Did you spot me in The Star on Monday?

I am pretty sure most of you did but if you didn’t, here’s the online version of the same story. Read here…

Thanks Sharmila for the write up! :D

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There will be a featured article on blogging that I wrote for R.age and it should be is published today (Wednesday, July 1). My interviewees were David Cheong, Nigel Tee, Cherlin Tan aka Tzia and Jamie Chin.

It was my first time writing a full fledged article (a main story with two side stories) and the pressure (that I gave myself) was huge. I had to get it done in a week and that week (last week) itself was a hectic one for me as I took up three jobs as the official photographer at two separate events (followed by loads of editing) and my Transformers marathon that began on Tuesday.

I never written any featured story before and one who has written loads of metro news, it was rather difficult as the style is very different. I was lost and that was when I turned to my previous boss/mentor Yuk Peng for help. After a 15-minute teach and guide session through the phone, I was typing away my story and it was pretty much smooth sailing after that. Thanks Yuk Peng! :D She read my first draft alright and more teaching followed after that, but overall, I received good comments from my teacher.

Many thanks to Sam Tham for helping me with the cover picture too. As of 2.34am, I am not sure whether will my picture be used as the cover picture for today’s StarTwo. I’m crossing my fingers. Yes, my picture is on the front page of StarTwo. Heh!

Do you notice what’s wrong with the picture? No? It’s a Macbook with a Windows screen shot! LOL.

Most importantly, thanks to Niki Cheong and Ivy Soon for the chance given, I truly appreciate it. Niki went rather easy on the story, with rather little (so much lesser than I expected) editing except a few restructuring here and there, rephrasing and of course, editing.

Do let me know what you think and comments and critics are welcomed.

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I also attended May Gin’s wedding about two weeks back. While I have attended some other friends’ wedding before, this was the first wedding that I felt really touched and happy (especially for the bride). I wasn’t emotional, but there’s something that just tingled me from within.

Congratulations, Vince and May Gin.

Will I still get my pandan flavoured muffins? *puppy eyes*

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Thanks to Chee Ching, I am (finally) going to make my name card. She got it right at her first try while others failed even after submitting their designs to me a few times. I need to get it print as soon as possible as I have wasted loads of opportunities where I could have handed out my name card and gotten more jobs and exposure.

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Lastly, I am taking a short break as there are a few pending matters that I need to settle. There are way too many pictures to be processed, computer to format and repair, camera to be sent to service center, notes to read, tutorials to do and also work to catch up with. See you guys sometime next week, or maybe the following week after that.

Follow me on Twitter instead, @jasonmumbles.

The highlight of my Ipoh trip, Foh San’s dim sum at ungodly hour, 8.30am. The dim sum was one of the reasons why I took all the trouble to travel from Malacca to this small town of Perak.

While we were waiting for a table, a guy came up to me and said he recognized me from my blog and reads my blog. Ha! I didn’t get his name, but he certainly made my day. Thanks dude!

No names, no description, no review but just pictures, pictures and more pictures. Got to love the amount of fresh and succulent prawns they put inside each dim sum.

There were Niki, Ivy, Sam, Sharmila, Ian and myself and that’s all we had. I recalled my last trip to Ipoh with my two buddies, we had way more than that even though there were only three of us.

Our friend was a wee bit too lazy to drive around searching for a parking lot and chose to park right in front of Foh San instead. For that, he was given a summon and he sure didn’t look sad at all. Heh!

It was the closing “ceremony” for the workshop where the kids have to wrap up everything before being reviewed by both Niki and Ivy.

After all the formalities, it was bidding farewell and pictures taking time. Some of the kids were kind enough to come up to me and ask for a picture; for a brief moment right there, I felt like a star celebrity, with all the flashes firing at us. I am that shallow. Ha! After all, most of the time, I am on the other side of the camera.

Senior brat, Sandra Tan.

Brat, Joy Tan. What’s with the hair covering half of the face huh? :P

Senior brat, Stanley Liew who takes really nice picture.

With some of the brats.

I also got myself another BRATs T-shirt, apart from the one I have (and still keeping in my closet) from my workshop back in 2000. Sadly, I couldn’t wear it. Niki, make bigger size can or not so that people like me and Leong can wear too! :P

While the kids were to have their lunch at the hotels, we headed out to town, specifically, dai shu geok for some yong tau fu before heading back to KL.

Mixed fruit punch, damn nice and refreshing for a hot day.

The crowd was huge as it was lunch hour. Everybody was queuing up at the counter, picking their favourite assortments of yong tau fu such as brinjals, lady fingers, tau fu (Duh!), eggs, turnips, bean curd skin and fish balls. Take whatever you want, put it in the bowl, tell the lady at the counter the kind of noodles you want and wait for your food to arrive at your table. No frills.

Niki, with his iPhone, tweeting.

My bowl of yong tau fu. While it still can’t beat my mum’s pork and fish (hakka style) yong tau fu, it is definitely far superior and delicious than most yong tau fu that I had so far, especially those in Malacca. I didn’t like the noodles though.

One for the album.

How could we head back to KL without having the famous Funny Mountain tau fu fah right? Best of all, we didn’t even need to get down from our car as they provide drive through service where they would deliver your bowl of tau fu fah and glass of soy milk to your car.

The smoothest tau fu fah ever.

We headed back to KL after that and saw an accident that probably just happened five to 10 minutes before we passed by them.

All in all, it was a short, fun and relaxing trip. While I didn’t get to eat the many Ipoh food that I wanted to, I have at least got my hands on the baked salted chicken, Foh San’s dim sum and tau fu fah. I should have persuaded them to go for Ipoh white coffee at old town on the second day.

The third day (second day for me) would see the BRATs going for another hands-on/field trip at Kuala Kangsar, the royal town of Perak where they would be interviewing the people of Kuala Kangsar, one who makes kompang/rebana the traditional way and a labu sayung (something like a water container) maker.

First thing first, briefing by Niki Cheong before the kids were shooed away to do their jobs.

We had to follow the kids not just to ensure their safety but also to guide and supervise them throughout their assignments. At times, the kids were too engrossed or enthusiastic doing what they were doing, they tend to forget that they were in the middle of the road, blocking/disturbing somebody, asking not-so-smart questions and etc.

Met some interesting people.

The lady was sun drying asam pieces.

Also met some not very interesting people (but the kids thought he was).

We gathered at the water front, overlooking the Kuala Kangsar River, again while waiting for the kids to wrap up their interviews before proceeding with the next assignment.

It was then Niki suggested that we take the boat ride across the river and come back just for the kick of it. The boatman charges only RM0.40 per trip, ridiculously cheap considering how expensive diesel is today. it was only RM0.20 few years back. The boat ride took no longer than 15 minutes but it was still quite an experience.

One for the album; from left, Niki Cheong, Ian Yee, Sam Tham and yours truly.

While the kids were asked to head out for their own food review, we, the facilitators sat down at a nearby stall and had mee rebus and laksa for brunch, with countless teh-o-limau-ais.

Pretty darn good mee rebus.

Roasted chicken.

After their food review assignment, it was close to noon and time to head back to Ipoh to get some work done. The bus driver stopped at the palace gate for the kids to snap a picture or two before leaving Kuala Kangsar.

We came back to the hotel where it was all work for the kids and rest for the rest. Leong, who went out during tea time, brought back baked salted chicken for tea which we all happily tucked in.

Vultures Niki, Ian, yours truly, Sam Tham, Leong and senior brat Sandra showing no mercy to the poor little bird.

Dinner was the hotel’s BBQ buffet, which was nothing to shout about. The kids later put up a few performances, some games and dancing before they continued with their work while we chilled out till late night, awaiting for supper.

Supper was at the same place as yesterday’s, dessert street, having the same stuffs, curry noodles and all sorts of shaved ice and desserts.

Called it a night as we had to wake up early for the one and only food I had been craving since I came to Ipoh. Heh!

P/S : My pictures throughout the trip were rather crappy, please bear with it. My photography isn’t consistent, at least, not all the time and Ipoh was one of the times when it got sub-standard.