The biggest fish shop in Melaka!

Yes, you got to visit this fish shop as it is the largest shop in Melaka. The name is IKIA but rest assured it has nothing in common with the furniture maker-IKEA!

The big aquarium houses the RED PARROTS

plenty of fish tanks!!!!

They offer all kinda Gold fishes

The fish is also of good quality,nice colour,shapes and free from disease

The layered aquariums....

The showroom is decently spacious

And the fishes sold are of wide varieties,see following photos:

scary? look like ghost or albino snake?

this is cuter!

this body shape looks like "parang tau"!

One of the favourite pet fish-the silver coin

they call this tiger fish from Thailand

The young parrot fish

Stingray is also sold here

The cutie cichlids

The balloon fish

Tiger prawn?

One of the most beautiful gourami-the BLUE gouramis!

And the RED ones too

One of my favourite chichlids

One of the uniue angel fish-the bat angel

The pearl scale gold fish..

cultured plants in aquarium

Not only live products (fishes) are abundant in this shop, they also have shelves of fish related items:

All kinda fish foods and medicines

The deco and fish tanks

So, thinking what to do in the weekends? visit this fish shop located near to the Malim roundabouts.

And the highlights are none other this giant animals in the biggest tanks in the shop:

Arowana in one of the biggest tanks

Another tank’s photo was not taken…..my oversight! check it out yourselves if you wish to see the Giant animal in another big tank!

iPAD on the left vs the Samsung Galaxy Tab

Why am I saying it’s a better product,compared to the iPAD. Read on:

It features a 7-inch display, the 1Ghz Hummingbird chip from the Galaxy S, 3G cellular connectivity (with microphone), WiFi (B/G/N), GPS, Bluetooth 3.0, 3-megapixel rear-facing camera (with LED flash) and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, Android 2.2 Froyo, gyroscope, digital compass, accelerometer, light sensor, and a 4000 mAh battery. The Tab will be available with either 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage.

It will come preloaded with the Adobe Flash 10.1 Player, allowing you to stream embedded Flash videos and interact with Flash menus on the web.

You will also get Thunkfree Office for editing Microsoft Office documents, as well as the Swype keyboard to make typing as easy as dragging your finger across the keyboard. And, with a fully functional 3G cellular radio on board, the Tab is capable of making phone calls using the onboard microphone and speaker or a headset of some sort (wired or Bluetooth). It’s essentially a giant Galaxy S smartphone.

The Tab can play 1080p HD video with full hardware decoding. The Galaxy S can only play 720p video. The Tab also includes a massive 4,000 mAh battery that should be good for multiple days of surfing the web, reading books and watching movies.

Still, it’s not all is roses and rainbows with the Galaxy Tab. We have to wonder how the Tab’s high-resolution 1024×600 WSVGA display will work with currently available Android apps. Samsung has confirmed that not all of the Top 200 Android apps in the Android Market are optimized to take full advantage of the tablet’s 7-inch display. This could pose a problem going forward, as most other Android devices make use of displays at a maximum resolution of 800×480. The iPad, for example, can double-up on pixels for iPhone apps that aren’t optimized for the iPad’s larger screen and higher resolution. The Tab doesn’t have this functionality, as far as we know, which could be a problem. For it’s part, Samsung is saying that they are working with Google to reach out to developers to encourage them to create apps that can scale to the 1024×600 resolution display on the Galaxy Tab. We’re also told that an update to Android 3.0 Gingerbread will be available for the tablet in the future.

Overall, though, the most impressive aspect of the Tab is its size. It’s thin enough to be sexy, which is only complemented by its glossy back cover. The 7-inch screen is incredibly hand-friendly. You can comfortably hold the screen with one hand, and typing on the on-screen keyboard is ridiculously easy. The Tab could give iPad reason to worry!

Slick, well-designed and highly usable – it’s clear that Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab tablet computer represents a real challenge to Apple’s iPad

Now, the question is when will it be available in our market?

When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.”

“Why do you say that?” asked the customer.

“Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist.Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things.”The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.

Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber:“You know what? Barbers do not exist.”

“How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber.“I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!”

“No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.”

“Ah, but barbers DO exist! That’s what happens when people do not come to me.”

“Exactly!” affirmed the customer.“That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! That’s what happens when people do not go to Him and don’t look to Him for help. That’s why there’s so much pain and suffering in the world.”

A breathtaking view of the conceptual idea

This was the early idea of how Dataran Pahlawan should look like during the development phase,according to the company.

But today, I don’t see the mega mall was 100% built to the architecture design as depicted. Never mind, at least it still stands tall as of today from outside view:

It’s really a landmark,if not an icon, to the Malaccans. I frequent it mostly in the weekends and i like this mall because of the wide varieties of products,coupled with the relaxing environment. But one thing really got me annoyed with this Megamall is the toilets’ miserable conditions.

A water tap without a tap

As there are another 2 taps intact,maybe situation is not that bad as i thought…

The soap container is missing

not only 1 side, both sides do not have the soap bottles!

How does the mall management expect the shoppers to clean themselves after taking their loos? Don’t they need soap after toilet use?

Toilet paper is not there when you need it most!

Same here, how should the shoppers clean their xxxhole after business? Just with the water sprinkle? Fine, how to dry up then?

While the toilet paper is placed outside and only 1 row is available!!!

The paper is of the ultra thin type,one ply only instead of the usual 2 that u and me are using at home!

So, this was exactly one of the toilets in this Megamall, which was built at the cost of MYR174 million then,yet cannot afford to offer decent basic utility to the shoppers!!!

Well, be fair to Harten mgmt, they are not the only mall doing this kinda of cheapskate thing, other super or mega malls are also not better than them except those 1st class posh shopping havens like the Pavilion, the Gardens, Suria KLCC, or even my company….which even have 2 rows of papers spared in each toilet room! what a blessings to work here!  

So, I wonder YAB Datuk Ng is aware of this ugly face in our shopping malls or public places! If Yes, what have been done? why can’t improve this? I am puzzled….

]]> http://talkkok.com/2010/08/24/an-icon-or-a-disgrace-for-the-malaccans/feed/ 0 http://talkkok.com/2010/08/22/many-say-it-is-the-best-in-melaka/ http://talkkok.com/2010/08/22/many-say-it-is-the-best-in-melaka/#comments Sun, 22 Aug 2010 09:52:32 +0000 talkkok http://talkkok.com/?p=5121 In Malaysia, satay is a popular dish – especially during celebrations – and can be found throughout the country.

In Melaka, many people are selling satay, most of them either Chinese or Malay. Lately, I came to know of this Malay Satay stall which is very famous,yet unknown to me, who is a native here.

This Satay stall is famous among the Malaccans

The stall is called Mustafa Yatim, located in Bukit Piatu, Melaka. This area is primarily dominated by the Malay folks.

Mustafa Yatim located in Bukit Piatu

The stall starts selling Satay at about 4pm and by 6pm to 7pm, it can sell about 2000 sticks of Satay,business is exceptionally good.

the varieties offered are cockles, chicken,beef, chicken's intestines and hearts

the Satay are grilled in the traditional way, with charcoal fire

The Satay is grilled or barbecued over a wood or charcoal fire, then served with various spicy seasonings.Turmeric is also used to marinate satay, which gives the dish its characteristic golden yellow colour.

The business has now passed to the 3rd generation

The grilled satay and the ketupat (rice cakes)

the satay dipped with the spicy peanut sauce, or peanut gravy...

Even my VIP guests from the US like it so much! The sliced meat is rather big in portion,maybe that’s one of the reasons why it is well liked by the locals here.

But frankly speaking, it was a typical satay to me.

Ratings: 6/10

No more tea serving but Carlsberg or "Kopi cham"!!!

To the taoists, is this an insult to your deity?  

YouTiao aka Chinese Oil Stick

People call it You tiao in Mandarin, You char kway in Cantonese, sometimes known in English as Chinese Oil Stick or Chinese cruller fried bread stick or Chinese doughnut, is a long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough in Chinese cuisine and other East and Southeast Asian cuisines and is usually eaten for breakfast. Conventionally, Youtiao are lightly salted and made so they can be torn lengthwise in two. Youtiao are normally eaten as an accompaniment for rice congee or soy milk.

This chinese delicacy can easily be found in Melaka, but not many can really make it nice…to me, it must be crispy and with reasonable thick dough.

One stall is making quite a nice dough sticks  in Jalan Tengkera,Melaka.

To accompany with above delicacy, “Tong Shui” is also available:

What a perfect combination: Youtiao,Ham Zi Peng with Tong Shui. No wonder this customer was grinning while enjoying his YouTiao:

I can  even ask for a specially made Ham Zi Peng which come with extra fillings-black tau sau!

It was absolutely fabulous! You should try it when in town….It’s just beside the Casarini furniture house along Jalan Tengkera!

A property advertisement used Paul as its main cast

I felt sorry for Paul as its popularity is being abused across the world! I think Germany has to claim international copyright forbidding simply use of Paul’s name and photos for commercial or personal interests!

On the other hand, I despise this advertisement idea……Creativity is simply not in this case…unlike following Ikea’s advertisement which I came across on the same day papers:

A truly creative ads!

I must say this ad’s idea is truly creative!

One of my favourite lunch getaways

This curry house (Mata Kuching Aik Heng) has been around since the 70-80′s in Mata Kuching, near Melaka town. Now it is being run by the 2nd generation, a young couple and the shop is located in Bachang area.

A nice eatery doesn’t need to have many food menu,more important is if they can have offer something delicious and nice.This  curry house is one of it which has its own specialty food menu. Here are they:

That's what this curry house offers....

From L-R: Curry chicken; Brine pork and eggs; Asam fish with lady fingers;Rendang chicken; mackerel fish cooked with chilli and sambal prawns.

The house is spacious, clean and tidy....

And the young chef who inherited the the business from early generation.

Never underestimate this young man’s capability in managing this curry house,see the giant pots containing the delicious food:

Our usual orders are none other this few:

The best food in this house-Rendang chicken

One must not miss this brine egg and pork too...

and the long beans and the cabbages....fresh!

Oh yeah, this can not be missed too--the stewed chicken feet

That's our usual menu at this curry house...yummylicious!!!

coupled with the fragrant rice, we always eat to our heart's content...shiok!

Ratings: 7/10

Strongly Recommended: Rendang chicken & Chicken feet; drink:kopi bing (iced coffee)

]]> http://talkkok.com/2010/07/31/a-great-place-for-lunch/feed/ 0 http://talkkok.com/2010/07/27/not-everything-fat-n-short-is-uglyat-least-not-them/ http://talkkok.com/2010/07/27/not-everything-fat-n-short-is-uglyat-least-not-them/#comments Tue, 27 Jul 2010 07:04:38 +0000 talkkok http://talkkok.com/?p=4996 We are taught that an object which is fat and short is neither beautiful nor adorable.At least, the most affected victim is the human being,that’s ourselves.

Gabourey Sidibe in the movie Precious

But not for certain animals like Gold Fish:

L-R (Ranchu, Ryukin,Ranchu)

Shown above are some of the world champions in the international Gold Fish competition.

The fatter & shorter body it is, the more beautiful and coveted they are!

In fact, the ancestor of Gold Fish was completely of different looking:

This is the original gold fish-the prussian carp

then you can also see this type of common gold fish too:

The common gold fish (long body and thin)

My passion for this short and fat body fish has bloomed since I was young. This fish is considered one of the easiest pet fish to be kept but it requires  quite alot of cares and attentions.

Recently I changed my 2ft tank to a bigger one due to its limited space:

The new tank 3.3 ft long

Tank Setup performed by the Pro is always advised for the first time.

And the new water need to be conditioned before any fish can be added into...

With good conditional chemical, you may add in your fishes after 1-2 days.

Decorating the aquarium gives me a sense of accomplishment

Once it is all done, enjoy the fishes roaming freely in the aquarium...You will feel absolutely accomplished!

To choose the right fish, you may look at following examples: A rounded body and short, wide open fin tails, bright reddish orange colour and always swim lively.

My wish to have this exclusive Ranchu

You may start to have this beautiful creatures in your cosy home too, it gives you a warmer home feel.