The Sultan Abdul Samad Building

The Sultan Abdul Samad building is probably the most beautiful colonial structure in the heart of Kuala Lumpur. It was built in 1897.

The building resembles the mosques of Cairo with its horseshoe design and sharply pointed arches on the outer walls of the corridors that surround it on both lower and upper floors. The arches on the upper floor are smaller than the lower floor.

The building is constructed of interlocking brightly coloured bricks and blocks of white stones, with the exterior walls left exposed. The doors are paneled and the staircases are almost all spiraled.

The building is perfectly symmetrical and its noble facade has remained unchanging while all around it the city has modernized. The building has been declared as a national heritage and is a focal point for tourists.

The 122m long building was designed by British architect, AC Norman of the public works department. It was constructed to house the state secretary's department, including the accounts department and other government offices.

The building boasts a 43.6m high clock tower with a large dome, which is one of its famous features. I believe some might regard this as Malaysian very own "Big Ben".

There are 2 smaller towers flanking the main entrance, both of which are also domed. The domes are very unique. The 2 smaller towers were built for aesthetic reasons as the clock tower was deemed as too tall in relation to the rest of the building.

The smaller domes were originally made of copper sheets placed over wooden frames and painted black. These were later replaced by proper copper domes that were gifts from the Australian government.

The new domes were not painted but coated with high quality varnish to retain their shine

Smaller domes were also placed at the top of the row of the pillars in front of the building and these are made of white cement.

The building has undergone several renovations. These included building extensions at the back to house officers and canteen and overhauling the wiring system to allow more lighting and the use of air conditioners. Currently it became the temple of justice and houses the federal court, the appeals court and high court.

To locate this building might not be easy for first timer to KL as it was obscure by the many high rise structures around the city. Get off from Pasar Seni or Masjid Jamek LRT station. Head West and try to locate the Gombak River. Get across the river and the building should be visible

WD My Passport Essential

Recently I acquired a portable hard disk drive to phased out my 3.5" external hard disk enclosure, the Cooler Master X-craft 360. I opted for the WD My Passport Essential which cost me RM229 for 500GB.

The 2.5" portable hard disk is really thin and convenient to carry around. In fact it is almost identical size with my international passport.

This is a comparison with the 3.5" external hard disk enclosure. Obviously, the 3.5" external hard disk is rather cumbersome with its disadvantage size.

Another plus point is the less cable used by the WD My Passport Essential. Just one cable and the user is ready. However, it did not have the eSata cable as with my 3.5" external enclosure which make data transfer rate a lot slower and less efficient.

The Ship Batu Ferringhi

The Ship Restaurant in Batu Ferringhi is definitely eye catching and one will definitely not miss its huge boat while cruising through the beach town.

Its tagline is "The Best Steak in The Town" and I was a bit curious to try its steak as I had read some good review about its food before.

The interior is quite dark and sometime it is quite a challenge to see what we were eating.

Its interior has all the features of a ship as its hull frames and lifebuoy are clearly visible.


All the staffs here dressed up in marine officers uniform and their rank can be distinguished by their uniform from a Captain to a Cadet

Since it was a Merdeka month during our visit there, they offer an independence set dinner at RM 69.90++ which include appetizer, soup, main course and dessert per person.

I had a Corona Beer (RM 21). However, I would strongly recommend the Tiger draught beer (RM10) here as it is nice to drink and didn't cost a bomb for a mug.

My wife ordered a whole coconut (RM 8.50) which is equally sweet and tasty

For appetizer, they serve escargot bourguinonne. This is an eye opener as the escargot is really tasty and soaked with a thick and creamy cheese to go with it.

Soup of the day is the French baked onion soup. Probably the best onion soup I ever tasted.

This is the charbroiled Australian rib eye steak. Tender & succulent, grilled to perfection and served with broccoli, corn on cob & jacket potato.

I took the grilled New Zualand premium lamb chop. It comprises of triple cuts of NZ lamb loin served with premium mixed vegetable and french fries.

For dessert, we were served with almond cheese cake. I believe cake is not their specialty

I enjoyed my meal here and the restaurant lived up to its tag line and served probably the best steak in town. I will definitely be back again.

The Net Cafe @ Batu Ferringhi

While in Batu Ferringhi on a hot afternoon, we stumbled The Net Cafe to have a quick lunch and refreshment. It is located opposite the Tarbush restaurant.

The cafe offers visitors with an open air dining area. They specialized in North & South Indian Cuisine, Western, Seafood and local delight.

I ordered a Lassi (RM5) and it is simply refreshing on a hot day. It is a combination of yogurt, water, milk and Indian spices.

I opt for the lamb pizza (RM16.90) and the portion is enough to feed 2 person. The pizza is delicious with a hint of Indian spices to it

This is one catching phrase used by the cafe. Since, I am satisfied with the service and food, I am sharing with others through my site. By the way, the cafe did not charge any service charge or tax for the food here. Another plus point!

Strongbow Cider

Recently I came across Strongbow in a local supermarket for RM 9.29 and decided to give it a try since it has been sometime now I taste an apple cider.

Strongbow is a cider brand manufactured in England by Bulmers since 1887.

Strongbow got its name from the Cambro-Norman knight, Richard de Clare, nicknamed "Strongbow" for relying heavily on Welsh archers during campaigns in Ireland, where the native Irish had few bows and relied on javelins.

The cider is made from fermented apple and sugar with alcoholic strength of 5.3%

Strongbow might not been the best cider in the market. For the best cider, head to the Coronation Tap in Bristol

Sibu BASE Jump 2010

It was fortunate enough that my recent trip back to my hometown coincide with the annual Sibu BASE jump.

This is the 2nd time Sibu become the venue for this event. BASE is an acronym that stands for four categories of fixed objects from which a person can jump namely buildings, antennae, spans (bridge) and earth (cliff).

All the preparation and inspection of the parachute and its associated instrument was carried out at the concourse of the shopping mall within Wisma Sanyan.

Participants had to jump from the 27th floor of the majestic Wisma Sanyan.

While gliding down, the jumpers should be rewarded with the beautiful scenery of the mighty Rejang River and its surrounding.

This was their last jump for the 2nd edition of the Sibu BASE jump on 16th October 2010 at 2.45pm. The jumpers jumped one after another and it was a sight to be behold.

The best part was everyone will have a chance to take photos with the friendly jumpers.

Some of the returning BASE jumper is Gary Cunningham. Good to see him back again for the jump this year.

I must admit Lady Luck was on my side as I am able to witness this event in my very short visit back home. I just hope I will be around again next year for the jump.