Selamat Hari Raya!

Just a few more days to go before Hari Raya arrives and I just wanna wish everyone Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin! It'll be a different Raya for me this year; new crib, but won't be going back to JB at all. In fact, I'll be on-air the first three days of Raya before flying off to somewhere nice with the fam.

So don't forget to watch Malaysia Hari Ini this Sunday for something extra special!

Gerobok TV: Aku Budak Intern (Ep 3)

Episode 3 is here, and it features, well... me. Hehe. So, enjoy!

Las Vacas @ Jalan Yap Kwan Seng

Those who know me, know that I have this ongoing love affair with Las Vacas. Yes, the steakhouse lah. Where got senorita named Las Vacas one? Hehe.

So if you wanna know how much I adore their steaks, just click HERE . As such, I won't be repeating myself here and go straight to the point of introducing you folks to their new outlet at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng (previously Tony Roma's).

Las Vacas started as a butchery in Kelana Jaya, that's why their outlet there and in Mont Kiara are far from being fancy schmancy. You don't really go there for the ambience, although I do love the homey feel of the KJ outlet. BUT the new place at Jalan Yap Kwan Seng is a proper restaurant with better decor and lighting : )

And the best part? The menu here is also more extensive. If everything is rather basic and simple and the other two outlets, there's a lot more stuff for appetisers, mains, desserts and drinks here. We tried out the mozzarella sticks to whet our appetite and it was pretty good. We're told that the head chef is an experienced chap with a love for all things Italian.

Then we moved to the steaks and ordered our usuals (I know I know, need to break out of the rib-eyes and striploins, hehe). No disappointments there, either.

Although we were quite full by then, we decided to try out a couple of the desserts; the tiramisu (with no alcohol, of course) and panna cotta. Both were pretty delicious although we didn't like how the panna cotta (not pictured) was served in a normal plastic cup!

Overall, a good first experience. Great food with better ambience, and as co-owner Freddy pointed out, at the same prices. Can imagine myself spending a LOT of time here. : )

Gerobok TV Has Arrived!

Yes, remember the name: Gerobok TV! It's a brand new youtube channel that falls under my care and you can look forward to plenty of irreverent and fresh new content here.

But before we launch this officially, do enjoy the channel's first original series, "Aku Budak Intern". Hit me up with comments, and the best ones might just win something special. Enjoy!

The Other Stuff I Did In London

So, apart from running in the British 10k and doing the Olympic Walking Tour, I didn't really do much else this time around in London. The "keterujaan" level was also a bit on the low side since I made the trip on my own without the fam.

Anyway, many of you out there were excited for me as this trip included going on the brand new A380 by MAS. But that was only for the return journey home. Getting there, we had to endure the rather rundown 747. Hehe.

Upon touchdown at Heathrow, I then took the Heathrow Express to Paddington where I made a 10-minute walk to Park Place, Edgware Road. Thanks to an old friend's uncle, I got a good deal for accommodation here; a nice one-bedroom apartment with great location. And oh, hundreds of channels on SKY HD!

And if you're familiar with this area, you should know that Middle Easterners and Malaysians rule here! I mean, you'd be hard pressed to find a non-halal makan place here. Everything's here halal, including the grocery stores and pharmacies. The drawback? Well, walking here is more like walking the sidewalk at an Arab country rather than in London. That is of course, until you reach Marble Arch and Oxford Street.

And yes, I spent a whole lot of time there on the second day, but only after a short run at Hyde Park. Still on Malaysian time, I woke up around 3am on Saturday, before heading to the park at around 5.30am.

After that, it was time to hit the shopping trail (and also to pick up my race pack at Trafalgar Square). Decided not to take the tube that day and so, I walked all the way from Marble Arch to Oxford Street, to Regent Street, to Trafalgar Square, to Covent Garden, to Piccadilly Circus and back to Marble Arch and Edgware Road. Maunya tak penat! And I had my brand new Nike + Fuelband to tell me all about it. Hehe.

Sunday 8th July was event day and I was completely exhausted after it. Which meant packing my meal and staying in to watch the Wimbledon final. And oh, I still remember the buzz those couple of days. Everywhere it was all about Andy Murray, Andy Murray, Andy Murray... the first Brit in the final since like forever. Well, you should know by now that Roger Federer reigned supreme instead. Boo hoo.

The following day, it was a bit more shopping around Oxford Street and Harrods at Knightsbridge. Yup, just had to get some Laduree to bring back home and an extra special something for wifey : )

Then it was off to Belsize Park to meet up with my brother-in-law who also had some guests coming from Wales. We had dinner and lepak-ed for a bit before I went back to the apartment.

The whole of Tuesday was spent in Stratford City doing the Olympic tour and a bit more shopping at the brand new Westfield (with some fish n chips!).

I also did a live-crossover for MHI earlier that night.

 And then it was time to go home on Wednesday... on the A380!

I must say that the A380 does look impressive from the outside and it's matched by the brand new interior. I was on the upperdeck and legroom was aplenty despite sitting right in the middle. The entertainment screens were bigger with lots of channels and it was just more comfortable all round as compared to the 747.  But we were delayed by some two hours due to "problems with Polish airspace", so we spent a total of 14hours on the flight. A tad too long, if you ask me.

And that was it, peeps. London in 5 days. Will be back for a longer stay pretty soon though : )