Roti Flatbread

Assalamualaikum semua,

Saya dah janji hari tu nak update blog masakan dalam masa seminggu. Hari ni saya tunaikan janji saya. Walaupun hidangan makan malam yang simple tapi inilah makanan yang saya suka makan pada waktu malam. Roti ala capati buatan sendiri.

Saya bagi nama roti ni Roti Flatbread sebab ia leper dan nipis.

Sangat mudah dan cepat. Janji kena ada kari apa-apa, macam kari ikan ke, kari ayam ke atau dalca. Even makan dengan rendang pun sedap.

Bahan-bahannya :

3 gelas tepung gandum
sikit garam
1 biji telur
4 sudu minyak Ghee (yang dicairkan)
1/2 gelas air

Gelas yg saya gunakan untuk menyukat

Caranya :
* Masukkan tepung kedalam mangkuk
* Masukkan juga garam dan gaul.

* Pecahkan telur kedalam tepung dan gaul rata

* Sekarang masukkan pula 4 sudu minyak Ghee, gaul lagi
* Terakhir, tuang masuk air perlahan-lahan dan gaul adunan sehingga menjadi kental.

Ambil sedikit dari adunan dan bulat-bulatkan kebeberapa bahagian.

Rehatkan tepung untuk 1/2 jam, kemudian canaikan seperti gambar diatas.

Masukkan kedalam kuali leper dan bakar tanpa minyak dahulu di kedua-dua permukaan.

Sekarang, baru di renjiskan sikit minyak, lebih kurang 1 sudu makan di setiap belah permukaan.
Bakar sehingga kedua belah menjadi keperangan.

Dah siap untuk di makan. Hidangan yang di minati oleh keluarga kami dan selalu dihidangkan oleh arwah ibu saya.

Selamat menjamu selera!

Anggaran costing :

Tepung       : RM 1.00
Telur          : RM  0.40
Lain-lain     : RM 1.00

Jumlah        : RM 2.40 untuk 3 orang

Salam dari saya,
Rose
31st.January '14

Rindu Nak menulis

Salam semua,

Dah agak lama saya tak update blog masakan dan blog article saya. Tangan dah terasa gatal nak menulis dan memasak tapi saya tersangatlah sibuk sejak berpindah sehingga ke hari ni. Terlalu banyak kerja remeh temeh yang perlu di lakukan. Hari ni saya curi juga sikit masa dengan meninggalkan semua kerja dan hal lain dan saya duduk untuk menulis walaupun pendek.

Mungkin dalam masa seminggu lagi saya dah boleh mula memasak dan meng updatekan blog saya. Masaalah pertama yang saya hadapi ialah masih banyak perkakas dan bahan masakan saya ada di Langkawi. Hari tu tak bawa semua sebab takut tak muat lori. Padan muka saya, sekarang nak buat apa pun tak boleh.
Masaalah kedua, tak ada printer dan PC saya. Tinggal disana juga untuk kegunaan kerja pejabat, suami saya perlu untuk meng updatekan kerja-kerja harian dia. Jadi yang ada dengan saya sekarang hanyalah laptop saja, of which saya tak berapa gemar pakai sebab saya rasa macam tak selesa tengok screen yang lebih kecil daripada selalunya.

Lagi satu masalah, walaupun setiap hari ke Bandar Utama untuk menghantar dan mengambil anak-anak saya pergi kerja, saya masih tak dapat nak cari barang dan bahan yang diperlukan. Walaupun segalanya ada disini tapi saya masih tercari-cari kedai yang senang saya nak masuk dan park kereta. Ini tak, nak park kereta pun nak kena buat satu pusingan padang bola sepak baru dapat masuk! Argg..rindunya Langkawi.

Ada sekali tu, saya redah juga kesesakan dan masuk ketempat letak kereta di One Utama. Saya pergi kebahagian basah (Aeon). Memang syurga bagi orang macam saya. Namakan saja apa yang kita nak, semuanya ada. Dari udang kecil sampai keudang galah, dari ikan kembung sampai ke ikan siakap, dari sayur kangkung sampai ke daun dill, dari sayuran siap dipotong dan ready untuk digoreng sehingga ke salad yang siap ada croutonnya bersama sos, ready untuk dimakan, dari herba biasa hingga ke herba yang mat salleh selalu guna dalam masakan dia orang. Saya dah jadi kelam mata, ikutkan semua saya nak ambik tapi disebabkan bahan untuk kegunaan dapur saya masih tiada disini, saya pendamkan saja hasrat nak beli semua tu. Tapi tunggu ya, nanti bila samada suami atau anak2 lelaki saya datang sini, saya akan minta dia orang bawa barang-barang saya, bolehlah saya mula memasak lagi.

Kalau kat Langkawi saya dah tahu tempat mana nak beli sour cream atau phyllo pastry sheets, ataupun kat mana nak cari kacang dhal yang cepat empuk untuk saya masak dan muatkan dalam entri saya. Kalau kat pasar basah, ada satu mak cik tu gerai dia jual semua jenis ulam. Nak ulam raja, pucuk janggus, jantung pisang, ubi kayu, ubi kemili atau apa saja semua ada kat gerai dia.
Tapi disini saya masih tercari-cari kedai yang sesuai dan senang untuk saya singgah  pada bila-bila masa saya memerlukannya. Memang la banyak kedai disepanjang jalan menuju kerumah saya tapi tak memenuhi kehendak saya.

Dua hari lepas Sophie teringin nak makan tepung bungkus tapi steamer saya tak ada di sini. Saya buatkan juga dengan memakai kuali dan tutup dengan penutup biasa. Memang la boleh masak tapi lambat dan terganggu disebabkan ketiadaan perkakas yang diperlukan.
Tapi yang seronoknya disini, tempat tinggal saya tidak terlalu jauh daripada rumah kakak saya. Jadi bila senang, saya boleh kesana dan ambik sikit daun pisang atau daun pandan, daun kari, serai, lengkuas dan banyak lagi daun-daun kegunaan dapur saya. Saya ambik serba sedikit sebab kat sini kami bertiga saja.

Disebabkan dah lama tak memasak untuk blog entry, saya rasa macam tak ada idea nak masak apa pulak. Nantilah, saya cuba cari resipi yang agak lain dari makanan kita tapi tetap di sukai oleh orang kita. Boleh dak macam tu?

Sebelum saya mengakhiri tulisan hari ni, saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pembaca blog saya yang tetap mengikuti perkembangan saya walaupun dah hampir dua minggu tak menulis. Saya juga ingin merakamkan terima kasih banyak-banyak kepada pembaca dari Indonesia kerana mereka sekarang berada di kedudukan ketiga setelah Malaysia dan Amerika.

Terima kasih semua kerana sudi melawat blog saya dan saya akan buat sebuat mungkin untuk menulis dengan lebih dedikasi lagi selepas ni.

Salam hormat dari saya,
Rose
25th.January '14

Goodbye Langkawi!

Anybody missing me for the past couple of weeks or so? Guess what.. I had moved. Yes, moved as in moved out from one place to another.
I had moved out from my beloved island of Langkawi to Selangor, a state linked to Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It was one of the saddest moment in my life. I had lived in the island for almost 20 years. The same age as Sophie.

Soon after we got back from our holiday in Jogjakarta, we started packing. I only packed some personal belongings such as my cooking stuff, pillows and blankets and a few other things as the house we'd chosen had everything complete. Thus other stuff was left back home in Langkawi. Besides, my two boys and my husband will still be there.

I left Langkawi on the 5th.January '14. We took the 11am boat and reached the mainland by 12.00pm.
It tore my heart to leave my two boys alone back there even though they are adult enough to be on their own. Ariff is turning 25 this year whereas Soffian will be 22. And yet I hugged and hold them tight and held them like I never wanted to let them go when they see me off at the ferry terminal. I cried like a baby. Seeing me in that state, Ariff sobbed and shed tears and hugged me tightly. We became the centre of attention for that few moments. I couldn't care less about that. I was deep in my own feelings.

I first thought of moving out from the island a couple of years ago, but I wasn't certain about it just yet. The reason (to move) became apparent for me after Sophie got an offer from one of Malaysia's TV network to do her intern-ship there. That makes us thinking whether to move or not to move. She doesn't possess a driving license yet since she was always under some kind of commitment all these while. My husband and I got into a discussion and decided it was time for us to move, for Sophie and for us as well. We all need a new life. We'll start a new life in a new place. There's no harm in trying out new thing.

It has now been two weeks since we moved here. I am feeling quite at home now. It's a beautiful place. Our new home was surrounded by a lake and malay village. It ceased a little sadness from within me since this place reminds me of Langkawi.
From where I lived now to the heart of Malaysia took me only about 40 minutes.I liked it here. The only missing element is the ocean. I want to be surrounded by the ocean. Oh well, the lake will do.

There's one thing I like here. The people. Very nice and sweet people. So far we've met friendly neighbours, friendly man on the street and even the food handlers were very welcoming.
There's something else that made me missed Langkawi, fresh fish. You think it's funny? No, it's not. I am dead serious when I am talking about fish. Look back in my previous entry,  To Leave Or Not To Leave , in that entry I wrote, if I were to leave Langkawi, I'd find a place close to the beach. See how serious I was? Okay, back to the fish topic, it's been more than a week since I last bought some fish here. Bad and stale fish! I can't bring myself to buy that kind of fish. That type of fish wouldn't even made it's way to the wet market if it's back in Langkawi. I finally found some edible fish in one of the leading malls in Malaysia, ironic, don't you think?

And so, I've made up my mind, I will drive up to a place called Kuala Selangor every weekend to get my stock of fresh fish. It's a fishing village and it 'd take me about half an hour to get there.

That's fish topic. Now let's get into traffic congestion topic. This might be one of the reasons why I was reluctant prior to moving up here, since Kuala Lumpur was known for it's heavy congestion. A few days ago I went to the nearest town next to where I lived, it's about eight km away. The drive was suppose to take not more than 10 minutes but I got stuck in the jam for about half an hour. Urghh...

It has been two weeks now and I don't know if I can adapt to the new place called home. I truly hope I will and yet, I can't rule out the possibility of me going back to Langkawi to spend my old age there.
Pray for me people...

Have a great evening wherever you are and stay healthy everybody!

Love
Rose
18th.January '14

Selamat Tinggal Langkawi

Assalamualaikum semua,

Pagi ni hari Ahad (12hb.Januari 2014) saya berada di Selangor Darul Ehsan. Kenapa saya di sini? Haa.. itu yang kita nak tahu.. Saya sebenarnya dah berpindah atau sebutan sekarang berhijrah ke sini. Dah bukan di Langkawi lagi dah. Sedih sangat nak tinggal Langkawi tu. Mana tidaknya, dah hampir 20 tahun saya disana. Sama dengan umur Sophie.

Saya berpindah kesini pada 5hb.Januari. Bertolak dari Langkawi  jam 11pagi dan sampai ke Kuala Perlis jam 12:00 macam tu. Saya tak bawa banyak barang sangat sebab rumah yang saya nak duduki tu dah lengkap jadi kami cuma bawa keperluan harian macam tilam bantal, pakaian, bahan-bahan masak untuk blog saya dan peti sejuk. Yang lain semuanya saya tinggal diLangkawi. Lagi pun kedua-kedua anak teruna saya, Ariff dan Soffian masih disana. Jadi dia orang masih boleh gunakan mesin basuh dan keperluan harian yang lain yang saya tinggalkan tu.

Sedihnya hati tak tau nak cakap macam mana. Satu, sebab tinggalkan Langkawi, lagi satu, sebab tinggalkan anak-anak lelaki saya. Walaupun keduanya dah bekerja dan umurpun dah cukup kalau nak jadi bapa orang, tapi saya tak pernah berpisah dengan kedua-duanya sebelum ni. Saya peluk keduanya semasa dia orang hantar saya kat jeti tempoh hari, saya menangis macam budak-budak. Lantak la apa orang nak kata. Arif yang sulung tu pun nangis, mau nya tidak, dah dia tengok mak dia nangis macam tak boleh henti.

Kenapa saya pindah ke Selangor? Sebab anak dara saya, Sophie akan mula membuat latihan praktikal di satu syarikat di Petaling Jaya. Buat internship. Dia belum sempat buat lesen kereta lagi sebab terikat dengan banyak komitmen sebelum ni. Tawaran kerja yang dia dapat tu pun bagus jadi sayang nak tolak. Jadi bila kami sekeluarga duduk berbincang, maka persetujuan di capai (bahasa tinggi tu) yang kami bertiga (Sophie, Sara dan saya) akan berpindah dulu kesana. Selepas semuanya dah settle, suami saya pulak akan ikut kami dalam masa terdekat ni. Jadi macam tu lah kiranya. Kami dah selamat sampai dan dah mula menyesuaikan diri di sini.

Dah masuk hari ketujuh kami disini, baru hari ni saya ada masa nak berehat sikit dan menarik nafas lega walaupun letihnya tu masih ada lagi. Tu pasal blog saya terdampar macam tak bertuan untuk seminggu dua ni. Maafkan saya. Cuba nak tulis tapi memang tak cukup masa. Siapa kata menulis tu senang. Payah cik ooi..Kadang-kadang tu seminggu juga baru nak siap satu entri/penulisan! Bak kata orang putih, writer's block. Idea tak mai.

Alamat saya sekarang ialah di Kundang. Kenapa saya pilih Kundang? Sebab suasana kampungnya yang masih ada. Walaupun jaraknya ke Kuala Lumpur lebih kurang 40 minit saja, tempat tinggal baru saya ni buat saya rasa macam di Langkawi lagi. Cuma yang kurangnya ialah laut. I am missing Langkawi for it's ocean! Haa..cakap orang putih lagi. Di kiri kanan susur keluar dari rumah saya adalah kampong melayu. Jadi kuih muih melayu pun banyak dijual disekeliling kawasan ni. Dua pagi yang lepas, saya keluar nak cari breakfast, saya nampak satu pak cik ni pakai kain pelikat lagi duduk minum kat kedai kopi. Hilang sat rasa rindu kat Langkawi bila tengok macam tu.

Ada satu perkara yang saya suka disini, iaitu orang-orangnya. Orang-orangnya sangat ramah dan muka manis. Dia orang tegur kita macam dah lama kenal. Suami saya yang pendiam macam ada emas dalam mulut tu pun boleh bersembang dengan orang disini macam kawan-kawan. Penjaja makanan pun sangat ramah. Bab ni saya puji orang Kundang, sangat sopan. Seharusnya peniaga bersikap macam ni baru orang nak masuk ke kedai kita. Ini tak, muka ketat, layan macam mau tak mau ja, mana kedai nak maju. Itu yang kurang kat Langkawi. Kita masuk kedai nak makan, kita pulak tercangak-cangak nak panggil dia orang mai.

Satu perkara yang pasti buat hidup saya tak senang ialah ikan. Haha..lawak kan? Betul, saya ni penggemar ikan tegar. Kalau bukak balik entri lama saya (To Leave or Not to Leave)  , saya dah tulis, kalau pindah, saya nak cari tempat yang berdekatan dengan laut. Sampai ketahap tu, tapi apalah daya kita kan, kita hanya merancang, Dia juga yang menentukan. Okay berbalik pada ikan, dah banyak hari saya tak beli ikan sebab ikan kat sini tersangatlah teruknya. Kalau kat pasar di Langkawi, ikan macam tu dah tentu2 buat baja ataupun tak dapat dijual langsung. Sedihnya saya nak beli pun.Kemarin saya ke Bandar Utama, ada kerja sikit, terus saya fikir untuk cuba check ikan kat One Utama. Nasib saya baik, ada ikan yang lima kali lebih segar dari tempat-tempat lain yang saya pergi. Bayangkan, beli ikan di shopping mall instead of pasar awam.

Tapi saya dah buat keputusan, setiap minggu sekali saya akan ke Kuala Selangor dan cari ikan disitu. Saya dapat tau ikan kat situ agak segar. Saya jangkakan harganya mungkin tak semurah Langkawi tapi tak pa, asalkan ikan segar.

Itu bab ikan, sekarang masuk bab kesesakan pulak. Yang membuatkan saya berfikir berpuluh kali sebelum berpindah kesini adalah disebabkan oleh traffic congestion atau kesesakan lalu lintas. Saya memang tak punya kesabaran dalam bab-bab menunggu ni. Dua hari lepas saya ke Sungai Buloh. Ikutkan jaraknya tak jauh sangat, lebih kurang 8 km macam tu saja. Tapi saya tersangkut lebih dari 1/2 jam disitu. Ahhh..stress.

Hari ni dah genap seminggu dah saya di tempat baru. Saya tak tahu samada saya dapat menyesuaikan diri di sini. Segala kemudahan ada disini dan tempat yang saya pilih untuk bermastautin pun cantik tapi hati saya masih di Langkawi. Saya sangat berharap saya dapat menyesuaikan diri disini nanti. Doakan saya ya!

Okaylah. Sampai disini dulu. Nanti bila dah settle down saya mula balik dengan blog masakan saya tu. Tunggu ya.

Salam dari saya,
Rose
12th.Jan 2014.

Let's Go Jogjakarta with Air Asia (Part 2)

Happy New Year everybody!!

Welcome 2014 and goodbye 2013. We are leaving 2013 with 1001 sweet and bitter memories. Let us hope next year will bring us prosper and be a better year for us all. I am sorry it took me a while since I last posted an entry. I had recently moved out of my beloved island and currently lives in a state of Selangor. I will write about it after this post, probably.

As promised, here is the second part of our trip  to Jogjakarta. In the first part, I've shared our visits to Borobudur Temple and Mount Merapi. That was on our second day (19th.Dec) in Jogja.
We thought of doing some city tour and cave tubing on our third day (20th.Dec), but somehow it didn't work  out that way. It was pouring since the night before and we can see from our hotel window that the water was rising a little on the main road. We changed plan. We called a cab and asked him to take us to the nearest mall and after walking aimlessly, we decided to take our lunch at one place called Raminten Restaurant. I've read about this place prior to our visit to this restaurant. So I thought to give it a try. There's nothing to shout about, the service was brisk and cool, the place didn't have much of  anything to interest me nor the authenticity, but the price was acceptable. We ordered a few dishes and when the bill came out, it was only about RM25.00 (USD 8.00).

some of the food we ordered

After lunch we came back to hotel since it was still raining heavily. We cooped up inside the room and made plan for the next day. Pray hard it won't rain again like today. I spoke to one of the hotel staff, Wawan, and he suggested that we should go to Dieng Plateau. We went through the usual price haggling and I finally agreed to RP 700,000.00 equivalent to RM210.00.The going and returning to Dieng Plateau is taking eight hours of driving. I was quite hesitant initially as it's quite a long drive, what with Sophie not too well. But the two girls was willing me to go saying we may never had this chance again. Right, let's go then!

Next day: 21st.December:- The weather was in favour with us. The girls had their early breakfast at the coffee-house, whereas I skipped. By 06:20am, we were at the hotel  lobby waiting for our guy. Good! 06:30am, he was on time too. After introducing ourselves, we set out to our final destination as we will be heading back home tomorrow. Six thirty am in Jogja was as bright as eight am Malaysia.

It says Welcome to Central Java

Along the way, the sky didn't look promising. We were praying hard it wouldn't rain. The scenery was breath-taking. Oh by the way, in case you don't know, Malaysia speak the same language as Indonesia. Not totally the same but we can understand each other.

I especially felt impressed with their people. They were diligent people, be it men or women or children for that matter.

They didn't have all the modern amenities or facilities that we have back home (and taking it for granted) and yet they worked hard for their money and seemed grateful with what they have. They lived a far less fortunate lives than any of us do.

Look at the picture above. Along the way many of the villagers houses were situated right next by the road side. And many times we got to peek the interior of the houses and it humbled me even more. Sara was the first to notice and told me about it. There was hardly anything inside any of the houses. I wanted to get more pictures of the houses but Sophie was too weak from her rising flu and Sara said she wasn't good with camera. Me? Hopeless, my hand's shaky most of the time, wouldn't produce any good pictures.

The distance from Jogjakarta to Dieng Plateau is about 120 kilometres. If we were to drive on an expressway, it shouldn't take more than 2 hours but since we were passing sometimes uneven and treacherous roads, the trip took four hours. We had to pass Wonosobo town before finally climbing up the 2000meters mountain of Dieng Plateau.

We reached atop at 10:30am. The cold wind after the rain was making both Sara and Sophie's teeth shattering. Me? I am cool, man. This is my weather. Loved it! The driver took us first to see the plantations. The mountain was terraced with potatoes produce. Amazing view!Do you know how they carry the produce down to the foot hill? See the cable-like in the picture below? Here's how they do it. They placed kind of a trolley filled with potatoes hooked on this cable line and then transported it  down where someone else will be waiting by the road side. Smart people!

potatoes plantation

Later on, we went to the famous Dieng Plateau colored lake. The lake had a magnificent view but the smell of the sulphur was nauseating and giving everybody a terrible headache. It's good for your skin though, at least that's what I was told and it's true.
Lucky thing our driver had advised earlier to buy face masks which we did. I noticed there wasn't any single fish lived inside the clear beautiful lake.

Dieng Plateau Colored Lake

I guess the yellow sulphur mixed with the depth of the lake under the sunlight brings out the rays of color to the lake the way they do.

Sophie taking a break with a grilled cor n by the lake

We were here for just about half an hour, nothing much can be done except for taking in the eerie-like beauty of the surroundings. We went to find our driver who then drove us to Sikidang Crater. In contrast to the lake, this crater looks barren and dry. But the wonder of it is, it's cold out there with the temperature I believed at that time was around 15degree celsius.

Both Sophie and I were fooling around as model of the year

From where the car was parked to the crater, took us about 600 meters and we had to dodge a few little hot spring bubbling up from under the earth. One can feel a light heat around here. Even the rocks brings out the hissing sound, sounded like boiling water.

The crater was cordoned off with bamboo fence to steer the crowd away from getting too close. Some of the locals made their living around this area by selling product of sulphur and the likes. The temperature of the crater was said to be around 98 celsius. This crater doesn't stay in place place. We were told, after some time, it will find another place and create another crater like the one we seen ( as in the picture). It's a jumping crater, said the locals.

On our way back, I stopped to listen to the street musician or buskers who were singing great Indonesian songs. I know most of the songs they were singing. These street performers sometimes possess voice better than  renowned singers.

The street musician at Dieng Plateau

We spend about an hour there and later stopped by at the Arjuna Temple for a while. We wanted to see some kids in this area with original dreadlocks hair but they were not around on that day. Thus, we didn't spend much time here either.

Returning back to the hotel, Sophie slept all the way to ease off her headache and Sara stay awake to keep me company. I wasn't too fond of this driver, Norman. 

We reached hotel at seven thirty in the evening. We were all so completely exhausted that I asked the two girls to order room service whereas I skipped dinner.

To sum up the trip we made, I can say we all had an amazing day. It was truly what I had imagine it would be. I had never travelled to any Western countries so far, so I can't make much comparison with Asian countries. What I was trying to say is, I am proud to be Malaysian. My country, with it flaws and weaknesses is still where I wanted to be. 

Have a great day,people!

Rose

9th.January '14

Kendra Thornton Writes On Chicago/ Rose Rahim Writes On Langkawi Island

Hello readers,
Today is the 1st.day of New Year and I'd like to wish each and everyone out there a very Happy New Year!
And to mark the 1st.day of New Year,I was honored to receive an invitation from Ms Thornton into collaborating with her and write something that is close to both our hearts, our hometowns.
Kendra writes about Chicago whereas I write about my island, Langkawi.
Kendra Thornton was a Director of Corporate Communications at Orbitz.com, one of America's largest travel agencies. She now owns Thornton Public Relations LLC. Ms Thornton appears regularly on ABC, CBS, NBC network as a travel expert spokesperson.
She says she's currently a full time mom enjoying her daily life with her three children. I second to that, Kendra!

Kendra Thornton

Travel Guide to Chicago: Where to Eat, Sleep and Explore

Travel Guide to Chicago: Where to Eat, Sleep and Explore

Exploring Chicago will likely take you around all different time periods of history. There's some incredible museums, art events, food festivals and much more to enjoy in the Windy City, but visiting this city can be a little overwhelming when you consider how many different parks, shopping districts and museums there are. These are some of the best places to see unique Chicago history, landmarks, locally owned boutiques and world-renowned restaurants. Some of the best places to check out include DePaul's Reskin Theatre, Museum Campus, Millennium Park and the Ralph Lauren restaurant.


The City of Bridges

There's a reason that Chicago's called the "City of Bridges." The Chicago River runs through the metropolis and as such there are a few different waterways and connecting bridges that go across town. One of the more famous bridges is the Michigan Avenue Bridge. This is because it's a historical landmark in addition to being a popular walkway in downtown Chicago. You'll find sculptures on each of the four pylons that designate important events for the city. Built in 1920, the bascule bridge is simply an architectural wonder that will give you a great view of the city and offers some fun photo opportunities. Some of the city tours actually start here including the Wendella boat tour.


A Chef's Place to Live

Chicago is a mecca for world-class chefs. You'll find every type of cuisine here as well. If you're looking for a good deep-dish pizza and other treats, you should check out Glenn's Diner on West Montrose Avenue. Breakfast is also served all day here, and you'll get a ton of seafood specials. Glenn's is also known for providing all types of breakfast foods including any type of cereal. This is a favorite for families visiting Chicago, but it's also just a casual place to grab something to eat while looking around downtown.

Where to Stay in Chicago

There are plenty of luxurious, historic hotels in Chicago. It's hard to decide which one is the best. They each provide something different and unique. One of the best places with a relaxing spa is The Peninsula. The spa is well known for its many treatments and massage packages, but you'll also find some of the city's best restaurants here. You can even eat out on The Terrace overlooking the Chicago skyline if you want a romantic night out. It's located on East Superior Street in downtown. One site in particular I find helpful is Gogobot, it enables you to read user reviews of the various hotels Chicago offers, whether you’re looking for on in the city limits or outside.

Arts and Culture Spots to Explore

There are a number of places that will take your breath away or spark your imagination to run wild in Chicago. One of those places is the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower. You'll find all kinds of work by local photographers and artists in Chicago. It's truly a wonder to see if you want to know more about Chicago's artistic side or just to take a break from shopping in the nearby Millennium Mile.

A Passage to Langkawi

Ever heard of Langkawi Island? Yes? No? Most probably no for those who lived on the other side of the world, and ... you’re forgiven for not knowing where it is.

Let me enlighten you a little about the whereabout of this beautiful island. It is located in West Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur is the capital city of Malaysia). It is situated in the northern part of the country. From this island ( Langkawi Island I mean), one can board a boat that carries you to the southern part of Thailand. This island was surrounded by 99 other little islands during high tide and 101 islands during low tide.


There’s a myth about this island that some believed to be true. It happened somewhere in the 18th.century. According to older folks there was this beautiful girl named Mahsuri and she was married to a local warrior. However while her husband was away in the line of duty, she was accused of committing an adultery. She was stabbed to death. Minutes before her death, she cursed the island will not prosper for seven generations. Indeed Langkawi was nothing but a dead island for a long time and it started to prosper only later on, that was in the late 1990’s.

This island of mine has become famous among local travellers due to its free duty status. Chocolates, table wares , cigarettes and many other items were at a steal price. One can get a can of beer at USD 0.80 on this island.

If you’re thinking of spending your next vacation here, I assure you, this will be the right place for you especially those with families and children.

Here are some tips for you to browse upon:

1) Accessibility : One can fly from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi and it will only take an hour. The flight interval is at least one flying at every hour.

2) Try looking up Air.Asia.com for booking within Malaysia as they provide the best and cheapest rates among other airlines. Sometimes it is as good as paying nothing.

3) If at any time you’re travelling from one place to another by car, you can access to this island via boat that leaves either from Kuala Kedah Pier or Kuala Perlis Pier. Boats operate daily from 0730hrs to 19:00hrs.

4) Our culture : The majority on this island are Muslim. However the Muslim in Malaysia are moderate Muslim. One can tell the difference between the Malays, Chinese and Indians by their looks. To recognise Malays by the skin color alone is a bit confusing as we comes in variation of dark, fair and tan and at times big round eyes or small eyes. The Chinese are easy to tell as they are fair with small eyes whereas Indians have beautiful sharp nose, big eyes and darker in skin tone. Most of us understand and speak duo languages, Malay and English.

5) What can be done on the island :

i) Aplenty! First and foremost, sun, sea and sand. The hotels with good beaches are The Datai Langkawi, The Andaman Resort, The Four Seasons Langkawi, Tanjung Rhu Beach, The Danna Langkawi, Pelangi Beach Resort, Langkawi Holiday Villa, The Frangipani Langkawi and a few little hotels that located on the famous Pantai Cenang area and beach. You are allowed to be in your bikini by the beach and at your hotel lobby.

ii) Sea sports are in abundance by the Pantai Cenang area. (By the way, Pantai means beach) It is slightly pricey even to us the locals but it’s worth a try. There are jet skiing, parasailing, banana boat and many others.

iii) Sight - seeing : You may rent a car on your own from as low as RM60.00/ USD 20.00 per day (24 hours). However don’t expect any insurance coverage as these are done on trust basis. You may ask for insurance coverage but the rate is visibly higher. There were many other things to be done like, mangrove tour, island hopping, scuba diving/snorkelling and fishing.

iv) Shopping : Shopping didn’t really fit into Langkawi itinerary. Of course there were outlets in abundance but it’s just not the place for shopping unless you’re one of those who collected China for home display.

v) Food : Malaysians are known to be good eater. Thus one can see food joints and cafes and restaurants everywhere you turn your heads to. There’s a row of international restaurants at Telaga Harbour namely the Russian Restaurant, the Italian Restaurant, The Grill Restaurant, a local Pizza house and plenty more. One restaurant that has great view is The Cliff which is built within the water.

vi) Night entertainment is not as vibrant as Bali or Phuket as Malaysia is an Islamic country. So no strip joint or sex related outlet on the island. That is why I had made a remark earlier on this island about it being ideal for family with children.

I guess I had wrapped up some of the things needed to know before you pack up your bags to head to my island.

                                      

Rose
1st.January 2014