TiPsy Brew O' coffee

We stumbled upon this place by accident.  It was post Salomon run, after dim sum lunch in Puchong, as usual we wanted coffee. Good coffee.  We've been spoiled by Espressolab, you see.

Chris suggested we go checkout SetiaWalk, however, we weren't sure if there are any good coffee place in there.

Tipsy Brew was the first cafe that we came across actually.  It looked comfortable, we smelled good and strong coffee aroma.  Normal consumers would have walked in straight.

But we can be quite an abnormal lot.


I checked Foursquare for tips under Tipsy Brew..(only found one).  Also checked Forusquare for other cafes in the area.  Found a few others, many choices.  Nice place this SetiaWalk.


My Iphone was running very low on battery, I joked that we should choose the one that offers Iphone charging haha.

We walked around..passed each and every eatery and cafe.

In the end, Chris decided tat we should pick Tipsy Brew.  And so we went.



We made the right choice.

Firstly, the waitress found me a charger . Lol.

Secondly, coffee was good.  Better than good, if you ask me.

Environment was very good too.

And lastly..what ticked our hearts..:

SO INCREDIBLY CUTE!

TiPsy Brew o'coffee
C-07-G, Setia Walk (Persiaran Wawasan), Puchong

Tesco wrap vs. Daiso wrap

Can you guess which is which?

Anyway, I don't think we should use wraps.  Will try with clear plastic wrappers instead.

More about the MADE Charity Sale

Find us on Facebook

As mentioned on previous post (HERE) all proceeds from the sale will go to the Kindergarten Project in Paitan, Sabah.

In Paitan, six hours away from Kota Kinabalu, villagers live under the barest of conditions; often having to rely on rainwater for their daily water supply and surviving on one basic meal a day.  The remoteness of location makes their stories and plight unheard of by most urban dwellers.  The journey to Paitan, accessible only by four-wheel drive or on a small boat on the crocodile-infested river, is a grueling and often life-threatening one. 

It is this very journey that Franciscan nun, Sister Dorothy Laudi has been making since 2005.   

She goes back and forth from the big cities into the interiors of Sabah, hoping to minister comfort and care to the poor.   Sister Dorothy soon realized that one of the greatest challenges in these remote villages was the lack of early education for the children.  What started as a small desire to gather and teach children has resulted, in an amazing outreach of seven kindergartens serving over 170 children, seven years on.

“The needs are many, and the work is sometimes exhausting”, she says, “but I will struggle on”. 

MADE was deeply moved by Sister Dorothy’s work with the community in Paitan. This year’s MADE fundraising project will benefit the 7 kindergartens and their growing needs.  It is a small gesture to support Sister Dorothy as she “struggles on” in her good fight to educate those who have no access to an education.   

We are now in the midst of collecting as much goodies as possible for the sale. I have in hand some books, soft toys,  etc.

I gave these cuties a bath recently, bought some cling wrap from a hypermarket and was supposed to wrap each one up nicely for the sale.

Take a look....

Compared that with what the other MADE member did..

=.="

Salomon X-Trail

I skipped the Taiping run last week.  It was a good decision.  Although I did "ok" in KOTR 10KM, that didn't mean I can go on to run a half marathon the following week. Legs are really not doing well at all these days.  Plus..I didn't see any interesting announcements, write ups, blog entries about the upcoming or even previous year's events.

So..we decided to skip it.

Next up..the Salomon X-Trail this coming Sunday!

The tee is a bit large though..not the fitting type : /

But color, material and design is good quality.

Why is it called X-Trail?

This event offers participants a challenging competition where runners are to run on a trail. Thus, this requires runners to go through muddy, wet grass, grime, sweat and finally, some fresh air, when they complete the challenge. This is also an opportunity for participants to enjoy an Outdoor Sports event, they are doing their part in promoting Green running. These platforms serve as alternatives to running on the road...http://www.mens-health.com.my/2012/09/24/salomon-x-trail-run-2012/

Don't worry, I only signed up for 10km.  

Stay tuned for updates :)

2012 Charity Sale by M.A.D.E

Make A Difference Every Day (M.A.D.E) started out with a small band of friends hoping to make a difference in the life of a friend who's son has been diagnosed with a variant of Dandy Walker Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.

M.A.D.E was a way to remind ourselves that sometimes the world that we all want to change is right next to us – in a neighbour, a friend, a little child.

The first charity sale held in November 2009 raised RM3,221.

Details of funds disbursement as follows:
(Source: M.A.D.E Facebook Page)

Recipient 1: John-Paul

Amount: RM 110.90;   Description: feeding equipment

Amount: RM 20.00;     Description: Feeding bibs  

Amount: RM 92.00      Description: Feeding Cup

Amount: RM 508.10    Decription: Part-sponsor for John's Paul commode

Amount: RM 25.00      Description: 1 suction bowl.

Payment to Jeyam Jacob, Occupational Therapist

Recipient 2: Othneil Ryan

Amount: RM1,505.00 Description: Othneil Ryan's School fees;  

Payment to: Fungates Superflow Foundation  

Recipien 3: Sena

Amount: RM480.00; Description: Sena's special education fees for the months of Jan - April;

Amount: RM480.00; Description: Sena's special education fees for the months of May - Aug

Payment to: Special Education teacher, Julia Louis

 Total Amount Disbursed : RM3,221.00

M.A.D.E will be having another Charity Sale on the 27 October 2012.
(I will remind you again when the time is near)

All proceeds will go to the Kindergarten Project in Paitan, Sabah. 
Read more : HERE

Take us home..

Lanterns!

No matter what era we are in, I'd always go for traditional lanterns but even those have become more and more expensive.

These little ones are now RM7.80 each.

Little Transformer is more expensive at RM12.80

And guess what..kids are not that interested in carrying them around...they are more interested in the little fire   from the little candles :D

Selling too Hard

Recently, I wrote an email to a shoe brand site asking for some advice about the suitability of the shoe that I'm using both for indoor gym cardio work and outdoor running.

Reply came promptly within the same day:


Thank you for your interest in xxxx!

Flat feet does not necessarily mean that the Model X is the correct model for you. If your foot does not pronate, perhaps the Model Y or Model Z is more suitable for you.

Model Y retails at RM529, and Model Z retails at RM459. In conjunction with this month's ABC campaign, we can give you a RM150 rebate. You can have the Y for RM379, or the Z for RM309. Delivery is free! Valid only for online purchases from xxx.

Payment can be made to A Bank. Upon confirmation of payment, the shoes will reach you within the next working day.

May we have your US size, contact number and delivery address please?



Do let us know how we can help you further.

What do you think?

I wasn't impressed.

U.S.P

I've written about myBurgerLab - HERE after my very first visit where I tried the Beautiful Mess.

Beautiful Mess - beef patty, fried Portabello mushroom, sunny side-up and mozzarella cheese 

I went back again recently and we tried the Jam with Elvis and The Seattle.

Jam with Elvis -  beef patty, blueberry and peanut butter jam, cheese and caramelized onions 

I never thought that Blueberry Jam and Peanut Butter will go so well with a savoury beef patty and cheese.

I'm kind of allegic to peanut butter or anything with nuts now but..this is way too hard to resist!

The Seattle -  cheddar melted beef patty, espresso spiked umami mayo and a sunny side-up 

The Seattle is also something very unique. Couldn't really taste the espresso but it was still very yummy.  However, with Felicia and her Jam with Elvis on the opposite..comparatively, I think I'd prefer the Elvis.  Gastric or no..I'll take the Elvis in my next visit. 

We got there around 5.30pm, they open at 5pm.  Yes, kiasu we are! But the queue had already built up.  The seats were all taken up.  We finally got to order after queueing for about 15 mins, we were no.35, serving no.16 (around there).

We stood around observing the crowd and crew while eyeing potential seats.  We got our seats after about 10 mins and our burgers arrived shortly after. Not too bad after all.  

So..why the craze?  Such long wait..but why do people still come all the way despite the trouble?  How long will the craze last?

The Economist stated:

A unique selling proposition (USP) is a description of the qualities that are unique to a particular product or service and that differentiate it in a way which will make customers purchase it rather than its rivals.

I believe the creators of myBurgerLab had successfully (and worked real hard too) to come out with a few USPs.

• The unique charcoal buns
• The special names of the burgers
• The unique recipes and ingredients
• The limited serving hours from 5pm till stocks lasts

I'm not sure if the above are available elsewhere in town or in the world, but they are definitely something very new and fresh in the worlds of McD, A&W and KFC.  Heck..I won't even order any burger at Chilli's now.

Well done. 

Whether or not the momentum will sustain, we shall see.

Good Doc, Bad Doc

Dad had been having occasional dizzy spells lately.  Yesterday was quite serious, unfortunately I wasn't home till late evening.  I drove around the neighbourhood looking for a clinic, at least to check out the necessary eg blood pressure and all.  All preferred clinics were closed. It was  Sunday night.  Was relieved to find one opened.  I was skeptical...cos it wasn't one of our preferred, in fact never noticed it's existence.

But dad didn't protest nor asked to go home, meaning he really wants to see a doc.

When his turn finally came, I was still having reservations about how good the doc will be.

I told him the reason why we were there..and while putting on the arm band to check pressure, he was very quick to assure that there's really nothing to worry about.

"Dizzy spells are very common amongst old folks, his blood pressure's very good, heart sounds good, no worries at all"

"But he's still working and all, he rides a motorcycle, he's not worried but we are" I said.

Doc.."if dizzy don't ride motorcycle otherwise..just let him do what he can still do, don't stop him or else it will be very depressing for him"

"What about food, he doesn't eat much during day time, only one good meal at night" I said

"No worries..just let him be...trust me..he's probably in a better shape than you and I"

"So,uncle..everything good..don't worry, I'll give you some med for the dizziness, some vitamin, that's it"

I secretly liked what I hear from this doctor, I think my dad felt immediately better instantly, he didn't even bother to take the meds.  The other regular doctor would have gone on and on about stopping him from working..about how dangerous it is out there.


So, which is a better doctor?

KOTR 2012 MY Results

I was gonna blog about something heavy but then I got lazy, and this was posted by Adidas just at the right time :P

So..here goes..simple yet informative:

https://www.facebook.com/adidasmalaysia

Total participants: 9784
10KM: 5667
16.8KM: 4117

I'm was in the Women's Closed 10KM.

My results:
Chip Time: 1:25:31:36
Gun Time: 1:28:21:00
Ranking based on Gun Time: 618 of 2376

Ok lar..made it to the top  quarter :-))

EspressoLAB

My taste and expectations for coffee keeps going higher and higher mainly because there are more and more good cafe serving better coffee.  Thumbs up! 

My current no.1 choice : espressoLAB

Their main place is located at Solaris Dutamas but they only open on weekdays office hours plus it's not really a cafe, the setup looks more like for training and research although they do serve walk-ins and trust me..coffee is excellent!  Top class.

I've always complained about hanging out in Mid Valley / Gardens Mall cos I can't find any good coffee there.  Guess what!

EspressoLAB started a little outlet at Gardens - EspressoLAB@The Gardens

Every single time I'm there..day or late night..I couldn't resist a cuppa.

Even though it may mean sleepless nights.  A normal serving is given two shots of espresso but when it's late night I always ask for half shot..still I ended up wide awake till 3am.

That shows how good the espresso is isn't it?

KOTR 2012

It was a good run despite the awful stench from the Penchala river and air pollution from open burning from nearby industrial areas.  In fact, I don't remember breathing in any fresh air at all.

This year's route seemed more difficult though, quite a few slopes to climb, let's just say it didn't feel flat at all from start till end.  Oh..it was very hot too cos of the morning sun and we were on an elevated highway.

Altitude : KOTR 2012 10KM

Comparing with last year's 16.8KM route: the highest point was 46M vs. this year's 10KM was 58M.

Total climb in the 10KM was 372M vs. 68M last year.  Wow..that's a huge difference..not sure if that's the correct way to read it though..but that's what the Sportypal app says.

Altitude : KOTR 2011 16.8KM

Despite the climbs and the nagging injuries, I'd like to think that I did quite well :)  If not for the slopes I might have a PB :P

Here's a quick comparison below with my last run at PJ Dawn 12KM, KOTR's numbers in bracket.

Distance: 12.47km (vs. 11.33km)

Speed: 7.30 km/h (vs. 7.93 km/h)

Pace: 8.13 min/km (vs. 7.35 mins/km)

Conclusion?  Err..lets just say I'm getting closer to where I was before.  Speed and pace is not bad what..I was going at 6.79km.h at last year KOTR, the slowest run I ever did.

Here's an awesome pic of the runners on the highway:

Look carefully to the far end of the horizon, can you see the sea of runners heading up the highway, awesome isn't it?

And here's the medal for 2012..

Anything but Nike

I meant what I said.

Loved the Adidas but this one's cheaper. Looks nice on me too !

Wonder how it will go with this:

Anything but Nike.. new tagline ..ahem.

Nike : Marketing Hype

I ain't no marketing expert, I'm writing this from a viewpoint of a sports enthusiast, a casual runner, a consumer and of course an all time "hype-monkey".

A Hype-Monkey is defined as A person who quickly buys into and acts on media or marketing hype  by the Urban Dictionary.


Alright..here's what happened:

The largely popular and long awaited annual Nike We Run the City event for KL, Malaysia finally opened it's first day of online registration today at 9am after putting everyone on suspense for at least a month.  Me and many thousands of others eagerly logged on after 9am to register ourselves. I was supposed to register for five other persons..guess what..I couldn't even get myself in after an hour!

The comment stream on its Facebook post reached over a thousand comments by noon, 99% were complaints about not being able to get through the registration process.  Well, two of my friends managed to get through. So I kept trying on and off..but all I got was a blank page or black page, sometimes error message, sometimes it says registration is full.

At about 4pm, they announced that registration is CLOSED - https://www.facebook.com/NikeRunningMY
While I'm writing this, comments for that announcement reached 511 comments within an hour, again 99% were angry and frustrated participants who felt cheated by all the hype.

I don't blame them. I felt like a fool too.  I don't believe that 15,000 slots can be gone in an hour.  And how can a huge international brand like Nike have an oversight on not making sure the registration site doesn't get jam up?

Adidas didn't have problems.  SCKLM didn't have problems.  Energiser didn't have problems.  So did many other runs.

Was it done on purpose?  Was it all a marketing gimmick to create that Hard to Get effect?

In the first place, the whole programme was very much targeted to the younger group.  Under 25 year olds gets a cheaper rate.  Under 25 year olds gets to sign up in pairs at a even cheaper rate.  And there were rumours that says that manual registration begun way earlier in school and colleges.  And some also said that registration for the Under 25 category was smoother than the Above 25 category.

It's probably some marketing decision ..to go for the youngs.  To educate the youngs about sports and running. An of course..they have higher purchasing power..bla bla.

Well, good luck....

May be it's true that there are volume from the younger group.

But seriously, I think Nike just pissed off the entire running community.

Hmm..or may be they realised much earlier that serious mature runners won't spend on Nike?

When I started running no one recommended Nike.  In fact, even its own in-store promoters were not trained to give me proper advice on which model to get (I have complicated feet).  So I never bought a Nike for serious workout.

However, being a hype-monkey, I'm still very much a Nike fan.  My gym bag, my walking shoe, my wrist band, my cap, my socks my sports bras are all Nike.

And I just declared openly in Facebook that I'm not buying anymore Nike.

Hmm....now I need a new cap for this Sunday's Adidas run!

Malacca again

The last time I went to Malacca was back in July 2007 with PPL.  We were on a quest for food, food nothing but food.  Armed with a list of recommendations from a trusted Malaccan, a map and my old faithful Kia Spectra, we trooped the town and ate from start till end.

Click HERE  to read about it.

Yesterday, 5 years later, 5 years older, I attempted to do the same with Chris.

I lost the original list that we had in 2007, so we only had the blog entry as reference. Mindset was a little different this time though.  We were not that keen to try all the food. We were more into having a relaxing and short getaway for the day but food is still on the main agenda.

Five years had changed us in many ways.  Let's just say we are more mellow now :)

We left town around close to 10am, arrived in Malacca around 12 plus.  Just in time for brunch!

In this era, we don't need the printed map.  I switched on my Waze application and searched for 85, Jonker Street - to look for the Wan Ton Mee that I've been missing since 2007.

Malacca Style Wan Ton Mee @ 85, Jonker Street

After the yummy meal, we took a little walk at Jonker, had ice cream, the old way, got a sun tan, sweat like a pig...

Red Bean and Corn Flavour

We wanted to have Fried Radish Cake at Tengkera but I couldn't recall where exactly in Tengkera was it, after some time, we changed our mind and went straight to the Dataran Pahlawan area for something more filling.  It's LUNCH.

We had 24 sticks of satay. A mixture of pork meat, intestines, chicken gizzards..somehow, this time I prefer the intestines and gizzards.  Hmm..like I said, time and age change us in some ways or other.

They're out of this world.  You won't wanna eat other satay after having these.

Ming Sate Hut @ Jalan PM 4

Next to Ming Sate, there is something that I've missed for 5 years too.

The best Mille Crepes Ever!

The best Mille Crepes @ Nadeje, Jalam PM4

The first one we had was the original version..it was soooooo creamy and nice.

The we ordered another one..Tiramisu flavour...sooooo gooood.

We almost had another one.

It was such a wonderful afternoon...great yummy dessert with coffee and tea.

We sat there till evening..past 5pm.

We took a stroll at a mall nearby, and then decided that we couldn't eat anything else at least for another two hours.  

We decided to head back to KL.

So...we drove about 140 kilometres to have lunch and tea.

Meals cost us about RM50 roughly.  

Petrol and highway toll charges was close to RM100.

LOL~

But we had a good time and we may do it again :P

Girl Fight

Lady was yelling (may be even vulgars) on top of her lungs.
Man in the car.
Girl tried to hit man.. Man striked her on the face/head...

Girl fell on floor...walked off..then changed her mind and came back..tried to hit again.
Man caught her arms..and twisted her arms..she cried loudly..

the argument went on for a while.. I stopped looking.


No matter what..a man shouldn't hit a lady...I believe.