This episode is just a quick update to share the exciting event coming to town this week. None other than the highly anticipated MATTA Fair! You must been living under a rock if you have not heard about MATTA Fair.

In a nutshell, it is the most awaited and anticipated travel fair of the year. This year the fair returns with loads of offers from hundred of exhibitors including Firefly Airlines. MATTA FAIR 2010 is being held at Putra World Trade Center (PWTC) Kuala Lumpur from 12th-14th of March 2010.

I was at MATTA Fair on Friday afternoon to check out some great deals for my mid-year holiday. As always, the exhibition halls were full with 2 things.

People.

And Great Deals.

If you are going to MATTA Fair, don’t forget to drop by at Firefly’s booth at PWTC’s Hall 3 (all domestic and ASEAN’s destinations packages), and Hall 2 (all international packages) as they have plenty of great offers in line with the fair.

(Models not included) – Photo from Firefly/James.

As 2010 is a world cup year and football fever is in the air (Go Brazil!), Firefly is adopting a fresh football theme in its MATTA Fair promo. Score as a winner with Firefly’s Penalty Kick teaser and One Touch Wheel of Fortune.

There are plenty of great Firefly Holiday deals being offered over the 3 days. Last December I made trip to Langkawi on Firefly Holidays and it’s definitely worth it! On top of these affordable Firefly Holiday packages, you can actually win cool prizes!

Someone was lucky enough to win a pair of new boots!

As a spin-off to the huge success of last year’s introduction of the simulator, Firefly will once again give the public a great opportunity to test their piloting skills. For this contest, the top 3 best piloting and landing participants will get a chance to win Malaysia Airlines’ tickets to Brisbane or Firefly tickets to any of our destinations.

Click here to check out how well I did on this simulator in last year’s MATTA Fair.

Firefly has also introduced “Oh Snap!” where you can have your photos taken with the simulator and the crew for a minimal fee. Something interesting for a camera-shy guy like me hehe

If taking photo with pilots and stewardesses is not your thing, there is always other ‘attractions’.

There is also exciting range of Firefly merchandise that you can purchase at the MATTA Fair. If you are a Firefly Facebook fan, print out the voucher and get 20% off for the merchandise. Personally I would recommend the ATR72-500 1:150 scale model and the brand new Firefly Jersey!

I would love to wear that cool jersey on my next FY Blog assignments

And to top it all, Firefly Mobile is also offering RM1 fare for all destinations which will be available on-site and must be purchased via Firefly’s newly introduced application- Firefly Mobile.

This is a very useful application as there are lots of travel agents during MATTA Fair that offer great ‘ground only holiday packages (exclude flight). It was so easy for me to go on my mobile to check Firefly flights availability and prices that can go along these ground only packages. Planning my own travel was never this easy!

If you are around Klang Valley, do drop by at PWTC for MATTA Fair. It’s worth the traffic jam, crazy car park hunting and crowd wrestling as the prices are definitely cheaper and it did opened my eyes to many great destinations I have never heard before.

        

It’s located near Gunung Keriang, another Kedah’s tourist attraction. Driving to the museum is easy as there is no heavy traffic and road signs (the normal brown colour for tourist sites) are all over the main roads.

You can’t miss the building thanks to its unique architecture; where else can you find a spaceship-looking building in the middle of paddy fields and kampong houses?

Welcome to Muzium Padi Kedah Darul Aman. Entry fee is quite cheap, RM3 for adults. Cameras are allowed for a fee of RM1; good move I have to say as many museums in Malaysia still forbid cameras.

The displays are quite interesting if you never know anything about paddy.

Various paddy related equipment

Basikal Tua

Fish trap; a common item that provides supplementary income to paddy field owners.

The end product

The highlight of the museum must be the rotating viewing deck and display murals. Through beautiful murals, the art work of 60 artists from North Korea, the history of paddy cultivation in Malaysia is revealed.

It gives you 360 degrees (literally) view of the paddy seasons; its process and link with Mother Nature.

Feel free to spend hours admiring this beautiful art piece. No one will chase you away. A whole round will take about 15-20 minutes. The murals in my opinion are so real and adorable.

Some of the exhibits have shown signs of aging and I hope necessary maintenance actions can be taken to make sure this museum remains attractive.

Another disappointment would be the unavailability of outdoor area where you can actually see the real paddy. It’s a paddy museum without the real paddy!

Paddy Museum is worth a visit if you’re in Alor Star, it’s an educational place with some fun and cool elements in it so it’s suitable for all members of the family.

I even picked up a nice pick-up line pantun,

Tuailah Padi sementara masak,
Jangan nantikan layu-layuan,
Intailah kami sementara nampak,
Esok jangan rindu-rinduan;

        

JB was as always fun; A combination of family, friends, food. You can’t go wrong with that 3F recipe. I was not in photography mood but did take out my camera to capture this special meal.

Introducing Nasi Briyani Kambing Johor Style (My mother-in-law’s delicious secret recipe) served in Dulang.

No we did not run out of plates! It’s just a nice simple tradition of togetherness.

Traditionally, dulang or a big serving tray is used at a kenduri or feast. Kenduri is a form of serving food to anyone and usually accompanied with doa selamat, thanking the Almighty for his abundance on occasions such as the fulfillment of the of a newborn, birthdays, weddings & remembering the deceased.

In our case, there was no specific reason, just a more fun way to have a makan-makan amongst family members.

The briyani rice ready to be served.

The delicious Nasi Briyani scooped into the Dulang.

The main dish, lamb briyani! Good stuff.

Simple but delicious! All set.

Around 3-5 pax per dulang/tray seated in a small circle.

Seating on the floor, this is a good way to socialize and catch-up over a great meal.

My strategy is always, eat first, talk later. After all, if you get distracted, your neighbors will start ‘stealing’ the rice from your ‘unchartered area’.

The good thing is even if you don’t eat that much, you always feel full. Maybe it’s the psychological factor seeing a lot of rice in your tray.

Come to think of it, I had always enjoyed eating in dulang. I am already thinking that once I have my own house, if I ever do a kenduri it has to be in dulang! That would be fun to keep this tradition alive…and of course save on having to wash so many plates

        

However I quickly changed my mind the moment I knew that the venue is located just 5 minutes from home and it’s RM40 for a fun 2-3 hours adventure! Good value for money I have to say!

(Photos from SkyTrex official Site)

What is a SkyTrex Adventure?

SKYTREX Adventure provides an organized outdoor ‘eco-recreational cum educational’ activity which will take the participants from tree to tree via series of aerial obstacles suspended at 3 meters to 22 meters in the air.

The first of its kind in Malaysia, SKYTREX Adventure is a place where you can enjoy jungle trekking from a height never reached before – via the canopy! Test your agility, challenge your fear, walk, crawl, glide and swing through our different challenges in the sky, in total safety while appreciating the wonders of the Malaysian Tropical Rain Forest.

So on a fine Saturday Morning, together with my other half, we made our way to Taman Pertanian Malaysia @ Taman Cahaya Alam @ Bukit Cherakah in Shah Alam. Yes, the same place with that once-upon-a-time famous 4-season house!

An open air shuttle bus transports all participants to SkyTex venue, located 5 minutes by bus from the park’s entrance.

Check-in counter; professionally managed…payment for the adventure and optional items such as drinks, bottle holder, gloves and lockers.

The first briefing – about the logistics. We were in a group of 13 friends and friends of friends + 4 other people who joined our group.

We signed up for Big Thrill Adventure, the adventure with medium to difficult difficulty only to be told that they have to close Big Thrill circuit due to trees obstruction. We were offered a full refund or the EXTREME CHALLENGE! That translates to 21 extreme challenges with some platforms reaching the height of 22 meters. We accepted the challenge!

First off, the Gear up Deck.

Gearing Up

“In case anything happen to me, do remember how good I was as a husband” hehehe

Initiation circuit and briefing, the dos and don’ts by one of the instructors.

Thrash talking

The first climb! Straight up…Into a small platform high above

My first ever flying fox! Awesome thrill

After that it was grueling 20 other obstacles in the Extreme Circuit. Some of it are shown in photos below.

More high trees to be climbed…

Looks easy but imagine doing it at the height of 15 meters from the ground.

One for the album~! Me in between challenges.

It took me around 2 hours 30 minutes to finish the course. An achievement really as it’s a normal average time for completion of this toughest course. A few of my group mates including my other half stopped half way due to fatigue, mainly on the climbing ladders part!

Lastly, I have to thank my buddy for initiating this event and providing the photos (I was too scared to bring my Sony)!

Any of my blog readers interested to do this? I’m all set for another round on the least tough course, the Big Thrill! Contact me on Facebook to arrange this!

        

Last week I spent a few hours in Putrajaya giving a short tour of the planned city to my kakak-kakak and abang from Indonesia who has been part of my family for the last couple of years. They never been to Putrajaya and after few times of rescheduling, I finally fulfilled my promise to bring them around.

We started at the Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque or better known as Masjid Besi or Steel Mosque.

Interesting facts: built from 6, 000 tones of steel. Environmental friendly design, and does not require fans or air-conditioners. Cost – RM 200 million.

Very nice design.

Very calming feeling

Not many mosques have this view!

Putrajaya is a beautiful place for walking and street photo shooting, unfortunately the weather was too hot on that day and I decided to do street shooting on some other days, hence the shoot-while-driving tour action.

Perdana Putra, PM’s office.

The Putra Mosque, or Masjid Putra, the principal mosque of Putrajaya, Malaysia. One of Putrajaya’s biggest tourist magnet.

Dataran Putra – currently under renovation.

One for the album~!

Putra Mosque from different views.

Wifi in Mosque compund but no phones in the Praying Hall please.

One from the album~ with the unrecognized tour guide

I’m interested to go on a freestyle street photo shoot in Putrajaya, anyone interested? Just a few hours of fun time with cameras and beautiful surrounding. Model wannabes are also welcome! hehe

        

This time I’m going to share another delightful Nasi Lemak Royale outlet in Alor Star. Introducing Nasi Lemak Royale Hijau Kuning!

I was told it’s located along Persiaran Sultan Abdul Hamid but can someone please verify this? I’m bad with directions.

It’s a typical Warung style with about 20 tables for dine-in customers. Self service.

A team of 5 Indian-Muslim staff with speedy hands, good calculation skills and cool sense-of-humor.

Queue can be as long as 20 minutes during peak-time, but it’s definitely worth it.

The beautiful sight of Nasi Lemak Royale Hijau Kuning. My favourite, Ayam Madu.

A typical dinner for me at Nasi Lemak Royal Hijau Kuning. Like a Royalty!

Hot and Spicy!

It’s not healthy I know but it’s definitely worth it. LOL Give it a try whenever you are in Kedah next time.
Better still bring me along

        

Sometimes I wonder, what is going to happen to me when I get old. I mean real old. God willing, my wife will be there when I turn 80 years old but what are the odds that she will still be around and physically able to look after both of us?

A wise man once told me that it is once we get old that we will finally appreciate our partners the most. There is some truth to that statement when I see my grandparents. My grandfather is in his mid-90s and my grandmother is a few years younger. Both are ill and spend most of their time these days in bed but one thing for sure the love never ends.

I love my grandparents. They are my role model. To be able to be together for so many years despite many life challenges is something that not all couples can achieve. When I asked them what’s the secret? They always say that it’s all about treating each other with respect and knowing that God knows whatever we do in this world. They might not have luxurious life or million dollars in the bank but they have one thing that matters the most. Love. Priceless advice I would say.

And my heart just sank every time I kissed them before leaving Alor Star. Each time I say goodbye to them, I always hope to be able to see them again in the future. Whatever it is, I will hold on to that advice and God willing, if and when I grow old I hope to be able to be the same as my grandparents and spend my last few years of life with none other than my other half.

So, what do you think? Do you worry about what will happen to you when you grow old? Do you still think money can buy love? Not for me!

        

Sacrificing my Saturday, I was up as early as 6am to catch this 820a.m. flight to Singapore.

All for the Singapore Air Show; the event ticket bought from the agent in Malaysia for S$21.

Warming up my camera with some shots as the plane approached into Changi.

No, the engine did not stop; I was on high-shutter speed mode. Chasing the shadow.

Welcome to Singapore

From the budget terminal, I took the free shuttle to Terminal 2 where from there I took the Air Show Shuttle to the Air Show site. All in less than 1 hour despite the huge crowd. Hats off to Singapore’s efficiency.

Crowd management by the organiser was superb.

Flags of participating nations. Malaysia was not there. Not invited or not interested?

There were basically three main areas; the static display, the exhibition hall and the air show demo.

My favorite was the static display. A lot more aircraft from all parts of the world compared to LIMA 2009.

Cute Unmanned MQ-8B

High-tech drone.

There were also many business jets being displayed with potential customers given introductory tour inside the aircrafts. My favorite has always been this baby; Cessna Citation X.

Two main displays as far as civil aircrafts are concerned are the Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A330F.

The Boeing 737-800 with Garuda livery on. A celebrity. Long queue for visitors to visit the cabin. I waited for 20 minutes before giving up.

I just love the winglets on the new generation of 737s. Sexy!

The other cebrity. The brand new A330-200F. Airbus undertook hot-weather tests of its A330-200 freighter aircraft at the Singapore Airshow over the weekend. They got what they asked for. Super hot weather!

One for the album!

Beautiful plane. It may be on Hot Weather test but lots of visitors using the plane to avoid hot weather hehe

Military planes were also being displayed with majority being from US Air Force. A rare sight for me as a Malaysian. I decided to queue for 1 hour to go inside THE ROCK.

The plane and crew flew all the way from Arkansas.

The Rock

Huge area inside that can fit anything that can be fit in.

The cockpit.

These are some other beautiful planes; more can be seen on my facebook album.

Then came the Air Show. Interesting live show but still no group formation flying except the F16 and Apache which was the same as the LIMA’s show.

My zoom-lens + camera just could not capture the fast flying jets and I have to settle for something slower.

The indoor exhibition letdown was a big letdown. Since it was a Public Day and those exhibition booths are mainly for Trade Visitors, some of the exhibitors decided to cordon off the areas and just ignore the human flow around their space. I guess for these players it goes down to just dollars and cents. However there are exhibitors with high enough social responsibility to keep their displays on and entertain the public.

Being able to attend Singapore Air Show 2010 is a personal achievement for me. I have always wanted to witness a big aviation event outside Malaysia and this weekend I’ve managed to fulfill that desire. Next on my target is the Dubai Air Show and perhaps one day Farnborough!

        

Your opinions matters to me and I will definitely give the places suggested by all of you a try on my next JHB trip! In the meantime enjoy Part 2 of Azuan Zahdi’s Explore the Backyard of Johor Bahru.

For those who missed my Part 1 review of the trip to JB, click here to revisit the blog post.

After a long and tiring day 1, the first thing that I need after waking up was a good breakfast meal. Skipping the usual boring hotel breakfast, I jumped into the car and went straight to get a Johorian breakfast.

Introducing Kacang Phool, an Arabic dish well known in JB. Kacang pool is foul beans cooked with beef and spices, garnish with green chillies, onions , lime and a sunny side up served with bread.

You can easily find this in many places in JB but my favorite spots are the ones at a food court next to Fire station in Larkin and also in Plaza Larkin. Too bad that I left my camera in the hotel for battery re-charging and have to settle for only one photo using my camera phone.

After a delicious breakfast and a refreshing shower, I started my day 2 tour by visiting the Royal Sultan Abu Bakar Museum.

Built in 1866, this museum showcases the history and collection related to the royal family of Johor. I am the type of person that is very bad with history lessons but this museum certainly sparked my interest to know more about the Johor royal family.

The tickets

Previously a palace, it became the Royal Abu Bakar Museum in 1982, but today, it is still used for state ceremonies and official functions. The museum has a strict “No Photography” policy and is guarded by armed personnel.

It was worth spending few Ringgit and having a first hand look at the history and exhibits. My personal favorite must have been the The Hunting Room of the Royal family. Really cool stuff!

An interesting note to point out about the Museum is the well-maintained garden surrounding the area which makes it a great place for photography as well as morning and evening jog.

A couple of miles away from the Museum is another great place for photography which is the Masjid Sultan Abu Bakar or Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque.

Built in between 1892 and 1900, this beautiful mosque has always been one of the most significant icons of Johor Bahru. Being the center of Islamic activities in the city of JB, this mosque is also well known for its unique architecture largely based on Moorish styles, along with some Malay influence.

In the spirit of 1Malaysia, it is a common sight to see non-Muslims doing pre-wedding photo shoot outside the Mosque.

Just right next to Masjid Abu Bakar is the Johor Zoo!

While it is smaller than the National Zoo, Johor Zoo has its own appeal. It is less crowded, less walking as the attractions are next to each other and in my opinion the animals are closer to the visitors (maybe it was just my wild imagination!).

Johor Zoo is definitely a must visit for families with small kids. Due to time constraint I only managed to do a quick stop at the zoo before moving to my next destination.

The Johor Bahru Art Gallery.

The gallery was a big disappointment. There are nice artwork masterpieces being displayed that captured the beautiful scenery of Johor, historical timeline of Johor, past state leaders and heroes and important events but the building itself was in a bad shape.

A nice piece of art outside the gallery, unfortunately not being properly maintained. .

I am sure if this gallery is maintained in a professional manner it will attract lots of art enthusiasts from all corners of the world.

Throughout my 1-hour in the gallery, I was alone with my wife and nobody bothered to attend to us except the moment when I took out my camera inside the gallery when I can finally heard a voice saying “No Camera please”. What a waste.

It was then makan time one again, and I had planned for lunch to be the famous Mee Rebus Tulang JB style!

Introducing Restoran ZZ, a well known eatery amongst Johorians, Singaporeans and some say Batam.

The singnature dish, Mee Rebus Tulang.Imagine the normal mee rebus with thick gravy, filled with yummy tulang,

Straw is included free of charge

For less than RM10 you can get a plate of this Mee Rebus Tulang with a refreshing glass of fruit juice.

Right after lunch, the weather was getting hotter and I settled down for some shopping.

Just like KL and Penang, JB has a wide array of shopping malls catering for different levels of shoppers.

I went to City Square JB for a quick window shopping.

Followed by a trip to The Zon in Stulang. I have to point out that this area is interesting because of two things. One is the duty free shopping in the shopping mall due to the fact that it’s located at the ferry terminal connecting JB to islands in Indonesia. A good place to buy chocolates, tobacco and alcohol. It is also a happening place at night, with many clubs and drinking spots within the area that remain opens until late night.

After entertaining my other half doing shopping at the two malls, I had the urge to taste more unique JB food.

A common snack in JB; Tempe Goreng and Pisang Goreng with Sambal Kicap (can someone translate this?!)

You can find this everywhere in JB especially during tea time. Have it with a cup of coffee or tea and it will definitely make your day.

As the day came to a close, I made my way to the old part of JB City, the famous Persiaran Meldrum, Segget Walk and the surrounding streets.

Nice place for walking and people watching.

Lots of budget backpacker’s lodge and it’s a lively place especially at night. You do not have to worry about safety as Johor’s finest police covers this area well.

Introducing another unique sight in JB, the elite motorcycle police team. In my opinion they are the celebrities of police force with good track records and a cool style in maintaining law and order in JB!

Initially I wanted to go all the way to the famous Senibong for seafood dinner but it was too far and I was running out of time so I settled for IT Roo Café.

A unique place for you to not only experience the best Chicken Chop in town (for me best in Malaysia) but also to experience the cool traditional ambience while having your meals.

My usual dish at IT Roo Café. The Chicken Chop.

Right after dinner, I made my way back to Senai Airport where the sexy ATR72-500 of Firefly Airlines was waiting to transport me back to Subang.

While it was not my first trip to Johor Bahru, the places that I visited in Part 1 and Part 2 have renewed my love towards the city. No doubt that these places are just a small part of interesting sights in Johor in general and Johor Bahru in particular. It is impossible to cover all the interesting places in Johor within two short days and the best way is still for you to get a ticket and fly to JB to experience a piece of Johor Bahru Experience!

Firefly Airlines fly 3 daily flights between Subang and Johor Bahru with attractive prices all year long. Head over to www.fireflyz.com.my for the latest promotion!

As what a Johorian once said to me… Jumpa awak di Johor Bahru ek!

        

World Cup arrives in Kuala Lumpur
2010/01/27

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will remain under the eyes of the sporting world for another two days as the World Cup, on a World Tour to 83 cities around the globe, arrived in Kuala Lumpur today.

The FIFA World Cup trophy tour which started its 134,017km tour of five continents, made stops in India (Calcutta), Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh), Thailand (Bangkok) and Indonesia (Jakarta) before arriving at the KL International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on a special chartered flight here today.

The authentic World Cup trophy, which is 36.8cm high and weighs 6.175kg is made of solid 18-carat gold with a base made from two layers of semi-precious malachite. It will be put on display for public viewing at the Mid Valley Convention Centre tomorrow and Friday.

“We are extremely delighted with the response received thus far during the tour and we are expecting a rousing response from fans in Malaysia as well. During the trophy tour, fans will be given the chance to enjoy a rare close-up view of the authentic World Cup trophy,” said FIFA spokesperson Lingling Liu after the trophy arrived at KLIA.

I am more interested in the plane carrying the World Cup. I was having a meeting at the airport and had a glimpse of the special plane.

Beautiful!