Osvaldo & Diego - Trip to KL

Our colleagues from Argentina spent the whole 2 weeks in Malaysia and a week in Singapore for training. Aren't they lucky? :P Sadly I was on training on the first week and only met them on the second. It feels like you've known them for ages. They're great, easy going, fun people to be around with.





**The best team in EM**

My camera is still with Fahmy so I'm stuck at copying people's photos.. Haha!

The Spaghetti Farm @ Mid Valley

I love spaghetti. I just couldn't resist having spaghetti at any time on any day. I just love the home made spaghetti beef bolognese. I could finish the whole pot of it. Well, that's describe a little bit about my craziness towards spaghetti. Ha-ha!

Me and Fauzy went to Mid Valley to get Zhafran's 'free' pampers from Toy's 'R' Us and decided to have lunch there and once we saw the restaurant - The Spaghetti Farm, we know that's what we wanted to have. I was so excited as it's my favourite food. The tag line - Wholesome Italian Meal is just engaging and I was gladly to give it a try. The restaurant is nice, comfy and the service is not bad either. However, I can't say the same to the food - except for the mushroom soup which was nice.

We didn't wait for too long to have our pasta (which is a plus) but I was disapointed just by looking at it. It was served in a bowl, well that's the first in a restaurant. :) I've no complain on that though as I do eat my spaghetti a bowl at home. The visual presentation of the Spaghetti Beef Bolognese is just ee-yew. It's "sticky" which was overcooked and it has an unpleasant smell too. The sauce wasn't good either. It tasted like it was only cooked with maggi tomato sauce and added beef into it. That's all! I didn't even finish my food and I hated that. Then, I looked over to Fauzy's Carbonara dish and have it a try. It looks nice though (like the normal ones) but the taste is bland. It should have a creamy feeling to it but it was nothing. I tried to add cheese to it but still, nothing. It's a great idea to have such restaurant as many people loves Spaghetti. It's a simple dish and usually it is hard to not make it right. It is mostly disapointing because of it is their signature dish. You can not go wrong with that. That shows the whole concept of your restaurant.

I've had an authentic Italian food as I travel around a lot but this is not any near to the authentic Italian at all.

Spaghetti Beef Bolognese *Value meal + Coke + Mushroom soup
Carbonara *A la carte
=RM20.80 *Not sure why the waiter took our receipt when he found out the cashier wrongly key in the the table no. I should've took it back :P Oh well..

Food: D
Service: B *There was a mixed up on the table no but that's alright.
Price: B *OK price and the value meal is just great
Food Portion: B
Ambience: B
Overall: D *All about the food

The Spaghetti Farm,
Mid Valley
Check out their webby for more details.

Italiannies @ One Utama

We went to One Utama hoping to find a dinner dress pour moi but after a loooong window shopping we decided to have a bite. While cruising along, we stumble upon a restaurant called Italiannies and decided to check out the place. The ambience was good too and we chose to sit just beside the window that's next to the bar. Complimentary bread slices was served before we place our order. I love the aromatic dip - tuscany olive oil and vinegar. It's a great for starters.

We were both starving at that time. We have chosen out California Shrimp Salad, Spaghetti Meatball, Roasted Chicken Italiannies, Ice Lemon Tea and warm water. The waiter actually did remind us that the portion is made for 2 but I was sceptical bout it and just went along ordering it. Little that I know, - well I knew, maybe just a little stubborn - the spaghetti was huge. 2 huge meatballs are all I can see on the plate. Fauzy wasn't digging the spaghetti taste that much, according to him - the meatballs are saltier for his liking. Personally, I find it just nice. As for the salad entry, I'm loving the shrimp and the fresh salad. I do eat vege for side dish but never a course meal. He-he! It's a well-seasoned grilled shrimp, mangoes, oranges, tomatoes and cream cheese with baby spinach and romaine lettuce, tossed with orange vinaigrette dressing are just amazing. Maybe I should change my eating habit once in a while. Ha-ha! As for the third dish, we had a Roasted Chicken Italiannies and frankly I chose it for the pictures and the name. LOL! If it's named after the restaurant, I bet it must be their signature dish. So we took on the challenge and was satisfied by it. It a chicken roasted with peppers, pepperoncini and rosemary potatoes are just nice. I wish it's spicier than it was to give a certain kick over the meal. Overall I was satisfied with the food and the service. Although there were a minor 'accident' made by the bar tender. He was trying to make a milk shake - well it looks like it - and accidentally knock over the tower glass and managed to catch one of them while another just fell off to the floor. He kept on apologizing to us but I wasn't really bothered by it so that was okay. I can sense it was coming as he was showing off his skill and suddenly loose his balance. Ha-ha!

It was the first and I hope won't be the last time to dine in there. I had a pleasant evening and hope so do you. :)

Reminder: The portion is made for 2-3 persons. Choose your food wisely or else you can always da-pao it later. :P
California Shrimp Salad RM25.90
Roasted Chicken Italiannies RM38.90
Spaghetti Meatballs RM30.90
Ice Lemon Tea (bottomless) RM6.80
5% Gov Tax and 10% Srv Charge INCLUDED

Food: A-
Service: B+ *Attentive but he's just ermm.. weird.. I guess..
Price: B+ * I guess the price is okay considering the ambience and the type of restaurant
Food Portion: A
Ambience: B +
Overall: B+

F355/356/357, 1st Floor Rainforest, 1Utama
47800 Lebuh Bandar Utama
Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Reservation - Tel: +603 - 7729 4822
Check out their webby for more details.

Butterfingers @ Istana Budaya

I was driving my car and listening to music. Then, I realized that most of my songs are from the my favourite band of all time - Butterfingers. I long for their three-chord, angst-ridden, grungy material. I know they moved on - being matured and the current musical growth. I need to feel like when I first felt their music. It was surreal, heart-wrenching and happiness at the same time.

When I heard they announced that they will play four final show before long hiatus, I know I had to be there and I was there. Being 9 months pregnant with Zhafran and actually having contraction just a few hours after the show and delivered 24 hours later. It's one of the best memories in my life. The staff was great, they gave me and Fauzy a chair to sit. It's a clear view and I enjoyed every minutes of it. Little that I know, they only performed songs for the new album so I wasn't follow nor know the song choices. I was hoping they performed my favourite songs. But I think that's alright, I know they will perform again and I know that I will be there with Zhafran. :)

When I think of Butterfingers, all I have was good memories and great life as a teenagers. I've been listening to Sober for 11 years now. Not once I could get over it. The tune still lingers in my head and has been a good companion throughout my sad, sorrow and happiness in life. Thank you for the wonderful songs. It has been a great pleasure of being one of the fans. Kudos to the line up. Long live the Butters!

ExxonMobil Community Project 2009

ExxonMobil believes in giving back to the community, not in monetary basis but involving our people into the underprivileged lives. This year I am fortunate enough to able to join into 3 activities which are organized by Drilling, HR and IT departments.

The first event for me is the Car Wash. Last year I joined the same activities and had a lot of fun! So this year, I would never missed out such opportunity. I was placed in the 3rd shift and I knew no one in my group. I am glad however that I see few familiar faces when the time came. According to Harlina, about 40 coupons was sold and we're expecting 50+ cars queuing up throughout the day. I was disappointed at all. Since I have experience the chaos last year, most of the issues are predictable. I had a lot of fun and doing good deeds along the way is just great! :)

The Drilling department has chosen Asrama Damai situated in Kuang Selangor, which is not far from KL. We took 2 buses and we reached there by 8:30 a.m. The facilities are far better than what I expected and it all came from the kind souls. Yes, no government sector sponsored the home and according to the Pengetua, he never writes any letter requesting for donation. I've been assigned as a 'cleaner' and stationed at the Girls dormitory. I am glad that I got the task. Hehe! The room was clean and only needed the windows and the floor to be cleaned. EM has provided new cupboards, shoe racks, bedsheets, paints, matresses and a lot more. I can see a pure joy from the children when they see the bedsheets. Especially the girls. :)

I was hard work when we went helping the other teams. I can see the teams that are in-charged of the store and kitchen had a very hard time fulfilling the task. There were tonnes of foods donated by the people and most of them are past expiration date. The good people actually sorted them out and re-arrange the items accordingly. It was not easy. It requires team work, hard work, determination to make this happen. I was exhausted by the end of the day. The drilling, production and operation team are so welcoming and never once that I feel left out. Thanks for the opportunity. ;0

The last but not least was today's event. We went to Awana Genting and it was organized by none other - EMIT. I was very excited when they decided to change the venue from Bukit Sentosa to Genting. Most of the families that was selected hasn't even step out of KL before. I heard, some other organization throw a similar event to Taman Titiwangsa and they loving each seconds of it. I didn't know what to expect nor to react as I am well known of being "not good" handling children and elderly. Ha-ha! To my surprise, everything works out like a charm. I was teamed in Group Alpha leading by Raj. I am very happy to be within among my friends. However, they divided us into smaller groups and I was in a group with Fiza, Jeya and 5 other mothers. Since safety playing a big role in EM, it's hard to ignore that one of the mothers are pregnant. Me and Fiza are so concerned bout it. She takes good care of herself although I keep on reminding her of being safe all the time. I was so happy to be in the group and so proud by the enthusiasm shown by the mothers. They work and think like a team. We completed every tasks with no sweats at all.

I love the food served by Awana. Truly shows that we care and really want to entertain our guest. Seeing people enjoying their food and happily chatting with one another really brings out the true objective of the event.
Kudos to the committee for their effort, the time that they spent and I am so proud on how they put in their souls in it. I am so happy being apart of it and hoping there'll be another great events from Community Project.

**Will upload pictures later.. Right now, the bed is keep on calling me and I don't want to hurt its feeling.. :P