Interview With Emina - A Lovely Travel Partner

During October 2016, I organized a short trip to China. In each of my trip, I would prefer to invite a small group of travelers to join the party. And as always, I got quite a number of rejection when introduced this to people around. Most of them were skeptical with safety issue in that country. But lucky for me, I'd managed to get in touch with these four amazing souls who were up for the unknown.

Among these four people, one of them drew my attention with the smile she made every time we reached a destination.

Her name is Emina, an IT Support who used to serve in the same company as I did. She got to know about my plan by following my social media, and also from the words passed by everyone around.

Me : Could you tell me what places have you been to for that one week? What were the things you remember most?

"We went to visit Beijing and Xi'an. But due to shortage of time, our group only managed to visit a hand full o historical places in each city. If I had to list down, Terracotta and the Great Wall were the most memorable places to be mentioned. Not simply because they are a must for visitors in these cities. These two places are listed as few of world's wonder, and having to witness them right in front of you is an experience that could never fade."

"But honestly, these weren't the only things I adored. This whole trip has been an eye-opening experience for. In my previous trips abroad, I hadn't had a chance to go for a self-planned trip. All of them were organized by tour agencies. We paid a good amount of money to them and in return, everything was neatly managed, including the itinerary."

"Although there were few times we heard someone spitting loudly in the public space, but it was the local street culture and it was pretty fascinating to learn it up-close."

Me : I was told that you've been to Vietnam and Indonesia, were the trips different from the one we had?

"Definitely, they weren't the same. Back in Vietnam, the trip was organized and altered based on majority's vote. Sadly, most of them in the group preferred to spend their vacation by having shopping-spree. Came with only a luggage on the first day, and went back to Malaysia with boxes of purchase. We ended up visiting only few historical sites."

"I didn't get to experience anything like we had while in China. Rushing from a place to another, trying basically every food we saw on the street, taking our time to slowly sink in every good time we were having."

"One of the most memorable occasion during the trip, was when we took the 14-hour long train from Beijing to Xi'An. We could have cut the time half by taking bullet train. But we didn't, and I truly enjoyed it. We were having great time, it was relaxing time, and I miss the time when we were playing poker on the train to kill time. And it was hilarious to think that we were supposed to meet up for dinner, but I guess everyone was damn tired, so all of us slept through the rest of train ride."

Me : How about the food? Did you manage to take them in? And were they costly?

"I remember most of the food we had consisted of mutton. Skewer, dumpling, dim-sum pao etc. Even the noodles we had were filled with mutton. Frankly, I had a different perception on the kind of food we were about to have in China, as the Chinese Malaysians are likely to enjoy flavorless and less oily food. But in China, the locals would add in as much taste as possible."

"To my surprise, they were quite cheap. When divided for five people, it only cost each of us about RMB 20 to 30 for a meal. They all cost the same regardless of how big the restaurant we dined in."

Me : How do you feel when talking to the local Chinese? Are the outsiders describing them in a right way?

"People asked me to be careful when visiting the country. And when you go to social media, they tend to share all the bad things. The locals are rude, there were thieves everywhere, you would likely to get scammed most of the time, these were some comments I got before visiting."

"But speaking through experience, the locals aren't that crazy. These weren't entirely true. Even in Malaysia, fraudster and scammers are everywhere."

"The drivers that escorted us were super friendly. The pedestrians were very helpful when we asked for direction, they even smiled and greeted us. And that time when you lost you camera in Xi'An, the hawker were kind enough to return it to you. These things I experienced were entirely different from what I heard before the trip."

Me : Any final advice for those out there who are still worried to step foot this country?

"It would be a real shame if got scared only by negative comments from others. If you really want to go, just go. Experience the thing yourself."

"Traveling isn't just a fun thing to do, it's a process of learning. People get matured by traveling."

Are Malaysian Consumers Stupid? - This Page Definitely Proves The Point

In case if any of you hadn't notice, there have been quite a number of rumors spreading around Facebook. All of them were made based on one simple intention, that is to target this developer - Metro Kajang Holding (MKH).

My attention was drawn into this topic not because of the development issue, but it was because of the obsession displayed by this page (Are Malaysian Consumers Stupid?). This definitely isn't the first time people promote hate through Facebook, but seeing the page's consistency in brainwashing its readers really had me questioned the authenticity of online news.

Check out the page and you will see the author, namely Tanya Hyacinth Fernandez, went all out ranting about the condominium she bought a while ago. Not just that, the materials and proofs she brought up to support her complaints were seemingly fake and made up, like most unreliable articles you could fine online.

And the best of all, her page received thousands of views in Facebook and people are actually her.

I really don't know how to describe it, but just look at her posts, none of them can be considered a real proof. Most of them were made up using amateur phone video and provoking texts.

For example, the author used two different photos of her years ago and present, and simply made a claim that the developer was the one to cause her the misery. Just think about it, a developer had caused her these? Look at these two photos to see her claim.

Honestly, it was too bizarre to understand her entire rant. Just look up the page and trust me, you'll frown so hard that it leaves scars on your forehead.

Well, good to know I'm not the only one to question the reliability of her stories. Or else the page's title really proved to be right. Just look at these comment sections.

And apparently this lady doesn't take no for an answer. Anyone who opposes her is considered as a danger threat.

Even my questioning comments were deleted from her posts.

I spent around half an hour going through these comments, just to see if people are actually buying these stories, but to my surprise, I found out that this isn't the first time this author has fooled the internet.

Check out this link to see how she used the same tactic to provoke hate to other establishment (History of Tanya & her cut). Sadly, it was for the same purpose - her personal amusement.

I don't have any personal grudge against the author. I don't even know her in real life. But seeing how much she was willing to do to defame others, it seriously scares the hell out of me. If I were left alone in the planet with only her standing next to me, she would still be the last being I would go for.

As an online influencer, whose livelihood and career depend so much on providing facts and articles on the internet, I would say this type of author really ruined our readers' trust.

But hey, at least all of s have learned something from her - If you dislike something/someone, simply put up some fake news online and you will eventually win the case.

So next time when I go to McDonald's and the staffs forget to give me an extra cheese dip, I should just create a hate page with the title "Boycott McDonal's - Because Cheese Is Life". lol

NY Steak Shack @ Sunway Velocity

A quick disclaimer - I am not a huge fan of K-Pop. Well, that doesn't mean I can't fall in love with the food. In fact, Korean restaurants were my first pick back in the time when I was studying in China. In short, they were cheap, simple, and tasted amazing. Ow how much I miss kimchi glass noodle! There was only one restaurant I'd ever encountered while in Beijing, that cooked it with pure passion.

Okay, okay. Let's re-focus on the actual topic here. I am not going to talk about travel on this post. This is purely about this one restaurant in Sunway Velocity, Cheras that I dined in last week - NY Steak Shack.

Ever wonder how would Korean dishes taste like when served in a restaurant, with western food as it's core menu? Now let me show around.

NY Steak Shack has recently introduced their newly designed dishes, with a special combination of western and eastern cooking style. They name it 'Dae-Bak Meals'.

Keep in mind, though, the aim of this new menu isn't to showcase the authenticity of Korean dishes. Instead, it is Korean inspired flavors infused into their way of cooking. Among the few things that you will find obvious are kimchi coleslaw, bulgogi gravy and kimchi pasta.

Even if you ordered bibimbap (a famous Korean mixed rice), they would serve rice and veges on few small plates instead of a huge bowl filled with everything in it. Also, do not forget to try their kimchi coleslaw, it's a real different taste. Instead of average milky coleslaw, this cabbages has a spicy and sour taste in it.

Here are the three things I would suggest to you.

1. Sizzling Bulgogi Lamb Leg - Grilled to perfection and served with bulgogi sauce (yes that bulgogi sauce!), kimchi coleslaw and fluffy white rice. Remember to pour down the sauce while the pan is still hot, and you'll get yourself a perfect aromatheraphy.

2. K-Runch Wings - Simply addictive! The inside is juicy that it makes you forget it's actually a fried chicken. My best suggestion, try the bulgogi flavor.

3. Omija (Mocktails) - A special inspired by traditional Korean punch. I'm suggesting this mostly isn't because this being my favorite. It's just too unique that I've got to share it. And YES, that' a freaking bird's eye chili!

For more info, you may check these out -

Website : www.nysteakshack.com
Location : Outlet Addresses
Facebook : NY Steak Shack Official Page

A Chance To Win BMW 330e Sport With Tronexus

I believe the usage of smart phone is rather common nowadays in Malaysia. It's 2017, unless you're living in some rural cities, with limitation in getting modern day devices, I would say that's be a little too odd for you not to have one. Not to say that it is a norm to own a smart phone, but I feel that not having one would be pretty inconvenient.

For me, I need my phone to perform all sort of online stuff. Fund transfer, bill payment, dictionary, car-pulling, getting news feed, just to name a few. Because I see smart phones as necessity, rather as a tool of entertainment.

So, when my blogger friends invited me for this one talk, that explains how one could earn extra money simply by having a smart phone (and a little hard work), I was very much interested with it. I have heard a couple of side income business modules that introduced plans nearly similar to this, but never had a chance to understand further.

So, here's a brief introduction that I have obtained from the talk, by Tronexus Global Sdn Bhd.

It is a subsidiary company of Talk Focus Sdn Bhd and also the company behind the exceptional Tronexus' simcard (the only simcard that allows its members to obtain income at their own pace and time using only their mobile phones) - is announcing an exciting change in its special ongoing contest now in the form of a Tronexus Lucky Draw; in celebration of the festive Raya month with its loyal customers and supporters.

With the contest starting last October, the talk highlight of announce - the change of the contest mechanism to a "More Easier 2 Win" Lucky Draw (effective from 21 June 2017 to 30 September 2017) have the guests all delighted in hearing of the simplified mechanism contest which will allow participants to stand a chance to win a BMW 330e Sport - the grand prize of the Lucky Draw followed by the second prize of Proton Persona 1.6 Executive CVT.

Apart from these amazing new rides, there will be 23 other prizes by Tronexus to be won which are just as tempting, consisting of tour packages worth RM 18,000 for two, two Honda Alpha 110 Motorcycle, five smart TVs, five iPads and ten Foldable bicycles.

A speech by the company's CEO, Dato's Sri Eric Yap, quoted "After hearing most of the feedback from the members and a long consideration, Tronexus Management is now simplifying the contest mechanism by Changing it into a Lucky Draw mechanism, and giving more benefit to our participants to win more awesome prizes."

"We prioritized the needs of our member and we are committed to give them more excitement, more great prizes and a high chance for them to win something that will be gratifying for them to bring home."

In case if any of you is new to this business module, Tronexus introduces an affiliation program. 1 GB of mobile data will be given for free to new users. With one new member you recommend, there will be another 500 MB of free mobile data given to you. And on top of that, you may stand a chance to win all sort of huge prizes.

Keep in mind, though, that all these benefits I have mentioned are only opened for the premium members. And if you are a basic plan user, you might want to consider upgrading your plan.

I guess that is all you need to know,  for more information on the Lucky Draw or how to become Tronexus Premium Member, please visit www.tronexus.com

4 Typical Situations You Face When Buying Property

First of all, a belated wish to all readers. After a month of battle, we are finally free to enjoy this worldly bless. Coming from the guy who needs to consume calories 10 times more than average people do, trust me, it was indeed a warfare.

In case if you hadn't notice, I only weight only 53 kg, while my height is 172 cm. Like literally, that's not okay, and far from being normal. To make it even worse, I dropped a couple of more kg during the month of Ramadhan. Sorrow, that was all I felt when standing on the weight scale.

Anyways, enough with the talk, you probably clicked into this post because of the title. Well, this is definitely not a click bait. Without further a due, here are the list of four things people normally face when getting a property (in a form of video, wink wink!).

If any of you made it to the later part of the video, you probably noticed something familiar, right? Right? Right? (Curving lips, pretty similar to Maleficent with her malevolent smile lol)

That's true, I was in it! Well, when you come to think about it, it does seem like a click bait. Damn!

But anyhow, you were entertained, weren't you? (Another wink wink)

Credits to Skyworld Development for making this hilarious video, and for inviting me to be part of it, although it was just a teeny tinny little part, but still it was fun to make.

Here is the link for more info of them : Skyworld Development

Interview with Sajidah - Wanderer of China (Part 2)

CLICK LINK FOR PART 1 : Interview with Sajidah (Part 1)

Me : Of all cities in China, why Shanxi or Xi'an? Would you recommend it to others?

"Two things affected my decision - first is the school I'm attending, XJTU, it is one of the best school in China; secondly is the food. As a Muslim, I care a lot for the accessibility of halal food. And if you'd been to Xi'an, you would know how easy it is to get those halal food. Just look at the size of Muslim street, you would literally need to spend months just to try out every available dishes there."

"So if you asked me whether I would recommend people to travel or stay here - yes, I would. This city is on the rise, but unlike Beijing, it is not a busy city that makes you long for home within the first few days of arrival. I, myself, do not like big city. I love the town I grew up in, so considering the contrast between my hometown and this city isn't so big, I didn't have hard time liking this place."

Me : There are wide speculations out there saying that China is a dirty country, having rude locals, completely messy and unstable. So, what do you want to say to those people who wish to visit this country, but having such absurd judgment?

"To me, if you literally think of any country that way, do me a favor and just forget your dream to travel. When you travel abroad, especially to such country with so little dependable facts as your guidance, you can't afford to have that kind of silly thought in your head. As a matter of fact, you travel to reveal the truth behind it."

"My people (Malaysians) are likely to think of themselves as the rightful standard, a benchmark to every goodness in the world. People with lower standard are deemed to be judged, while those who are overly qualified, are not one of them. They tend to think that the world revolves only around them. That's just pretty sick."

"This is why I love traveling so much, because it changes how I see the world. I used to be such an egomaniac back in high school, and my background kind of boosted it up. I was known for having good mathematical and calculation skills, a math genius. But when I first attended this university, that was the time when I realized I wasn't as good as I though I was. The locals here were ten times better than me and they didn't even need a calculator to solve a complicated equation. And that wasn't the only event where I felt so timid. Well, my point is, no matter how good you think you are, the world is huge, there will always someone who is a hundred times better than you."

"So, my word of advice is, people need to go out of their comfort zone more often. Traveling isn't just a costly or fancy lifestyle for the rich, it can be a learning tool for everyone. Of course, there are plenty other ways other than this. The world isn't as simple as you think it is. The moment you realize how tiny you are comparing to the universe, that's when you understand what am I trying to say here."

Interview with Sajidah - Wanderer of China

When I first met Sajidah, we were only 17. Both of us were traveling to China at that time for the same program, except that I was in the competing group and she was one of the back-up crew. Growing up in Pontian, Johor, really exposed herself to community that are quite similar to mine - the people were not so keen in traveling. Even when they do, those are the rich that have planned for fancy holiday or family time abroad.

When my friends and I finally decided we wanted to go to Xi'an, her name popped into my head like a light bulb. She's been staying there for more than four years now, she must have some good stories she could share with us. Hence, this triggered my desire to interview her for more.

Me : So, why are you here? How did everything start?

"I'm here for college, it's my fourth year now. I came here on 2013 and I was on scholarship program. At that time, I was very much interested with Public Administration or Management. So, this school, Xi'an Jiao Tong University (西安交通大学) was one of the best school people around recommended to me. But, of course, I didn't just fly directly after my final year of high school."

"As you could see, I graduated from Private High School, with Chinese as its main literacy, and it was very hard to apply for any scholarship back in Malaysia when you are not from the government listed school. Same thing happened to my sister, Amirah. She had worse case comparing to mine, because the government department didn't recognize her graduation certificate and in the end, she had to pay for college fee in China by herself. Luckily, she managed to obtain another scholarship there after few semesters."

"As for me, I got a recommendation from my teacher to apply for private scholarship issued by Dongzhong (董总). I spent around a year teaching in my high school, and at the same time applied for this. The process was supposed to be more complicated, but due to some recommendation, I managed to obtain it within three months."

Me : So, it's been quite some time now, what have you seen so far? What are the good stuffs about Xi'an?

"A very standard advice I'd give to any visitors that asked me this - first, you've got to visit these nearby places first, Bell Tower (钟楼), Drum Tower (鼓楼) and Muslim Street (回民街). Next, it'd be Terracotta Army Museum (兵马俑). Lastly, the cafes near Giant Wild Goose Pagoda (大雁塔). Only when you've done with all this, seek for the best local stuff. Of course, this is just personal suggestion."

"What do I mean by the best local stuff? One of it is the food, but not the kind of food that they serve in the hotel or high-scale cafeteria, more like average daily dishes that locals eat (家常菜). You would normally find it in a cheap restaurant or hawker center."

"For example, I would suggest you to try their glass noodles (凉皮) or biang biang noodles. And also if you Google up the top ten funny or interesting stuff about Xi'an,you would normally see these few things. One of it is, if you go down the streets or alley around this city, you will see this particular type of small restaurant that serves all sort of noodles, to customers who dine in by squatting on the road side. Not much of a pleasant sight to see, but it's interesting to learn that it's a norm for them."

"Another cute thing is how the ladies here wear hijab without covering ears. It looks kind of like their signature here in Shanxi or Xi'an. And one last thing I'd like to point out is how huge their naan is. It's literally the size of a farmer's hat, or a big pot."

"But of course, those are just the tourism part. If you really wonder what this place has given to me (not just Xi'an, but China in general)? I'd say a lot. I've come to learn loads of stuff that changed my perspective in viewing everything. I would say you were crazy if you ever thought China wasn't much as a country."

Me : Can I say you are more mature now after traveling to this country? How did that happen?

"Yes, absolutely. One thing that everyone knows about studying abroad is that you will be left alone in a city with very limited resources. In my case, I didn't have any problem with communication, as I speak fluent Mandarin. But the thing I truly lacked of was friends for support. In my first year here, I had only one Malaysian friend whom taking the same major. As for the rest of the Malaysians, they were 45 minutes apart in different campus. It's really cool when you think about it, that how this hardship actually led to a new discovery for me."

"People need to understand that when you are abroad for school or work, the locals normally wouldn't look forward to become friends with you, unless you have something valuable that they can learn from. I believe this implies on any places in the world. Even I, myself wouldn't approach a foreigner in my hometown for no reason. Hence, this thought forced me to get out from my comfort zone and make myself appealing to people in school, by joining more social activities or groups. I needed friends, but not like desperately."

"When it comes to free time, I figured I should go wander around more, with a hope to come in contact with new things. I tried car-pulling, like Uber, and sat in the same cars with strangers. It was fun to eavesdrop these people talking about their work and life. Sometimes I could literally learn something from them. Definitely not the kind of stuff that you learn fro school."

"Also there is one more thing I've learned, I believe you too could relate - patience. The mainland Chinese are notorious to the world for the way they behave. They tend to rush things up, even when those things can be managed with patience. So, slowly, I have accepted the culture here (but not by becoming one of them). I literally would let these people go when they cut queue or argue over trivial things. It wasn't worthy of my time."


CLICK LINK FOR PART 2 : Interview with Sajidah (Part 2)

Lemon Tree Restaurant @ Johor Bahru

In case if anyone wonders, no, the foods here do not revolve around lemon, nor do they serve lemon trees. Just like Starbucks, you don't see them serving stars, do you?

Now back to the subject, a restaurant that deserves to be mentioned - Lemon Tree Restaurant, at Taman Melodies, Johor Bahru. You will find all types of food here, which include local, western, eastern and desserts. Basically everything that Malaysians love to eat.

I had dinner there with a group of friends, and to my surprise, the bill was pretty reasonable. After splitting, each of us only had to pay around RM 15 - 20. Another restaurant that serves great food, but with cheaper price. Ow you don't know how much I love these owners.

As always, here are some of the honorable mention, or something to ease your menu selection.

Creamy Mushroom Chowder. Thick and creamy chowder served with shreds of mushroom (a whole bunch of them, honestly), a perfect appetizer before you start digging into main courses.

Lamb-shank. The mix of its gravy and mashed potato was so slushy, that it tasted so different comparing to the rest of Lamb-shanks I have had before. And the tenderized meat, just don't get me started with that.

Seafood Pizza. This post wasn't made to condemn other competitors, but most of the time when I ordered a 'Seafood Pizza', it would turn up a pizza with either only tuna or crab sticks, and I hate it every time I fall for it. So, that is why when I ordered this menu, I was flattered by how much the chef wanted to please his customers. The pizza consisted of real shrimps, squids, tuna chunks, pineapple and paprika, a tasteful combination.

Here are some further details:

Facebook   : Restaurant Lemon Tree

Contact      : 07-335 5688

Address      : 18, Jalan Bedara, Taman Melodies, 80250 Johor, Johor, Malaysia.