Author: ajay

Thanks to Spanx for giving Pinoy foodies a heads-up on this piece of news:

Philippines’ Most Popular Fast-food Chain Lands in Queens. Via Grub Street.

500 overseas branches, and counting? Wow! This is just positive news, especially as we don’ t really see too many Filipino companies going global. I did see Pancake House International during my last visit to Malaysia. I had to blink twice. Kudos to these firms for expanding.

Photo shows a signage I saw in Jollibee Macapagal Avenue. I simply had to take a picture as I was amused, without knowing why. It wasn’t like any store signs I saw elsewhere. And mostly because Chicken Joy is just a joy when hunger strikes

Ngayong linggo sa Litratong Pinoy, ang pinag-uusapan ay bulaklak.

Kapag sinabi mong bulaklak eh wala akong maisip kundi ang magandang bouquet ng dilaw na calla lily na hawak ko nung kami ni WhizHeart ay kinasal kamakailan. Sobra akong nabighani sa bulaklak na ito kaya di ko sinunod ang tradisyon na itapon ito sa bouquet toss. Ganun na lang ang panunuksong inabot ko sa aking kabiyak at malapit na kaibigan. Selfish daw ako, hehe.

Ngayon ko lang naisip, nandun ang bulaklak sa bawat mahalagang bahagi ng buhay ng tao. Halimbawa na dito ang kasal, Valentine’s Day, pagkakasakit at pagkamatay. Ano ba ang ibig sabihin nito? Supposed to be nagbibigay tayo ng bulaklak para mapasaya ang isang tao. Bakit nga ba sa mga burol ay may bulaklak pa rin? Hindi naman siguro ito nagpapahiwatig ng kasayahan sa isang pangyayari. Ninanais lang ng nagbibigay ng bulaklak na sumaya ang mga nagdadalamhati.Ito’y sapagkat sa ating kalungkutan, nagbibigay ang bulaklak ng paalala ng kagandahan ng buhay.

P.S. Tutal pinag-uusapan na rin lang, this little space offers its condolences sa pamilyang naulila ng sampung taong bata na si Juan Carlo Miguel “Amiel Alcantara. Eto ang istorya. Hindi ko lubos maisip kung paano nangyari ang trahedyang ito. Ayokong magalit kasi Season of Lent na. Kailangang magpatawad at intindihin ang plano ng Diyos sa ating buhay. Kailangang mabuhay katulad ng isang bulaklak na umuusbong at punong-puno ng pag-asa. Nasa langit na si Amiel

When you’re in Malaysia, I’d highly recommend a visit to Sunway Lagoon if you’re tired of the whole Kuala Lumpur shopping-eating scene. The resort is just a 40-minute taxi ride from KL. As I didn’t grow up with cartoons, I find frolicking in its chlorinated waters better than romping with Buzz Lightyear in Hong Kong Disneyland. Sunway reminded me of a bigger version of the Fontana Resort in Clark and it is also better than Genting Highlands because the latter looks really old and cramped.

If you can zoom through this picture, you’d notice that there’s a suspension bridge (reportedly the world’s longest, at 428 m) and somebody negotiating through a zip line. It is one of the attractions in their Extreme Park which also includes paintball games, rock-climbing and the reverse bungee jump. Not for the faint-hearted like me, hehe.

For Filipinos who are used to natural beaches, this man-man lagoon is quite off. But it does give the resort its cozy beach look.

Sunway Lagoon is just huge. It has a big shopping mall called the Sunway Pyramid and the hotel has 1,234 rooms.

The kind taxi driver dropped us off at this entrance with a sculpture of two elephants. He then warned us against motorcyle-riding men who snatch the bag of tourists. I almost said “really? How very Philippine-ish.”

Guests get splashed by the giant bucket. Kids will really have fun in the water playground because of the little tunnels, slides and wave pool. For the more adventurous, there’s the Pirate’s Revenge, a 360-degree rotating ship.

Glimpse of the Bengal Tiger in the Wildlife Zoo. They have a total of 150 animal species, but we weren’t able to see much of them as a whole day is not enough to enjoy the place. More so because they close at 6 p.m. My advice would be to budget your time between the zoo, the beach, the water rides, the amusement park and the museum.

Sunway Lagoon now has the world’s biggest exhibition of Scholar Rocks

We paid something like 75 RM (Malaysian ringgit) per person (less for kids) which is a little less than P1000 only. It’s really worth the money considering that their attractions aren’t just rides like Enchanted Kingdom. I’d bring the family to this place, again.

Sunway Lagoon Address:
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Telephone Number: (603 563 90000

View ticket rates and book online using their website.

During this trip, I was glad to discover Beryl’s Chocolates and to visit their showroom-cum-museum in Kuala Lumpur. Actually, it’s a big house converted into a commercial structure. I was thinking that it was such a nice marketing ploy, to promote the brand, and products that are proudly made in Malaysia.There was a steady stream of tourists like us a-visiting, for who can refuse chocolates?

My son, the dessert lover, enjoyed our little tour, particularly as they were giving us free bites of chocolates to sample.

I ended up buying $70 worth of chocs to take home. Silly me forgot to take note of the prices, but they’re definitely lower than Royce.

I absolutely love their Potato Chips Chocolate. You wouldn’t know the difference from the more famous Japanese brand.

I also like their melt-in-the-mouth Tiramisu Chocolates. It’s the only Beryl’s product I saw in the Philippines, at only P59 for a small box in the supermarket.

One thing about Beryl’s: they taste like exquisite chocolate but are not too sweet. The literature says their products are made from fine cocoa beans from Ghana, one of the major cocoa-producing countries.

The house sells 100 chocolate varieties but this was certainly unique: Chili Chocolates with just a hint of pepper. (make it piping-hot, Asian red pepper)

This Durian Chocolate I didn’t see in Davao, and should be a good introduction for those who detest the taste of durian. The pungent fruit is highly tolerable when mixed with chocolate. Bery’ls offers as well a lot of fruity chocolates like mango and strawberry.

A lady at the factory demonstrates how chocolates are made from cocoa pods. After which, a machine grinds real chocolate in the background.

Posters on the wall illustrate chocolate’s important role in the history of man. It was even used to barter slaves.

The showroom filled with chocolates boxes and packages. Highly tempting! They will even pack the goodies for you in handcarry boxes.

These chocolates deserve a big MOO! We wanna go back to Malaysia, if only for more Beryl’s.

Aside from Beryl’s Chocolate Kingdom, there is also the Chocolate Wonderland in Selangor, and The Beryl’s Chocolate Boutique in Penang.

I have this thing against going to the same place for a second time or a third time, when visiting other parts of the world is tempting. However, I could not say the same thing about Kuala Lumpur, a favorite city. I just love the food! And the shopping. Don’t forget its character and spirit. You’d get hungry at 3:30 a.m. and there’s decent food to be had. Unfortunately, its street scene is more alive than Manila too

Here are some pictures I took from our recent vacation:

When in KL, I always stay in the Bukit Bintang area. In fact, I’d advise my friends to get their hotel rooms here to optimize their stay. Everything’s just a walk away - the shops, the malls, the restos and the bars. Will save you from taking a taxi each time. It’s also amazing to note how accommodations are cheaper in Malaysia because guests are charged per room, and not per person

Jalan Alor is the place to note when one wants authentic hawker food in the heart of KL. Most of the street-side restos are owned by the Chinese. Don’t forget to order local specialties like the grilled stingray, curry crabs, rojak, satay, barbecued chicken wings and sotong.

Jalan Alor is alive from 5 p.m. till the wee hours of the morning, but somehow I found this stall open for breakfast too. Fastfood restos like KFC and McDonald’s are open 24/7 as well.

Street curiosity: this refugee from Iraq sits outside a McDonald’s outlet , day and night. He’s trying to find his daughter who has either eloped or was abducted by a Pakistani man. The same spot he’s sitting was where they last saw her.

A street artist tries to make a living drawing portraits of people passing by. His sign reads: If not same no need pay money. 10 minutes drawing only.

This man, all clad in gold, was an eye-catcher. He also had a sign that read: Take photo with ‘The Gold Man.’ Is good luck for you. Price: As you wish.

Statue of the Golden Bull outside The Pavilion, my favorite mall in KL. So long Suria KLCC, looks like this mall had a bigger selection of good brands. Sign reads: We invite you to touch the Golden Bull’s face for good luck and prosperity this Lunar New Year.

A branch of Pepper Lunch at the Pavilion food court. But this is not where I ate, hehe.

Have you seen a whole theme park, with roller coaster and the works, in a mall? Okay, this was it. Cosmos World at Berjaya Times Square.

A man flipping Middle Eastern bread right outside our hotel which was also dotted with foot reflexology shops. Silly me had to get used to seeing a lot of Indians and Moslems in the area.

This sign explains it all. Unpleasant smells are simply prohibited, hehe.

A taxi driver kindly stopped by this place. King’s Palace KL or Istana Negara is the official residence of Malaysian royalty. It kinda reminded me of Buckingham Palace because a man in red British uniform was also standing (riding?) guard outside.

Related posts:

Ultimate cheapie trip to KL, a la Lonely Planet

Food-trippin’ in KL… no regrets