Tai Ping Fish Porridge In Johor

My sons took us to try some fish noodles one morning and to my surprise, it is actually called Tai Ping..*wonder whether it is similar to Taiping in Perak*....  and this restaurant is all about FISH... and now in my mind, there are two persons whom I know without doubt that they would love this shop very much!!

It is not all just porridge but noodles as well...

Nice and cosy ambience...

and our orders were being met with friendly staff....

He recommended that we ate from this giant claypot....

Just look at that!

Something "clear" and "ching"

 Slices of fish with fish balls and greens...

And the fried garlic are free flow....

Sidedish to kick off as well...

Simply love the greens with lots of fried garlic!

For the bunch of us, five in all plus drinks, 

The bill came to a whooping RM50 plus... 

Next time I think we could be a bit "wiser"...

Order individually at RM7 per bowl and we might save a bit... 

hahahaa...

A Drive To Sutera Mall, Johor

What do we normally do each day in our new place here?  It is almost like a routine now... and I really do not want it to end soon... It is like a new life here in JB... change of life, much different from Ipoh cos we are new here and there are much to explore each day.

Few days ago, I met up with my JB friends and they took us to Sutera Mall for lunch.  To my delight, this mall is just ten minutes drive away and it is so easy to remember!  Straight road all the way... how could I not remember?  hahahaa.... 

The next day my girl and I ventured out on our own to Sutera Mall ... even my sons were so "proud" of us... they themselves never been there before on their own... hahahaa.. 

Lots of ample parking from where I stood.....

This year's decoration....

CNY atmosphere at the entrance....

Reminded me of my grannies' houses...

The houses were so simple and yet we never complained... 

Brings back good old memories of the yesteryears....

Nice.... I like them decorated this way....

Inside the mall....

After a couple of hours or so, we had our hands full....

Time go to home and prepare dinner...

This is the life of a "unpaid maid" aka "a MOM"

hahahaa...

Our First Homecooked Meal In Johor

We did not eat out all the time, firstly it is quite costly and secondly, most of the food are sort of "fattening" too... my sons prefer homecooked food anytime especially they have been "deprived" from them for a doubly long time already.   So ... most mornings, my girl and I will do some marketing at the grocery malls and just a few days ago, I was told that there is one mini market just near my place.  Now there is no more excuse that I cannot cook.... hahahaa...

For the first few days, I just did some simple cooking such as these...

Broccoli with mushrooms and scallops....

Beans with egg....

There were limited bowls in the house then... 

Only two metal plates, one bowl and one big mug...

So my girl ended up eating rice in the big mug!

hahahahaa...

After that day, we bought the whatever is necessary....

A more proper meal was in store....

Since it's just family, I didn't bother to dish out individual bowls for soup...

We do it the "authentic way" .... 

 This time I did cauliflower with mushrooms and scallops...

Sweet sour prawns....

 

ABC groundnuts soup....

And peeled oranges done by my girl... 

(for the first time in history!)

Thus the photo as proof.. 

Good job!

Welfie...

Our first proper meal!!

Ah Meng's Smack Noodles And Or Nee @ Taman Iskandar, Johor

By the time we reached the JB immigration, it was almost 7pm... Time for Dinner!! This time we ventured out a bit further downtown in Taman Iskandar. My sons told me that we were going for Smack Mee so naturally I thought the name of the shop was called Smack Noodles! But when we reached, I only realized that the name of the shop is Ah Meng and it is famous for their Smack meehoon.... We had a good laugh when I told them that I thought the place is called Smack!

Okay, what is Smack Meehoon?

It looks like this!

Looks like the noodles were given a "Smack" at the last moment! 

(to flatten them thus the smack!)

We ended up ordering two Smack Noodles cos they are really good!

Son busy ordering and conversing in his half-past six Mandarin....

hahahaa...

Ok, he is much better than me anytime!

As usual, good food means crowded tables....

We had their signature beancurd with mixed meat....

Otak-otak ....

Bitter gourd with salted eggs...

Another greens for those who are not into the "bitterness"

Steamed herbal chicken....

This is another "must-order"dish...

Crispy fried octopus... 

I think that was about all....

Alright, these food are for seven of us... 

Definitely not four...

We are not Big eaters... 

ahemmmmm...

And this.......!

That is the reason I wanted to come here ... is because of Or Nee!

I miss having this so-so much....

There is no place in Ipoh selling this so I am really looking forward to this yam pudding...

I ended up taking a second helping on this dessert, in fact...

It is warm yam pudding and topped with gingko nuts and pumpkin!

Really a MUST-HAVE dessert!

3 Tips for Traveling With Carry-Ons

If you often try to travel with just a carry-on (or two), you’re probably used to getting charged extra unexpected fees because you broke some unknown airline rule. Planning a cabin getaway? Learn more about having a great, rustic vacation. Here’s how to travel the correct way with carry-ons, avoid those hidden fees and make your next flight with plenty of time to spare.

1. Figure out which airlines have the strictest guidelines. Last year, Delta, American Airlines, and United reduced the size of allowed carry-on bags. Now you can have a bag that is 22 inches long, 14 inches wide and nine inches tall, which is one inch smaller than in past years. JetBlue and Southwest, however, have maintained their 24x16x10 carry-on bag limit, which makes them the better choice if you pack your carry-on to the brim. When determining whether or not your carry-on fits within the airline’s limits, don’t forget to account for the bag’s wheels. Remember, even if your bag is only one inch too large, many airlines still won’t let you through. When it comes to weight, international airlines tend to have more strict guidelines than domestic flights. You can weigh your luggage on a regular bathroom scale or, if you travel often, you may want to invest in your own luggage scale.

2. Always do a last check on TSA rules for what you can and cannot carry on the plane. The rules are always changing, so don’t assume that something that passed through last time will make it through again. For now, you can carry on knitting needles and screwdrivers, but e-cigarettes are banned.

3. Check the airline’s website to learn about hidden fees. In 2014, Frontier started charging flyers up to $35 for carry-on bags. If customers tried to check their carry-on at the gate, they had to pay up to $50 in fees! That number’s going up, too. Spirit airlines has 24 kinds of baggage fees, some that go all the way up to $100. When you fly Allegiant, you’re allowed one small personal item but if you have to store something overhead, you could pay up to $35.

It can be a pain to keep up with always-changing airline rules. Before boarding your next flight, give them a quick call to make sure you’re still within the guidelines.

At IKEA Singapore On Saturday

On Saturday we entered into Singapore again, this time my son drove in. Since it is a weekend, there is no VEP charge... *oh, don't ask me what VEP is, I just repeat what I heard*  But of course, there would be other charges other than that, on both ways, going and coming out from Singapore.

There is normally no jam during weekends especially going in to Singapore... 

The currency rates might be one of the possibility that locals refrain from shopping in the Lion City...

Smooth traffic and soon we were in Singapore....

We spent a couple of hours in Jurong East and after that.....

We stopped by here to do some shopping at IKEA ....

But the main purpose again... is..... 

Food!

Surprised that they have pork knuckle there!

Couldn't resist... so we ordered one piece... 

So enormous portion... $13.90

Seafood rings....

Fried chicken wings at $7.50 for six...

And of course, this cannot be missed...

Andy ordered the large portion of 20 meatballs!

The bill of the above came to around $30 or so....

Not so sure.. I just wait to be served.. 

hahahaha...

After all was done and eaten, we adjourned to another place....

 

We came here to drop a friend off....

And we started our way back.....

Oh... hang on there first....

Need to check the GPS... Google Map..... on the directions...

At the same time, check out which causeway is more "Free" from jams.....

Really .... the Apps are so helpful, right????

A Day Trip From JB To Singapore JEM

Aaron took one day off to "teach" us how to take the causeway bus from our area to Singapore...  The bus comes in every fifteen minutes from Giant Supermarket, very convenient and it cost only RM5 for one way.  It was around 11.30am when we parked our car here and in less than ten minutes, the yellow bus came and ferried us away.....

One way is RM5 and coming back from Singapore cost $4sg. 

The journey took more than an hour to reach JEM in Boon Lay.

 We reached Jurong East Mall around 1pm noon... 

Here at the entrance with the Pandas' family...

Aaron took us to Llao Llao Yogurt at the mall...

 Seems to be a very popular spot especially among ladies during lunchtime!

Healthy yogurt for lunch, so I was told...

If the Q is long, then it must be Good?

Fresh fruits in between and it cost $6.50.... 

Well, worth trying out since my country does not have it yet.. 

hahahaha...

 

Walked around the adjourning malls and the vicinity 

and ended up at Earle Swenson....

Same family as Swenson but different menu...

Free flow of healthy salad @ $13.00....

 And we ordered just  Chicken Wraps to share among us... $18.90

And a complimentary Ice Cream Cake ....

 Free for the Birthday Boy!

Yes, that is one of the reasons we came in here...

hahahahaa... 

Precious cake being blown.....

On the way out of JEM, we came across the Westgate Social Kiosk...

Feeling curious, we hang around here....

We took a portrait picture... 

Playing with the frames on the giant screen...

Finalized Picture done....

And then we clicked "Send" and it went floating up the "sky screen"

and finally settled on one spot up on the "tree"...

Well, I guess our picture is not up there anymore the next day.... 

Just a moment of "Fun"

And after that, we took the causeway bus near the mall and back to Johor...

Few hours passed by pretty quick....

It was almost 6pm when we reached the Giant...

So now we know how to take the bus, we can go anytime we like the next time!