysia with traditional chinese style furnitures and cute little pinkish and orangy lanterns hanging from the ceiling. Overall, it had a very refreshing bright pink and white theme. The only complain I had was that the table setting was too close to one another, I felt a little suffocated, because like the one in Malaysia, the place was just busy, busy, busy......

Winter Melon, Longan with Sea Coconut, 冬瓜龙眼海底椰 $4.00

Pork Congee with Preserved Egg, 皮蛋瘦肉粥 $7.80

Steamed Egg Yam Custard Bun, 香芋流沙奶皇包 $5.50



Pan Fried Prawn & Vegetable Dumpling, 米网煎锅贴 $5.50

Like the little white net behind, very crispy too.

Fried Carot Cake with XO Sauce XO酱炒萝卜糕 $9.80

 Not bad, I have always been a fan of XO sauce, and this is worth trying.

Double-boiled Hasma with Red Date & Lotus Seed 莲子红枣炖雪蛤 $8.00

And $1.00 for wet towel which cost the same as Malaysia's except for different currency haha... Food was good and standard to my taste. Service was decent and quite efficient, considering the place was so full. It would be a good place to have a casual lunch or dinner if not because of the price. The expensive price tag somehow discourage me to look forward to my next visit, and the taste was not distinctive enough to lure me back.

Visit this place if you don't want to feel left out since it has become the talk of the town, but don't put too much hope.
   
Canton-i
2  Orchard Turn
#03-14 ION Orchard
Singapore.

Tel: (+605) 6509 8368
Opening Hours: 11am - 10pm (Mon - Fri), 10.30am - 10pm (Sat - Sun)
Website: http://www.canton-i.com/

Kampachi @ Pavilion Kuala Lumpur

OVERALL: ****

Food: ****
Price: ***
Ambience: ****
Service: ***

"Exquisite Japanese cuisine from Ginza trained culinary masters presented as an art form. For the first time in Kuala Lumpur, handmade soba noodles are made fresh at the restaurant daily. Savour the best of Japanese food here in Kampachi!" - Pavillion KL website

Kampachi is a fine dining japanese restaurant located on the sixth floor of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, where all the other fine dining restaurants are. I assumed that it must be good since it was a saturday night and the restaurant was crowded with customers.

I ordered a salad with crsipy salmon skin. Although it looked simple, it definitely made into the list of my all time favourite salads. The salmon skin was fried just nice that you can hear the clear crispy sound as you chew, matched with a salad dressing which had a slightly sour taste and just simply divine! 

Sushi!

Feeling like including more fruits and vegetables into my diet (struggling to meet the recommended 5 a day portion of fruits and vegetables), I asked if the chef could fry me some mixed vegetables, and Taadaa!

The very famous fresh handmade sobas.

Desserts!

'Fried Ice Cream' caught my eye in the menu. I remember the last time I had it at another restaurant and love it so much that I fell into depression when I found out one day that they no longer serve it ahaha...... But, their version wasn't like what I expected. It had a thick crust wrapped around the ice cream in a ball, but the crust was soft... :( I miss scooping the ice cold ice cream with its hot and crispy crust and put them into my mouth together. It was a very exciting 'hot and cold' sensation that you don't get very often, although Katy Perry have had a few similar experience in her own ways.

As mentioned, this is a fine dining restaurant, the price at the higher side, but you will get what you pay for, Japanese food lovers would love it. 

Location:  Pavillion KL, Lot No. 6.09.00, Level 6

Tel. :        03-2148 9608
Website : http://www.kampachi.com.my/ or click here for Pavilion's website

O Cafe, Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya

OVERALL: ***

Food: ***
Price: ***
Ambience: ***
Service: **

The newly opened Empire Shopping Gallery, Subang Jaya located behind Subang Parade has already been swarmed with excited shoppers eager to explore the mall. When I passed by O Cafe on the lower ground floor, next to Pasta Zanmai, the place was quite empty with only a table occupied, whereas the restaurants around were all packed with customers. I decided to give the organic vegetarian restaurant a try anyways, thinking that maybe the concept is ‘too healthy’ for most people, we all had our fair share of horror experience in organic restaurants after all.

They claimed that they use fresh vegetables and no msg in their food. We ordered tom yam bee hoon (RM 11.90), crispy sesame mushroom (RM 7.90) and Jasmine Rose Tea in a pot (RM 8.90). To my delighted surprise, the tom yam soup was quite nice, not oily with a generous amount of veggies. If you like something crispy for a snack or side dish, you will certainly enjoy the crispy sesame mushroom. It is not too oily either even though it is deep fried, and served with dipping sauce and fresh salad, and I really mean FRESH.

Tom Yam Bee Hoon (RM 11.90)

Crispy Sesame Mushrom (RM 7.90)

Jamine Rose Tea (RM8.90)

This is definitely the place to go if you are looking for healthy organic food. The only unfavourable aspect is that the waiter was not knowledgeable about the restaurant's menu, he was not even sure if the food they serve is vegetarian, but I am going to give him a chance since the place is still very new. The lady manager came to help us out gave us good recommendations.

Most people will head to the restrooms after their meals. They will be very disappointed and disgusted to find that the toilet is extremely smelly and dirty for shopping mall standards. The management of Empire Shopping Gallery should really improve on the cleanliness.

Buka Puasa at Subak, Bukit Lanjan

OVERALL: **

Food: *

Price: *

Ambience: ****

Service: ***

I was invited to a buka puasa dinner at Subak, Bukit Lanjan. The restaurant is currently having a Ramadhan buffet. The restaurant was not easy to locate as it was quite isolated and the roads there were bumpy and hilly. However, I was delighted upon reaching the place. The restaurant had a tranquil and close to nature ambience as it was surrounded by lush greeneries with a man made pond in the middle. We could enjoy the scenery while dining al-fresco on the wooden deck. The only problem with dining outdoor was when it started drizzling and we had nowhere to go, as we came in a big group and the restaurant was already packed. Luckily, the weather got better after an hour.

Much to my disappointment, of all the buffets I had been to, it had the least variety of food and they did not taste very well either. The price was slightly above average and in my opinion, it was not worth the price. I cannot really judge on customer service as it was a buffet dinner.

If you enjoy nature, this is definitely the place to go. But remember to choose a day with good and cooling weather, because we were sweating profusely throughout that stuffy night. Perhaps the a la carte menu present better options to satisfy your palate.

Restaurant Address:
Subak
Lot 3213, Jalan Penchala Indah,
Bukit Lanjan 6000,
Kuala Lumpur.

Contact Details:
Tel: 603-7729 9030/31
Fax: 603-7729 9036
Email: info@subak.com.my

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun including public holidays: 11 am to 12 midnight +

Click here for their website with map and driving directions.

Baking Supplies Store

As mentioned in my previous post on April, there are 2 other brances of ICCA in PJ and Desa Sri Hartamas apart from the HQ in Kota Damansara. You can get cake decorating supplies as well as join one of the many classes or workshops available at all 3 centres. Below are the address and contact details from ICCA website, maps are available there.

Desa Sri Hartamas
Address: No. 8-2, 2nd Floor, Jalan 28/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603-2300 1869
Fax: +603-2300 1867
Operating Hours: (Mon to Fri) 10 am - 6 pm
                          (Sat) 10 am - 5pm
                          (Sun) Publich Holidays Closed

Section 14, Selangor
Address: 16-B, 1st & 2nd Floor, Jalan 14/20, Section 14, 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: +603-7960 0388
Fax: +603-7960 6833
Operating Hours: Same as Desa Sri Hartamas centre

If you live outside Kuala Lumpur and find these places too far away, you can try the following stores that are probably closer and more convenient for you, some are ICCA distributors according to ICCA's website, but they do not provide Wilton Method Courses:

Best Baking Solutions

(ICCA distributor)

Address: 57, Jalan USJ 8/2B, 47610 Subang Jaya, Selangor.

Tel: +603-5637 6637

Fax: +603-5637 6637

Email: info@bestbakingsolutions.com

Website: http://www.bestbakingsolutions.com/

(Provide basic bakeware and ingredients, price is cheaper than ICCA's. Also conduct baking classes, contact them for more information.)

BAGUS Baking Solutions HQ
(ICCA distributor)
Address: 52, Jalan Ragbi 13/30, Seksyen 13, 40100 Shah Alam, Selangor.
Tel: 03-5511 0688
Fax: 03-5511 0689
Email: enquiry@bagus.com.my
Website: http://www.bagus.com.my
(More branches on their website, provide comprehensive range of cake decorating and baking tools and ingredients, price is also cheaper compared to ICCA's. Check their website for class schedules.)

Bake with Yen
Address: No. 30 & 32, Persiaran Puteri Satu, Bandar Puteri, 47100 Puchong, Selangor.
              (Opposite GIANT Hypermarket, Bandar Puteri)
Tel: 03-8060 1828
Fax: 03-8061 0828
Email: bakewith@gmail.com
Website: http://www.bakewithyen.com/
(More branches on their website, their branch in Petaling Jaya was very much recommended by a friend of mine. Personally, I have not been there, hence I can't comment much on it. They too provide baking supplies as well as classes. Class schedules are available on their website)


Just a little advice on getting to ICCA centres. If you are planning to drive to the one in Section 14, please be warned that it is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT to find parking spaces there whether on weekdays or weekends, even the residential area nearby is congested with illegally parked cars. Thus, it will be easier if you can get someone to drop you off instead.

Some people think that the branch in Desa Sri Hartamas is isolated and hard to find, although I found it easily the first time I got there with a little help from my faithful servant - Google Map. If you are coming from Petaling Jaya through Sprint Highway, you should drive pass Bukit Kiara Equestrian Park and the National Science Centre until you reach a traffic light junction with a signboard showing 'Desa Sri Hartamas' on the left. Turn left and drive straight down the road and take the 3rd turning on your right (The 1st turning is where Balai Bomba & Penyelamat Sri Hartamas is located, the 2nd turning will take to you to the Korean restaurants area). Drive down the slope and take the 2nd turning on your right. You should be able to see ICCA signboard on the 2nd floor of the building in front of you now. If you know Malaysia International Ving Chun Kung Fu Federation HQ founded by Brandon Chan, ICCA centre is just beside it. There are usually plenty of parking spaces in front.

ICCA is circled in red

Staircase to ICCA on 2nd Floor

Singapore Trip

I was in Singapore for 4 days on April and the highlight of my trip was of course... drums rolling ... Universal Studio! Yes, I heard about the very unfortunate news about Battlestar Galactica, it has been closed temporarily due to technical problems and certain sections like Madagascar was not ready yet. However, I had been looking forward so much to visit the studio that I think would explode if I postponed my trip any longer. The only problem was I forgot to bring my camera... no.... I had to rely solely on my mobile phone.

I stayed at Studio M Hotel on Nanson road. Not to be confused with M Hotel on Anson Road, this is a new hotel which is about 15 minutes walking distance from Robertson Quay and Clarke Quay. My taxi driver was not even aware of the new hotel and almost took us to M Hotel! No doubt the design and decoration is very modern and edgy, but honestly it is not very practical. There is a shower and a toilet. The shower was overflowed with water each time I bathe and the toilet was really small. There was a beam above the bed and I knocked my head a few times while trying to get into my bed.  Ouch!

Universal Studio!!!

The price for 1-Day Pass is SGD 66.00 for adult (Age 13-64), SGD 48.00 for child (age 4-12) and SGD 32.00 for senior citizen (Age 65 and above). It is open from monday to sunday, 10am to 7pm.

Some famous characters on the streets...

\

The ticket prices is reallly expensive, but trust me, you do not want to miss the Revenge of The Mummy ride if you loooovvveeee...... thrill rides. Feel like packing your bags to Singapore already?

Bibimbap (Mixed Rice)

Bibimbap. Mmm.... delicious... one of my favourite Korean dishes ever! This very popular Korean dish is not only mouth-watering but also give you a healthy dose of vegetables. It is a bowl of white rice served with a variety of vegetables and meat, usually beef, with a fried egg in the middle. The ingredients are then stirred together and mixed with gochujang (hot pepper paste).

I recently found a WONDERFUL website about Korean cooking. The creator, a Korean lady who nicknamed herself maangchi has a great collection of recipes and videos there, which I find extremely helpful. Not to worry, everything on her website is in English including her videos. I decided to try out her recipe for Bibimbap. I used whatever ingredients that I could find in my refrigerator and eliminated the egg and beef to make it vegetarian. It was quite easy to make and the result was just YUMMY! However, I really should have cut the carrots thinner, I ended up frying them longer to soften the texture.

The original recipe is on Maangchi's website. Below is the recipe that I have adapted for myself (without beef, egg and kosari, and using mung bean sprout that is more widely available to substitute soybean sprout).

BIBIMBAP RECIPE - Mixed Rice with Vegetables (For 1 Serving)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked short grain rice
• A handful of mung bean sprouts
• A bunch of spinach
• 1/3 of zucchinis
• 3 shiitake mushrooms
• 1/3 of carrot
• 1 -2 cloves of garlic
• Soy sauce, sesame seeds and sesame oil
• Gochujang (hot pepper paste) or bibimbap sauce

Preparation:

1. Cook rice according to package instructions. (1/2 cup uncooked rice usually yields 1 - 1.5 cup of cooked rice)
2. Bean Sprouts - Rinse bean sprouts and cover with water in a pot. Add a pinch of salt and cook for 1 minute. Drain water and mix with some garlic, salt and sesame oil.
3. Spinach - Chop off the roots and boil spinach for a minute. Rinse with cold water and squeeze lightly. Mix with garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil.
4. Zucchinis - Cut 1/3 of zucchinis into thin strips. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Let sit for a few minutes before sauteing over high heat until translucent.
5. Shiitake mushrooms - Thinly slice mushrooms and saute with few drops of vegetable oil. Mix in soy sauce and a pinch of sugar. Add sesame oil just before removing from heat. 
6. Carrot - Cut 1/3 of carrot into thin strips and saute for a minute.
7. Arrange vegetables nicely on rice in a bowl and serve with bibimbap sauce.

I found this bibimbap sauce at a Korean grocery store in Desa Sri Hartamas. I forgot the name of the store, but it is somewhere beside Daorae Garden Korean BBQ restaurant. There is also another Korean grocery store nearby, within walking distance, called Lotte Mart. The address is:

Lotte Mart

26g, Jalan 25/70A,

50489 Sri Hartamas,

Kuala Lumpur. 

I am not sure about the difference between this and gochujang shown on Maanghi's website, but it taste good.

Ready to eat!

Try it out, you will certainly enjoy it!