Bought a new camera lens during this lockdown, I am not too sure is it a good timing or not but it’s really fun to do shopping and receive new thing to play during this miserable and boring time. The 7Artisans 35mm f/1.2 is a full manual lens that is easy to acquire of its affordable price.
Being a Chinese lens, to my surprised the quality is pretty well built and I kinda enjoy holding onto it. perhaps I have been mounting my heavy kit lens for a long time. It’s solid feel, but not heavy, making it on my Fujifilm XT-10 a pleasant camera to arm with.
It’s my first time mounting a manual lens, and I struggled to turn on manual mood shooting as pressing down the shutter didn’t respond at first. Found that need to do some setting on camera. In the setting has to turn on shoot without lens and turn on manual mode peaking for easy focusing, the front dial focus dial has turn set to m. Then it’s all good to go.
Without further ado, let’s do some shooting and let the photo speaks. The only thing to highlight about is at f/1.2 aperture, the sharpness is rather soft but the softness somewhat gives a good artistic feel to the photo. At only RM500 (120US$), this lens is extremely worth it.
Well, what do you think? All straight out of camera, only did some straightening and crop, no filter, no edit.
Since last year, I have developed a love in hiking/jungle trekking in Penang’s rainforest; mainly because not able to do travel and I had to explore some adventure in my hometown, at the same time getting myself into fitness activity – I do consider myself not fitness active though I would want to get into this good habit.
Since reopening during the pandemic, I did various route of hiking trail in Penang which the recent one, also the most exciting and adventurous one is this trail to Penang Hill from Botanical Garden via Old Craig Hotel.
In hiking, I have this weird pattern that I like one-way trail. Like hiking up to Penang Hill, then take the tram/jeep down. It’s like my persistence is not there to do a return trip, however I do not mind a long one-way trip. (I once did a long one-way hike from Youth Park to Rifle Range, even longer than a return trip but it was really satisfying)
Now, coming back to this fun New Year hike, we started off meeting at Botanical Garden; with no one had experience doing this trail, we embarked on a journey by following All Trails GPS and a blog post guide. We do not have any idea on how long the hike would be, and thus did not do a good prep – bringing enough water and energy bar/snacks.
Tip: Good shoes, insect repellent, long trousers, energy bar and plenty of water.
The hike was really very long for beginner like us; but the long trail was definitely worth it, that I only realised the rainforest is very amazing, with different scenery along the way.
Starting from the trail that leads to station 46, it began with a long climb up the stairs. By following the GPS map, instead of heading to station 46, you’d need to detour to restricted area ala the Waterfall route. Instead of heading down to the waterfall base, continue along the route. Don’t be surprise part of the route was narrow but opened enough for 1-person.
By following the GPS indicator on All Trails app, you would pass by RG3 and RG4; RG stands for Rain Gauge and it’s my first time seeing this instrument. 2hours took us to the junction of Zizai Hill (towards Tanjung Bungah) and RG9 (towards Penang Hill).
Note the sign along the way, it’s fairly easy and will not get lost. Interestingly, the whole Penang Hill is connected and Zizai Hill – another trail that I am excited cross path with me.
Met several hikers coming from Tanjung Bungah, heading towards the same direction, we followed them. However that did not last long as their speed was really fast.
Again, please bring enough water and food. I still can remember the feeling of being exhausted and need food! After passing through RG9, the trail was a surprise as it was a downhill towards a valley and later uphill. Feeling weird as we were in the middle of the hill and valley, it’s something that was not experienced before as I thought hiking is suppose to be all ascend; but this is crossing Penang Hill’s spine thus going down and up again.
Here comes the challenging part – before almost reaching the Old Craig Hotel, there’s a part that need to climb via rope. This was the most interesting part to me.
After 1.5 hours from RG9, we were very near to Old Craig Hotel when we see a long drain, follow the drain line towards right and the Old Craig Hotel would be insight!
Slight right, follow the drain direction and you will find the old Craig Hotel, like time capsule unveils in front of you.
Craig Hotel – an abandoned hotel and former school (Uplands) on the north edge of Penang Hill. Pity that it’s abandoned otherwise it’s a lovely site for vacation.
Few years back it was used as a film set for Indian Summers, thus don’t be surprise to see some modern fixture at the building. I explored a little of the abandoned building, a little eerie but was fun to look at how time stood still.
Spent not more than 30 minutes there, felt the time capsule atmosphere and we continue to head to Penang Hill. You would pass by a bridge and site keepers residence then onto the jeep road.
Read that one maybe denied entry from the top of Penang Hill as the site keeper dislike people visiting the hotel; though there were no complain if we coming from the bottom.
4 hours of hike with good scenery, people, and earned a good meal and fitness achievement. I want to do this trail again!
Tip 2: If the queue time to tram is too long, take the jeep; nego a good rate and they take you straight back to Botanical Garden.
Trail Guide (Use at your own risk, borrow from this blog):
Start inside Botanical Garden Hiking Trail to Point 46 (20 minutes stairs ascend to levelled area)
Continue right to Water Catchment Area (Restricted Area sign, you are free to go further)
Cross the river and follow the trail, will reach a junction. (10-15 minutes from levelled area)
At junction, take left turn (note sign for RG3)
Uphill hike for 10-15 minutes and will reach RG3.
Continue on the only trail to reach RG4.
Continue along the trail you will meet a junction – straight slight left RG9 or right towards Teik Quarry (also is Zizai Hill trail from Tanjung Bungah)
At RG9, take left path (the straight path goes to Batu Ferringhi) and start descend downhill (heading towards a valley)
Cross an underground stream and later will meet a challenging part with rope climbing up to the top.
Continue on for 30 minutes and will meet the drain and follow the right path.
Reach Old Craig Hotel.
Continue towards the entrance of Old Craig Hotel, cross the wooden bridge to reach tar road.
Walk along tar road to reach main Jeep Road, go ascend to reach Penang Hill.
People are looking for things to bring home that feel good to the touch. As so many people have found out over the years, there’s one rug that does just that. That rug is the sheepskin rug. This a rug that almost invites people to reach down and run their hands over it. It’s a soft rug that is fluffy and incredibly inviting. The fibres used to make this rug are designed to pop up. People can see the rug close up and from a distance. In doing so, they are getting a chance to have something on hand that is all people need in a rug and more. The soft wool that forms the base of the rug is one thing that so many people love in every way. This is wool that is careful harvested and then brought to the world of the rug for all users to love.
Strong and Easy
Some rugs can eventually pull and have issues over time. This is not true of the sheepskin rug. The rug is fully attached to the backing. That makes it strong. It also means that the rug won’t shed once it is in your home. The rug is also one that will hold up over time. It won’t tear or sag. The rug also won’t warp. It stays in the same shape that it had when the owner brought it home. That allows it to drape naturally. People can reach out and enjoy the material when it is next to them.
A Totally Natural Item
A good rug, like a double sheepskin rug, is a rug that is made from all natural materials whenever possible. This allows the user to have something that doesn’t have a lot of chemicals to work. The wool used won’t trigger allergies so it’s a good thing to have on hand when you have someone in your family who has such a sensitivity. The thick, dense pile is one that holds heat and helps keep out the cold. That makes it a good choice for anyone who loves the natural world.
Comfortable and Easy
The materials used are also material that breathe. People can put them on top of places that get a lot of wear and tear and know they’re having something in the house that can and will stand up to heavy use. People can put their boots on as they sit front of the rug. They can also walk around in bare feet. The texture of the rug is one to savor after a long day of hard work. It’s a good choice for those who are very active. They can count on the rug to get the job done for them.
Kids Love Them
Kids love sheepskin rugs of all kinds. The double sheepskin rug is a good idea to bring into a kid’s room today. Kids love running around. They need a place that offers them a soft spot no matter what they’re doing. The rug lets kids relax and helps parents as well. Parents know they can put this rug in a kid’s room and leave worry behind. The rug is one that will stand up to anything a kid might have in mind. Keep your kids happy with the right rug for their rooms.
The government has just announced another round of CMCO (Conditional Movement Control Order), me being deprived from travelling locally and overseas has been making me a little depressed. Gladfully, there’s still a good spot in Penang to chill myself off these crazy time.
Sipping of icy cold beer and chomping on crunchy pizza, while the sun sats faraway into the beautiful horizon has reminded me Penang has a beautiful beach; Bora-Bora Batu Ferringhi is not an uncommon name and they has been around for quite a long time.
While cafe hopping was a fun thing to do and kill times, I find that the beach is equally good, or even better. I like the salty wind hitting on my face, the laughter of children building sand castle and the beach vibe playlist from Bora-Bora made my Saturday evening really great. Perhaps it’s the lack of patron that amplified the entire chill time, though I do still hope that business to be back to usual as soon as possible.
A quick shout out to the food, the Hawaiian Pizza was sweet and crunchy enough to made us a good dinner meal.
If you are not using Shopback, you have to get on board right now, because it’s very legit that I’ve earned almost RM2000 of cashback just from shopping online! Disclaimer: This is not sponsored by Shopback. I just find that many of my friends are still not on this cashback program yet and I have the obligation to share with all about this.
Somemore, during this tough period of Covid-19 and economic downturn, we can make as much side income as possible while maintaining life as usual. I love to shop online, especially on Lazada and Shopee to buy small little stuff now and then to fuel my life; yes, I am kind of a material person (I do control my spending though, sometimes). Shopback does a great job crediting small amount of cashback everytime. Best when they have Super Shopback! I’ve get the most cashback from hotel booking, unfortunately this is not the period for travelling!
Friend has been asking if this is a real thing, and I have to share that it’s very legit, just that it takes a while for the cashback amount to show up in your account and take a little extra hassle when doing shopping. You will need to open Shopback app first before going to your favourite shopping app, so two steps here.
They used to credit the cashback quite quickly but it’d become a longer period now, like 3-4 months. After all, this is free money from your shopping so the surprise feeling when seeing it’s credited after a few months is amazing!
RinggitOhRinggit has good tips on Shopback that you can check it out too! Even if it’s a small cashback, slowly it will accumulate to a huge amount, as the Malay saying – sedikit-sedikit, lama menjadi bukit.
Share this tips to your friends and family now! You can sign up Shopback via my link and get free RM5 in the account.
Tucked in the heritage heart of George Town, but shadowed by the famous Tek Sen Restaurant along Lebuh Carnavon, this little take-out eatery does stand out on a different way – well-lit display of pizza slices on a counter with an caucasian man manning the counter; an Italian from Rome owns this shop.
It reminds me of pizza shop like this in Europe! Otto Pizza Romana is not a full service restaurant but only cater for a quick bite, grab and go pizza; these type of pizza slice is normally a meal in Europe when pair with soft drinks or extra bag of chips.
Upon finishing our dinner at Island Problem, our taste buds got the itch to bite something and them we stumbled upon this place. We quickly got a slice of RM8 pizza from the counter and sat by the limited seating in front of the road. Ah, it was a calm and relax moment as town was very quiet at night.
The Turkey Ham Mushroom pizza was soft and fluffy, not like anything you had in Pizza Hut, it gives a good texture in the mouth. Topping on the other hand was slightly salty.
As most of the world is under lockdown right now to fight with the COVID-19 war, so do I; Malaysia have been in lockdown mode – MCO (Movement Control Order) for 7 weeks already and these time has give birth of a new interest in me – coffee drinking.
I have a Nespresso Pixie at home for quick and quality coffee drinks, love it; but then it does not replicate the aromatic espresso taste that I always got from the cafe, the capsules are just different, not bad but it’s a distinguish Nespresso taste. So, I went into a journey to explore different type of coffee brewing at home – one that is easy to brew, and attracted me a lot is Cold Brew Coffee.
Bought a local cafe cold brew from Macallum Connoisseur to compare to the cold brew I’ve made. Pretty solid and I find it even better.
In the cafe, cold brew coffee always comes in a beautiful bottle and the price often be more expensive then a typical espresso-based coffee. With those YouTube recipe, I find that I could brew the same thing and save some bucks, only realised that even I brew myself, the cost per cup of cold brew is still not cheap, I calculated about RM6 (1.4$) per 280ml, of course I am using some pretty good beans. Hehe.
However, the brewing process and outcome is very satisfying and it’s the closest thing I’ve made at home that is comparable to the one I had in cafe! There is no standard ratio, I have seen a range of 1:4 to 1:15. For now, I am experimenting with different brew ratio – the mighty Internet recommends a 1:4 (1 part coffee to 4 part water) for a solid cold brew concentrate, but I find 1:8 pretty good as I don’t want too strong. 1:12 be a little bit light but you can drink straight away. I find a cold brew concentrate be easier to store in fridge as I do not need to prepare a lot!
Awesome bottle from Ikea, it’s Ikea Vardagen.
For coffee bean, I prefer medium – medium dark roast. One cafe recommended me Light Roast, but I prefer the the medium roast for a nutty flavour.
Let me break down the easy step and concept of cold brew making:
Measure coffee ground, medium dark roast (I grind mine at the coffee shop, coarse powder, like french press) – 75g
Put into a container, I used a French Press (now I used Ikea 365+ Carafe with Cork Stopper for easy cleaning)
Pour in 600ml of water (this is the brew amount that is going to create, later transfer to smaller bottle for storage)
Stir with chopstick or a stirrer
Store in fridge for 18-24 hours. (I recommend not too long or else will taste bitter)
Pour out the coffee into a smaller bottle with filter in between (I use a mesh filter with filter paper; it takes time but the cleaner coffee makes better taste for me)
Dilute with ice, or milk or water.
Enjoy!
Few free to experiment your own steps. I have bought filter bags and also dedicated cold brew jug from Lazada and will try it when it arrives so cleaning will be easier for me. Will share more here with you guys.
In about 10 days, I am supposed to be travelling to the USA for my honeymoon. Unfortunately, it was officially called off 3-weeks ago, just when the time USA announces that they are banning all travellers from Europe. I was like, ‘Damn, this is it, no more trip for the time being’
Advices from family members was having us postponed the trip. I was pretty much in a denial mode initially as I told myself that I am going to follow travel advisory only. At end of February, there was no such advisory on not visiting United States from Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry. I was following them COVID19 news on CNN daily and also joined a few travel groups on Facebook.
Before any travel ban came in, I kept my hope high and I even replanned the whole itinerary to minimise travel in crowded city and spent the most of the time in a rental car road trip. Then, the travel ban came in from United States first. My flight into New York is coming from Singapore into Frankfurt and transit to JFK. As no Europe flight is permitted into USA, the flight has cancelled.
Weeks later, Malaysia implemented a country lock down, no flight in and out and just recently, Singapore restricted flight transit via Singapore. All flights are cancelled, and to my surprise, Cathay Pacific is still flying the leg from Los Angels to Hong Kong – that’s my return leg.
Because I booked my flight via miles redemption, so it’s a little bit more hassle to do refund/cancellation. After various email and calls, Cathay Pacific is the easiest of all – full refund of AsiaMiles and also fee charged during redemption process.
While Singapore Airlines is not allowing refund of KrisFlyer air miles, only permits me to rebook without any additional charges and the date to book must happens before March 2021. To date, I have not receive any reply from Singapore Airlines until I have to called them up for detail.
For now, I am looking at, hopefully November 2020, which I don’t have good feeling about that, but finger cross that Covid-19 could get over as soon and I can get on my plane and go honeymoon!
Update 05/04/2020: Penang’s office informed that I couldn’t do the refund and later my brother in Singapore told me he managed to get full refund on the air miles. So I went to call in to Singapore’s customer service and requested the similar refund, and voila; it’s done. They’ve agreed to provide full refund of air miles into my KrisFlyer account and also taxes paid, though it would take up to 4-months for the process.
Back in 2014, when I was living in Newcastle, London was a place to visit monthly; I’ve never get enough of this charming Big Smoke. When I return in winter 2017, I have a chance to hop on the Thames River Sightseeing Cruise to see London from a different perspective.
River Thames is the iconic waterway that represent this historical city. I have never did the water tour before, and the only sight of River Thames that I always view is when crossing the beautiful Millennium Bridge or at the Westminster Bridge. If you are a first timer to London, I highly recommend you to take the River Thames Sightseeing Cruise which takes about an hour, with live tour commentary and you may hop off at various point.
But for us, we got up from Westminster and enjoyed the breeze and view all along until Greenwich. The cruise is operated by City Cruise. My brother got the combo of Hop-On Hop-Off Bus & Cruise ticket but I went for the cruise tour only as I am pretty familiar with London’s sight. (Tips: For cheaper way of sightseeing London by bus, just get on the Routemaster No 15 and pay with Oyster Card, it circles all the heritage sight and you can read the tour guide via phone)
Father & son.
Price per adult is £17.90 (Oct – May) & £18.25 (June – Sep) for return ticket. We took the return, unfortunately we spent too many time at this relaxing Greenwich and we missed our boat. It wasn’t hard to get back to the city, we took River Bus – a public transport by TFL to Tower Bridge pier and got back to our foot journey.
Palace of Westminster Clock Tower was in scaffolding, unfortunately.Heading towards London Bridge with the Shard in the background.On upper deck, with beautiful Tower Bridge as backdrop.Clarice & Tower Bridge.When the chilly wind blows…Mom and dad could not bare the cold. Still remember it was about 9degree celcius that day.Good burger at Byron’s, Greenwich. Because of this meal, we missed our return boat.Nevermind, we still can take the River Bus.
Prelude: Major throwback of my travel story as I have plenty time to write about during this COVID-19 lockdown in Malaysia. Let’s randomly starts with my Short London Trip in Winter 2017. It was a quick 3-days-2-night trip in London before beginning my main Northern Italy tour. After visiting London many times in 2014 (when I was studying in UK), it had become my starting point of any European travel.
Did many travelling in 2014 and heard many stories about pickpocketing around European countries but never really encountered any of these pickpocketing event. In the UK, I felt much safer than other countries but this trip changes my thought totally. Yes, my brother got pickpocketed in this crowded and famous Portobello Road Market at Notting Hill.
Having living in the UK before for a year back in 2014, I’ve never put any vigilant note when I was going around this country actually. Wallet was on the back pocket, phone was in the jacket pocket some times. Thus, we were put-easy while looking at stuff along this congested street.
He was looking at beautiful vintage camera, and was about to reach his hand to grab the phone out to snap a photo; “Holy shit, where is my phone?”. Hand was quickly searching around all his pockets, in and out and into his camera sling bag. Nowhere it could be found. Me & him started to feel frustrated and I too, check my belongings to make sure it’s there.
A new iPhone X was taken away, without any notice and probably during his full attention on browsing the vintage camera. Nothing much could be done except to dash to the nearest police station right away and also to stop all Apple Wallet-connected services. Moment of disappointment expresses on the face, and heck, it was the 2nd day we arrived in London.
At the police station, another French tourist encountered a similar crime and they’ve got a CCTV footage from a store showing the entire process. “Nothing that we could do”, said the policewoman and asked us to make the police report online. It’s a very common crime at this market which we were not aware of.
Well, lesson learned and brother managed to recover the phone amount via insurance claim. Feeling sad? Better not as it’d ruin the rest of the trip. Just be vigilant, really and buy a travel insurance, really, don’t play with luck!
Nevertheless, London is still beautiful and PICKPOCKET is a real thing in Europe! I heard (stereotype thinking) most of the time is the Gypsies. Yeah, I heard.
