Deities Procession in Roban

Roban (a sub-district of Kabong), Sarawak was a very small town that contained lots of memories especially for Papa Tay followed by me, Rosamond and JoJo.

It’s where we born and grew up. It’s where we started our formal education. It’s where we met our friends.

It’s where we say hello to our neighbors (whom we known for so many years) with a friendly smile as we walked down the street.  It’s where we learned the hardest life lessons.

Roban seeped deep into our soul and we had strong attachment to Roban. We loved Roban. We always will no matter how far we moved away.

Hence, last night we make our way to Roban for watching annually deities procession. The deities procession usually fallen in the 22th February according to Chinese lunar calendar.

It considered as the biggest event for small town like Roban. The town area flooded with people for enjoying annually deities procession. 

Newspaper reported the annually deities procession will be started on 6 pm but at the end 7 pm just began.

 While waiting, S.E.L.F.I.E & camwhoring with the kids. Looking at the 4th picture, Papa Tay & Uncle were so relax shaking their legs waiting deities' arrival. hahaha

Besides that, we had ice cream bun offered by our Uncle. 

I used to eat ice cream bun in my very young age and now hard to find it anymore in the supermarket except D.I.Y  (do it yourself). 

I felt so good when eating ice cream bun.

The procession finally started on 7 pm from the Malay village and then winded to the Roban town area. 

Chai Sen Ye (i.e God of Prosperity) was the first for deities procession. He distributed sweets to anyone lined up on the street witnessing the procession 

 Then, a group of devotees carried the chariot by foot accompanying with loud sound of drum beats.

However, I can't recognized which deities on the chariot.

Papa Tay like usual offered 3 holly sticks for the deities.

I saw some chariots tossed higher than the devotees' head while some were swinging the chariots here and there. All of them shouted for joy and celebration 

Oh no. it's not an easy task. It seriously required 10 persons or more than that to hold the chariots steadily. 

The chariots was in the form of vehicles that bearing big holly sticks 

 Some of the devotees were came from other districts like Kuching, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Sibu and so on 

All of them paid attention in witnessing the procession. 

The procession ended on 7.45 pm. 

After that, we departed to the Temple as a dance performance from Sibu was organized. Actually, few days before the procession had the solo singing performance and the performer will be obtained Rm 5 according to Uncle. I didn't like this type of solo singing performance because most of them were old people and their songs definitely not liking my tastes.

In contrast, during actual day the well trained entertainment company was hired by the temple committee to responsible for singing and dancing performance. Yes, it really met my taste and requirement. All the songs were trendy songs and the dances were so interesting sometimes. I like it very much. 

All people also waited for singing & dancing performance

 There was no fancy restaurant near the Temple, the temporary food stalls were set up 

It had fried chicken wings, fried hot dogs, grilled chicken wings, drinks, kacang kuda.

Papa Tay was awarded a flag due to he donated few hundreds ringgit for Roban Temple

Papa urged us to go up to the stage for getting the flag for him but we all refused to do so. Finally, he got it by his own. 

Besides that, the way that emcee called the people to get the awarded flags were very funny. 

For example, When the emcee called  Papa Tay's names but he didn't showed up at first. So, the emcee said "Ah Ku (i.e Uncle's name) may help to get the flag" on the stage. 

Oh my god, first time encountered such "higher level outspoken" emcee

The committee sang a birthday song for deities

followed by dancing performance

Even though left home for so many years and had been witnessed grand performance but procession in Roban was different with them. 

It's special. It got the foods like kacang kuda, chicken wings that I had when I was grown up. It got the only entertainment, deities procession that possessed early stage of my life. It got the familiar faces that I hardly saw nowadays but they still in my memories.

Roban, you always in my mind and not be forgotten!!!

Attempting To Make Mee Hoon Kueh

Sometimes, I was inspired by the cooking video that shared in the Facebook to make American and European style breakfast such as pancakes.  

I wished one day I could make American and European style breakfast for Naruto (4^th sister). She loved American and European style breakfast so much.

Google images' pancakes. They were my expectations too. 

Therefore, I showed Mama Tay cooking video posted in Facebook on how to make pancake. She said the way that making pancake was similar with Mee Hoon Kueh.

It was very easy according to Mama Tay.  After that, I was determined to try Mee Hoon Kueh.

First of all, I got 2 cups of plain flour, 1 cup of water and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Then, I mixed them well. Feel free to add more water gradually to make the mixture smooth. At least I followed Mama Tay’s recipe.

Next, put the butter on the frying pan. 

And poured the batter onto the frying pan. Next, flipping and cooking batter until golden brown on top and bottom for few minutes. 

Done. my R.E.A.L.I.T.I.T.Y

I didn't how to pour the batter nicely. 

The batter can't spread all over the frying pan. 

Moreover, it's not easy to flip the batter because certain part of batter loved to stick on the frying pan while some easily flipped through. 

So, my Mee Hoon Kueh turned out be like above picture.

I was so surprise when it's done. It's so ugly. 

I gave my sisters to try. The sisters said no bad lahhh. They approved my Mee Hoon Kueh.

Going to do more practice next time. Yes, practices make perfect. I believed in not long times, Naruto can eat my perfect Mee Hoon Kueh.   Hahahaha

Review: My Stay In Capsule by Container Hotel, KLIA 2

Few weeks ago, I needed to catch the very early morning flight 6am that bounded to Sibu, Sarawak. Hence, I determined to stay at Capsule by Container Hotel, KLIA 2.

In fact, in January 2015 I also wished to stay there for 6 hours because I took the morning flight too. I needed a place to bath and rest. For your information, the guest can stay 3 hours (RM 50), 6 hours (RM 75) & 12 hours (RM 100). Different staying hours charged different capsule/room rates.

Capsule by Container Hotel came into my mind. I try to book online through the Capsule by Container Hotel website but failed to do so. Thus, I called the front desk personnel and the front desk personnel reassured me the capsule/room also available even though walk in.

While check in, the front desk personnel, a chubby guy told me no capsule/room was available because all the capsules/rooms were fully booked. He also requested me to wait for 2 hours since few guests might checked out later. After 2 hours, still no capsules/rooms were available. I was so frustrated and tired too at the same time. Thus, I just left the Capsule by Container Hotel.

What motivated me to stay at Capsule by Container Hotel this time was I thought their customer service might gradually improve compared 2015. I decided to book 12 hours capsule in advance through Agodo.com due to previous bad experience. Fortunately, this time I checked in successfully. 

Capsule by Container Hotel, at lower ground floor of KLIA 2

The main reason I choose to stay there was the convenient location. It situated in the lower ground floor of KLIA 2. It denoted that I just walked few steps and I reached the domestic departure hall.  It saved my times and money honestly.

It had container themed decorations. 

Container again!!! but with bigger space capsule/room

lockers was behind the the front desk counters 

The lockers can fit a medium size luggage. I preferred to put my luggage in the individual capsule in order to reach my clothes, skincare and other belongings easily. 

The walkway leaded to my individual capsule. It had upper & lower deck

The capsul/room number was indicated in the access card. 

Simple & clean individual capsule 

Once checked in, I paid RM 50 as deposit and given a recycle bag that contained bath towel, locker, access card & mineral water (forgot to take photo as I kept in my locker)

***Please brought the access card all the times 

It had 5 types of capsule facilities. 1) power point & light switch, 2) storage compartment for belongings, 3) vanity mirror, 4) ventilation 

5) Blind for privacy 

Powerpoints & lights were beside my bed. I like this type of design as the power point beside my bed allowed me to charge and use the iPhone at the same time while relaxing on the bed.

A not so smart thing was it only had 1 power point that might not suitable for travellers that looked for many power points in order to charge their electronic gadgets.

On the other hand, lights next to my bed make me easier to switch off the lights without went far away from the bed.

Meanwhile, the blind deserved a mention. It’s for privacy matter. For those who shy from others or emphasize on privacy issue, just pulled the blind over the individual capsule and the individual capsule can’t see through.

The bed was clean and comfortable. It gave me the most comfortable sleep.

WIFI was available throughout the hotel and capsule, WIFI was a must for me. Sometimes, I was so addicted to the iPhone. So, remember to get the WIFI password when checked in.

The other downfall was I was assigned an upper deck capsule. I needed to climb the stair when going to toilet and shower.  Even worst, I was the toilet lover and visited the toilet frequently. Kindly ask for lower deck if you didn’t want to face the same problem like me. I also reminded myself as well.

Besides that, it’s very noisy and so irritated. It brought inconvenience for the light sleeper like me.

 Bathroom 

I was pampered with basic bathroom amenities that include shower gel and conditioner. The hair dryer and full length mirror at least were provided. 

The water pressure in the rainfall shower head was good but it only had hot water. I ended up took a quick shower because I can’t bear with the damn hot water.  

Shower and toilet 

In conclusion, Capsule by Container Hotel served the purpose of bathing and resting for layover solo travelers.

However, if the solo traveler was the light sleeper, hate to share the bathroom & toilet with others, not concern about budget issues; you might rethink your decision to stay at Capsule by Container Hotel.

Meanwhile, for those family travels, Capsule by Container Hotel was not the suitable option too. The capsule can’t fit the whole family. If getting 2 capsules, it’s better to book a standard hotel room that had better staying environment. 

Read more about Capsule By Container Hotel, H.E.R.E

P/S: Above was my personal experience and please remember what worked for me might not work for you. 

A Rural Sarawakian Travel By Car

I belief the rural folks have the same experiences, feelings and thoughts like me when they travel by car.

I come from Saratok, one of the districts in Sarawak but it still lacks of facilities such as airport, university, corporations and factories.

Since no airport facilities in Saratok, I need to use Sibu Airport or Kuching International Airport. I prefer Sibu Airport because it is more nearer to Saratok (2 hours).

Sadly, Kuching International Airport connects to various cities compared Sibu Airport.

Thus, sometimes I force to depart from Kuching International Airport.

I used to very sad and even hopeless when travel by car directly from Saratok to Kuching International Airport because the journey takes 5 hours.

I have to wake up 5am to get ready before the van picks me up on 7am. Further, the road conditions from Saratok to Kuching are bad. The roads have big and small holes.

The van can’t run smoothly and it makes me wants to vomit and feel dizzy throughout the journey. After 5 hours hardship, I finally reach Kuching International Airport.

Due to night flight, I must wait in the Kuching International Airport for 7 hours.  I never take morning flight due to 5 hours journey from Saratok to Kuching.

My burden increases when I choose to overnight in any hotels. Moreover, I don’t like to disturb my relatives and friends in Kuching.

Every time I start my travel journey in the very early morning and it ends in the late night. 1 day is gone like this.

In a nutshell, I’m happy with the creation of Pan Borneo Highway because it does shorten car’s travel times. Hopefully, Pan Borneo Highway could be done successfully.

The daily van service from Saratok to Kuching that costs RM 45 per pax. 

Sibu's Instant Kampua Noodles

In the previous entry I mentioned that I had bought a packet of Sibu’s instant Kampua noodles from Sibu Farley Supermarket.

I wished to let Mama to try as it offered authentic Sibu’s Kampua noodles.

Kampua was came from Sibu. The signature was black looked like noodles and strong smelled of lard oil. 

2 years ago, I had been tried Sibu’s instant Kampua noodles when I worked in Miri but I forgot to share in the blog.  This time I decided to share it. 

Sibu instant Kampua noodle's old packaging 2 years ago  

 Current packaging. It still had other types of packaging in the supermarket shelves. 

 1)Kampua noodles, 2)lard oil, 3)dark soy sauce

 The  lard oil was in white color and transparent look alike while dark soy sauce was in black color. So contrasting!!!

Cooking method:

1) Cook noodles in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remember don't overcooked it. Otherwise, it became gummy

2) Drain well

3) Mix well with all the seasonings

4) Feel free to add the chopped spring onions, char siew meats, fried shallots and so on. 

Voila, it was ready to serve. 

Once again, I must say Sibu’s instant Kampua noodles tasted similar with the fresh Kampua noodles in coffee shop/ kopitiam. The pork lard made the huge contribution. Mama and sisters were strongly agreed too.

Some of us even wanted to bring along the instant Kampua noodles in our suitcases when we back to Peninsular Malaysia. Seriously, I missed the taste of Sarawak noodles (either Kampua or Kolo mee) when studying in Peninsular Malaysia because I ate Sarawak noodles almost every day when I grew up.

So, I make my own version of Sarawak noodles, that was cook the instant noodles and mix well with dark soy sauce. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the lard oil thus the taste will never be the same. Luckily, now got the instant Kampua noodles can easily cure my “Sarawak noodles sick”

Last but not least, check out the Facebook of the founder for more information.

P/S: above was my personal sharing and nothing to do with the advertorial. 

On Monday We Roll

Update on *21 March 2016*

We visited Sibu for picking up Rosamond at Sibu Airport but we dropped at Farley Supermarket because I wanted to shop.

 Papa requested to have the morning tea at Farley Food Court (few foots steps from Farley Supermarket)

 Craving for Cao Cai Fen Gan (曹菜粉干）RM 5.00, thus immediately ordered it when it's only available in Foochow areas, Sibu 

It failed to impress me. So tasteless and the soup was not aromatic. Even worst, Fen Gan (粉干）was difficult to glide into my mouth. 

 Farley's shoes area

 Suitacases section. Mickey said all the suitcases were very "cute"

The breads and cakes screamed for me and Mickey but both of us managed to control it. 

 fresh fishes & meat area

 colorful fruits & vegetables 

Spotted Sibu instant Kampua (RM 7.60) and grabbed 1 home. It helped  to relieve homesick when away from Sarawak honestly 

Our OOTD :):):)

Me & Mickey

I did shopping at apparel section too but forget to took any photos as busy checking and choosing the right outfit. 

We're shocked when seeing the compound notice in our car's front mirror. Parking coupon was not needed in Farley supermarket parking areas few years ago. 

Utilizing GPS to go to Delta Mall. The impressive technology really helped us especially rural folks like us. We didn't depended on any locals to show the directions. Yea~~~~~

So, we purposely drove to payment counter in front of Delta Mall. It's the only payment counter that we knew because previous times we used to come here for compound notice.  

Entering Bread Sense Bakery (佰乐胜）. It could be seen in every corner of Sibu 

Buying curry puffs, siew pao and Doreamon-look like breads. All RM 10

Off to Star Mega Mall food court for lunch. We wished to go to Sushi King but the set meals were not available due to Sushi Bonanza periods. 

 Chicken rice stall 

From left: chicken rice,Thai style chicken rice, salad chicken rice. It tasted like ordinary chicken rice.

All the chicken fillets were incredible small and but crispy though. 

Sotong kangkung stall 

RM 6 sotong kangkung. It tasted average only 

Fruit shave ice/ABC ( RM 4). Portion was fairly generous and a lot of ingredients too. It's worth to try