Dark Vader by Bert's Jr. Gourmet Burgers

If you happen to be a burger person and happen to be around Kota D'sara, do check out this place - Bert's Jr. Gourmet Burgers.

Yep, name's a mouthful.  Let's just call it BErt's for simplicity sake.

I thought I've had enough new burger joints.  Seems like everyone is starting their own version in different hoods from Setapak, Sentul, Ara D'sara, Subang, Bangsar, etc, hoping to ride on the craze set by the infamous myBurgerlab.

I don't really go around to try all the outlets but I do pay attention to blogs and comments on the social networks like 4sq or facebook pages.

So far I've only took the trouble to try The Grind, Burger Junkyard, Fatboy and for some peculiar reasons myBurgerlab remains as my personal fav. Second placing - The Grind, mainly for Black Dog and better seating and dining environment.

For some peculiar reason, one day I decided to go try Bert's. It was lunch time on a weekday. It was an extremely hot day.  We wanted somewhere air conditioned and we were quite hungry.  So, I suggested to have some good burgers.   It was either Grind or Bert's, mainly because of their location.  My lunch companion say let's try a new one since I've tried Grind.


We were the only customers.  I mus say we were quite brave to walk in despite the store being empty.  Thanks to a positive blog review that I read earlier.  So, be nice to bloggers!  In fact be nice to all your customers cos what we say and write about you C O U N T S.


Bert's running an opening promo:

Pic from https://www.facebook.com/bertsjr

I took the Dark Vader.  Can't remember description and can't find any in their FB site.  Sorry.

But, it's beef, very very juicy and tasty I must say.

I agree with the the previous blogger who described Bert's burger are more towards street burgers.  Compared to myBurgerlab, despite the similarity in looks (charcoal bun and all), I must say that the taste is totally different.  It did get quite messy towards the end due to the juice and/or oiliness.  It wasn't a pretty sight :P

I don't mind coming back again.  At least I get proper seating here, and I can eat in peace, but be prepared to feel terribly guilty post-meal. Make sure you have a work out plan the next day :)

I'm eyeing the New York Hot Dog next.

My friend took the Baa Baa Black Sheep, see below.

Ya..looks the same..but as she said..it's lamb, we don't get lamb often..so it was a good change. She liked it.

Do check them out at https://www.facebook.com/bertsjr

Wonderful Day

What a wonderful day.

Phoebe look-alike (re:previous post) reunited with its owner.  I'm so happy for them.

It rained! After 2.5 weeks of extremely hot weather coupled with extremely hazy last few days, it rained today.

I'm breathing relatively clean and cool air right now.  It was so nice that I wind down my car window to embrace the fresh air.

The Haze is a reminder from someone up there to appreciate Mother Nature and Nature's Wonder.      Let's remember not to take good clean air, bright sunny days and cool rain water for granted.  Let's remember to switch off our air conditioners more often and come out and embrace the good nature.

The authorities have not declare that it's over.  Readings still show the presence of haze in most areas.  I believe I'll wake up breathing haze again in the morning.

But..

Lost Dog - Cocker Spaniel - found near One Utama

I'm refraining from talking about what everyone's complaining about - THE HAZE - although I really feel like it's killing me inside out.  Let's just hope that the wind, rain, God, and or Ministers, anyone, anything will do something and blow everything away very soon.

While waiting..here's a pretty lost dog.

A good samaritan at Wheatz & Grainz rescued it from being run over by cars along the LDP near One Utama on Saturday, 22 June 2013.

It should be a Cocker Spaniel.  According to a pet groomer who is temporary caring for her now, she is in good condition, well groomed and cleaned.  Should have a responsible owner who is missing her badly now.

Picture by Wheatz & Grainz

Please help to share this out.  I do sincerely hope that we can reach the owner soon.
She reminds me of my late dog Phoebe, my heart jumped a beat when I saw the post in FB.
While I'm not really ready to take in another Cocker Spaniel after Phoebe's departure....I think I may not be able to resist taking this one in..if the owner doesn't turn up.  So..owner..wherever you are..please turn up!

Here's another picture posted today by Puppy Cottage - where she is being cared for now.

So..

1. please help to share this out
2. leave me a message if you're the owner
3. or..just get in touch with Puppy Cottage or Wheatz and Grainz both located at TTDI



Puppy Cottage
38, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, TTDI
03-7728 7299
https://www.facebook.com/puppycottage


Wheatz & Grainz
46, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14, TTDI
03-7732 7981

https://www.facebook.com/wheatzngrainz

New shoes!

Those who know me well enough will know that I spend more time and money on sports shoes than anything else (apart from food and coffee).

I've been looking out for a long time for a good pair to replace the blue Nike Eclipse that I bought in 2011 in Vietnam, which I use mainly for casual wear.  Nike Eclipse wasn't meant for sports.

It wasn't an urgent replacement, so I took my own sweet time.  I was eyeing the Skechers Go Run   that I fell in love with when it was first launched.  It was original priced over RM300!   I waited and waited, it's now at RM299.. I'm still reluctant :P

Then, I thought I spotted something I like from Adidas Originals...again it was over RM300, somehow I'm not that willing to spend so much on a casual shoe.

I rather spend more on proper running/training shoes.like these..can you guess which one I chose?

http://sneakerreport.com

So..anyway, I was saying that I was in no hurry.  Until I saw this!

1. It's pink
2. It's cool
3. It's a brand new version (W730 version 3)
4. There's a 20% disc with a StanChart card
5. It's only about RM200+





And, and, it's not just a casual wear.  If my feet are up to it (less cushioning relatively), I can use it at the gym or running.  While it doesn't really belong to the minimal (barefoot) category, it's designed to be lightweight and flexible.  A word of caution from a very knowledgeable sales rep at the NB store, only use this for high impact workout like running or cardio exercises if you have relatively strong leg muscles, i.e if you're not a regular or a starter, not recommended to start with this as this doesn't provide sufficient cushioning and support.

As you may have read, I do have some problems with ankles, etc. Hence, I had second thoughts about using this for running.  I tested it on Bodycombat though as I found grip of the running shoes were a bit too strong and disrupts some of the footwork during class.

Verdict..hmm..not too bad actually.  I love the lightness and flexibility but I miss the 'safety' and 'comfort' of the running shoes.  Still not too sure for now.

Do you like it?

BODYCOMBAT 56

How time flies, we've hit June.  Where did the last six months went to I have no idea.

The gym just launched the latest releases for the new quarter.
My favourite program, Bodycombat's is themed "Fast & Furious".

Check out the intro video here and multiply the intensity that you feel from this 1:07 minutes video by 50. 100 may be.




While the theme this time is Fast & Furious but the impression I got after doing it five times is  - it's really quite lengthy.  Warm up itself was about 8 mins.  Shortest track will be 4+ minutes.  Like I said imagine doing as per the above video for 55 mins non stop.

And there're so many moves within each track.  A very serious and effective work out for agility, strength, all in one.


I won't say much about it, actually I just wanna share this video, don;t you think it is cool?
I believe, most regular 'combaters' expected each new release to get tougher each time.  But what's amazing is...it always seemed tough and difficult at the beginning but if we don't give up, after one or two sessions..it actually gets easier!

Kampar again

I was in Kampar again.  It's been quite some time since anyone took my dad back to his home town, I've been thinking about dong it for some time.

Decided to just do it last Saturday.

So, I drove 160km for almost 3 hours.  It was a public holiday and the school's mid term break, so there highway was very busy.

Almost arriving, my dad gleefully said that he wants his Kampar Ice Coffee :D

So, that's the first thing we did.  Local Ice Coffee with some economy fried noodles, yam cake and a type of kuih.

Then we walked to the other stalls to see what else is there to eat.

He spotted some pau..being an 'experienced' man..with one look he can tell if the food is good, apparently..so he bought some pau.

We sat down at one of the busiest spot and ordered a bowl of ABC (Air Batu Campur i.e Shaved Ice with Mixed Ingredients - I believe this is a Malaysian specialty)

I ordered the infamous Kampar Noodle with additional ingredients.

Nothing to shout about for the noodles..but the ingredients are so so good.  Cannot ever find the same taste in KL town.

Dad's paus were very good too.   He bought another 4 to take home :)


The weather was very hot, we were full and the roads are too congested for us to travel further to Ipoh. So, we decided to head home.

Ya, quite crazy to drive all the way just to eat.

I was hoping to get to a waterfall that I saw on foursquare but the road was too narrow to drive in. Too bad.


So..it was all the way home.  It was quite tiring..and the hot sun really made it quite difficult to stay awake.  I actually dozed off once for a good few seconds.  Very dangerous indeed.


Well, it may sound like a waste of time, petrol and toll charges..but I think it's worth it.

Riverside Janda Baik

Nowadays, we (kids and adults) are so caught up with our modern way of living.  On longer holidays we spend on  more luxury vacations overseas or resorts out of town.  On normal weekends, most parents bring their kids to shopping malls and restaurants as  weekend activities.  On normal days, smart phones, computers, cable tv are our daily entertainment.  Some urban kids don't even get to go out and play with neighbours due to security issues.

Gone are the days where kids get to climb trees, catch insects, swim by the river etc etc.

I didn't get to do those too as I grew up in a flat, but I had my fair share of creative indoor games and activities in the absence of digital entertainment.

What do you do with your kids now in this era?

Kidszania, Universal Studios in SG, Disneyland in HK, Legoland in Johor are some of the many popular spots.

We stumbled upon Riverside Janda Baik.  Only about an hour from the city.  A quick hide away from the urban 'sickness'.  Here..kids and adults will get a detox from our addiction from the internet, Tv series, etc.

The mind automatically slows down and relaxes to the natural environment and of course the soothing sounds of water flowing, birds singing, etc.

(Well, there will be bugs and mosquitoes..bring some insect repellent!)

 You can opt for just a half day picnic by the river or stay overnight.  There are several types of facilities and pondok for rent at very reasonable prices.  Bamboo pondok, cement pondok, elevated pondok, kampung style chalet, semi-D chalet, camps..all available for rent.

Go here or here for more information.

We chir chatted with a family who rented 2 chalets and an elevated pondok.  They were very well equipped..brought lunch, and will have barbeque in the evening!

We also saw some kids having fun floating on tubes along the river.

Here's one of ours having fun in the water.  Soon he was all over the water catching water spiders.  Full two hours..no mention of "what do I do without the computer/Ipad/Iphone"!

We only brought some sandwiches and snacks for a short picnic.  They charged us RM20 for using one of the pondok, fair enough.  We asked the neighbour for a mosquito coil, there were quite a lot of them.

Quite stressful for the adults watching over the kids..but it's worth it I guess.


May be we can go back for BBQ night?

Village Life - after 3 months

I started playing Village Life in February.

As with all games the main objective is to level up as you progress.

For this game, the way to level up is by keeping the villages happy, and they will play with the various games hence producing Happiness points to the Happiness Shrine.  Once the shrine is full, we go up by a level and will be rewarded with one key and some gems.

Keys and gems allow us to unlock more items for the village.  We can also opt to purchase gems using real money in USD, not sure who will want to spend real money on a game.

The problem with this game is that the progress is way too slow.  It's the way the program the game, the villagers are not easily satisfied.  The reward system of 1 key and 20 gems per level are not enough to satisfied the demands of the villagers.

After a while it became such a bore, I just couldn't be bothered,,I just give whatever resources I have regardless of whether they are happy or not.  In fact , I nearly quit, if not for my sis and her hubby who are still in the game.  And they are doing well..my b-i-l applied some kind of strategy and it seemed to work. I didn't bother to understand further.

Anyway..my perseverance brought reward today.  Or may be the programmers changed their settings :D

My villagers are suddenly very happy today and started participating in all kinds of games and entertainment that I've 'worked' hard to build for them :D 

They were dancing away...

Dirty Dancing

Playing 'nude painting'..

Naughty Painting

Even the old folks are enjoying themselves!

Even the old folks wanna do Dirty Dancing!

Now..if they go on like this, I'll have another set of problems. I don't have anyone to do the work! Cos if I assign them tasks while they're having fun..I don't get happiness points.

Haha.