48. getaway to melaka: part 2 (jonker street + klebang coconut shake + hard rock cafe, melaka)

After eating the Ee Ji Ban chicken rice balls (hehe I love saying that, ee ji ban) we proceeded to head to the touristy side of Melaka town. Our first spot was to Jonker Street/Walk/whichever, an entire street devoted to souvenirs, cheap fruity soda, durian cream puffs and oriental trinkets. Some of the cool things we saw:

 

These pictures were taken from inside the car ngeh ngeh. This gwailo was standing on the side of the street, frowning at every car and just admiring the back-to-back traffic in front of her. 

We went into a Jonker Heritage World Heritage Park, dedicated to Datuk Wira Dr. Gan Boon Leong. In the year 2000, he was appointed to head a committee that aimed to bring life to the place, and expand it as a marketplace for local businesses. In 2008, UNESCO listed Jonker Walk as part of its World Heritage Site. It's now a very popular place for tourists and locals alike, especially during night time. 

We had some gorgeous durian cream puffs, Portuguese egg tarts, and durian ice cream in Jonker Street. On hindsight, we should have bought more, and I should have taken more photos. Oh well. I was too busy sweating and gobbling everything =.= On the way back to our car, we passed by the canal, and imagine what I saw. My eyes literally lit up.

YEAP Hard Rock Cafe in Melaka! How long has that been there? I  bought the magnet (I'm trying to collect the Hard Rock magnets) and forced him to take a photo.

Me: Make sure it's head to toe cause the last picture you took was just my torso and head.

Him: *grunts and clicks*

Me: You sure it's head to toe?

Him: *grunts*

When I checked it later, I saw that he took like 10 inches of the black wall below me and half of the guitar neck was not included, owwhh~~

On the drive back home, I asked him to pass by Klebang for the famous Klebang Coconut Shake. We were stuck in traffic for a good 20 minutes just trying to park the car, and queued for 45 minutes in the hot sun trying to get the shake. It was like 3 plus in the afternoon. Man, Malaysians really love their food. 

 

I suppose it was quite worth the wait. Even though it's just bits of fresh coconut with ice cream and what I presume to be a bit of fresh cream or milk. The main thing was that it was cheap. Like RM 2.50 per drink. Oh BTW, you can either queue up to tapau (takeaway) or sit and drink on the spot. You can't have it both ways.

The address and info pooled from other blogs:

Famous Coconut Shake Klebang

(Landmark: Caltex petrol station)

Business hours : 12.30pm-6.30pm daily

Friday: 2pm-6.30pm

Tel: +6 013-399 4061

Here's some other blogs on the Klebang Original Coconut Shake:

• http://sixthseal.com/2012/12/klebang-original-coconut-shake/
• http://wonderfulretreats.blogspot.com/2013/01/famous-coconut-shake-klebang-melaka.html
• http://j-travel.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-famous-coconut-shake-at-klebang.html

Overall, Melaka provided us a sufficiently fun, day trip. It's full of food and walking around, if you're into that sort of thing :) Just remember that if you see it and like it, try it. Else you might be full of remorse like *some* people who thought they should have bought more durian cream puffs on the road back home. 

All photos are shot with Sony Xperia Z.

37. a hot, sunny Sunday.

Dress: H&M

Sandals: Cotton On

Bag: Primark

Work hard. Play hard :)

29. birthday chica, amal

I first met Amal in 2006, back when I was doing my diploma in UiTM Lendu, Melaka. We were both taking our diploma in mass communication, and she was my roommate. I was a crazy, broke student back then. We stayed up until 3 am studying eating Maggi noodle cups, highlighting our study books like crazy. 

Hawa, Sarah, Me & Amal (and Rafi at the back grr).

I remembered pissing her off over and over again because I used DMX's "Party Up" as my ringtone and alarm (I always slept through that alarm hahaha). Thanks to a cheap midnight rate by the telco company, I'd be on the phone talking to my ex for an hour after midnight every day, and she would be there, listening over my conversations. 

Amal (center).

After we both graduated from university, the strenuous chain of life that binded us together eventually separated us... work, relationships happened, and we would try to catch up once every few months. No matter how long the stretch, we'd ease back into the comfort of being old friends, and talk as if we had just met yesterday. I haven't seen her for approximately 3 months up until yesterday, to "surprise" her for her birthday.

She's one of my closest friends and everyone I've introduced her to loves her. She's fun, bubbly, makes fun of her own button nose, and it's always all smiles and fun time with her. I hope we can go on a trip together one day, abroad :)

Here's to six years of friendship, my darling Amal.
Happy birthday, quarter of a century years old!
Stay cute, gorgeous, and may Allah bless your life always.

<3 you so much :)

25. goofball

There are so many to-do things to launching the bike shop this Sunday, like forms to fill, stocks, inventories, learning all these bike jargons, not to mention the planning of the event launch and coordinating all of it together.. that sometimes.. I... just... goof off. 

How would you feel working for somebody crazy like this? Haha.

24. theory of being busy.

It's getting more and more hectic :( I fear for the frequency of blog posts within the next few weeks, due to Bajugraphy's crazy schedule and my additional side project.

(A friend took this picture of me with this giant hulk beast. Unfortunately, my friend sucks as photography and didn't take a full body shot, haihhh. I look like the witch from Matilda, with squared toes and all).

Just a random shot of me with my hair to the side or swept backwards. Yay you can see my new employee card! Doink.

23. When boredom strikes

Is to camwhore. You know, sometimes your mind tends to wonder and meander and everything jumbles up, just break the craziness of it all by goofing around!

Me and Adeline. She's wearing my vintage red jacket, bought for RM 30 from a thrift shop :0

Ida, Azira & me at a conference. It was 4 pm, heavy rain pattering outside, and we were struggling to stay awake, post-heavy-lunch.

#OOTD: Sheer white chiffon top and thigh-high split black pvc aline skirt from Cotton On. 

It's crazy sometimes how much things I have to do :0 Better than being stagnant and bored!

22. work crazy.

I am currently working on a project that is under wraps. All I can tell you is that it will be launched in November :) You would never guess what it is. It's a little out of my comfort zone, so I'm trying my best not to be intimidated or scared shitless (it's a daunting task sometimes).

Here's me with Hafiz, one of my staff who will be working under me. He reads me blog so hellooooo. Work your ass off, ya! Hehe.

Here's me with Nazrin & D, post consultation and discussion for the project launch. I get asked a lot if it's weird working with my ex. Alhamdulillah, I think I've come to terms with the past and the best thing for me would be just to move on with my life. It's a bit weird at times but to me, business is business and you have to separate your personal life and professional life. You have to build a really thick skin and be strong-willed.

At the end of the day, for me it's about finding rezeki. It didn't just fall into my lap; I've always been self-sufficient and independent since I was 17, and for me it doesn't matter where the source is from, as long as it's legit and I'm earning from this. Who can say, at the age of 24, that they've launched two successful projects, both completely different from the core? Who says no to money and success? It works out different for different people, I guess :)

Here's a picture of me being completely silly at work :) I'm daydreaming on Doof beanbags about Brad Pitt or someone hunky, heh. Most likely.

21. flip through.

Just some random shots to describe what I've been up to the past few days.

I love lazy weekends like this. Wearing an oversized shirt with shorts and flats, and having spicy, Mexican brunch on a hot Sunday. My style is very casual. Comfort and light pieces are the key.

Mucking around and being silly with my friends (some finger exercise thing). Sarah, Faheem, Amal and me. These are people who have stuck around like warts for a few years. Sawadeekaaap!

 

Me, Amalina and Sarah. I've know Amal since uni; she was my noisy roommie with super huge bug eyes. She's an amazing person; always there for you, and will always be there for you; no judgments or reservations. I love you Miss Bloomysmal! Sarah needs no further introduction; she's my rock and will always be.

Me, Sarah and Hawa on Halloween night (long story short, I didn't have time to wear the vampire-witch-costume I bought. Hehehe. These are the girls I'm with almost every night. :)

Saying goodbye to my brother and sister-in-law at the airport. Will miss you baby Ashy!

 

New aviators I bought. I wanted Raybans but the ones at the shop didn't suit my face so I got one that was pretty affordable for only RM 270. 

A beautiful kaleidoscope of clashing colors during sunset on the way back from work to home :) Breathtaking.

20. the last remnants of palembang

I had to do a three-part post of Palembang for fear of it being too draggy, as well as the pictures lagging. You can view post 1 and post 2 by clicking the respective links for better understanding of the mini getaway I did. To recap, my trip there was to attend a family ceremony for my baby nephew, called "cukur jambul" (the baby's very first haircut, snipped by close family members).

Day before the event: These "flower boards" were sent from companies as a congratulatory token. My brother and sister-in-law received around 4 of these huge boards. The "higher" you are in the social ladder, the more boards you will receive.

I decided to wear a slightly unorthodox outfit, pairing my old batik skirt with a black lace top from bajugraphy.

Me, my sister-in-law's sister, my sister-in-law holding her son (my nephew), and my sister-in-law's sister-in-law holding her daughter.

The batik skirt was getting very uncomfortable after 6 hours of wearing it soooo I whipped it off and paired comfy leggings. This was when the guests had left. I'm with my sister-in-law, my nephew, and my brother.

Me with my cute baby nephew! The cukur jambul dais was very grand.

I love this little girl's cute pink jubah! You can see from two pictures above her mom was wearing a matching one. Super sweet :)

And the above are some of the gorgeous clothes I purchased for myself from Palembang. A girl's gotta spoil herself sometimes!

19. a clash of cultures

Indonesian cuisine leaves one tastebuds miffed. It is always brimful of spices, salty, and most of the times, you can taste sugar in every dish. But all the food I've tasted thus far are delicious. Although it assaults your tongue in all ways delectable, so you can't really consume much of it, only a little.

This is kelapa susu manis. It's essentially the coconut flesh in fresh coconut juice, mixed with bendera kental manis (condensed milk) and gula Melaka (palm tree syrup sugar). In my humble opinion, this drink was so delicious, much better than jus alpukat (avocado juice). Just thinking about this refreshing drink is making me salivating. Drool!

This is pisang karamel (caramelized banana). Oh my God, this dessert was absolutely delicious. It's essentially banana fried in a crispy, crunchy batter, and topped with grated cheese and drizzled with caramel and chocolate syrup. It should be eaten piping hot. 

This is one of Indonesia's signature dish, bakso. This was from a restaurant called Bakso Malang (unlucky bakso). It's essentially meaty beefballs served in a delicious broth, sometimes with noodles, tofu pieces and so forth. Topped with their spicy chilli-soya-sauce, you could be enjoying a tantalizing mix of fiery, wholesome beef in your mouth. 

As the saying goes, When In Rome, Do As The Romans Do. In this case, when in Palembang, eat as the locals do. The top dish is a popular Indonesian dish called ikan terbang or "flying fish". My god, it was cooked perfectly; crispy on the outside, moist chunks of fish on the inside (you can see my father's impatient fingers in the picture). The bottom is kepiting masak lada hitam (crab in black pepper sauce). You know it's good spicy when you're gasping for water but you're still holding onto the crab. These dishes are from a popular restaurant, Riverside Restaurant.

The gorgeous view from Riverside Restaurant. Clear, sunny skies. What a beautiful sight to see.