My first experience at Laser OPS @ First Avenue

During the last Raya weekend, my cousins returned from J.B and I decided to jio all of them to go for a game of laser tag, something that I have always wanted to try. It is similar to 'paintball' but without the pain and the sweat...or so I thought. There are a total of 10 of us and hence I called a week earlier to book for a session seeing as it is the holidays season. There is no way I'm driving all the way from Butterworth to Penang without securing us a spot to play. But I was told that the game may not be exclusive to us, meaning we may need to join with others as each session can accommodate up to 28 players.

Apparently, Laser Ops originated from Singapore with a US-based system. They just opened in May 2015 at First Avenue Mall on the 3rd floor right next to Escape Room. You can opt for either one mission or 3 missions - I would strongly suggest to play the 3 missions. One is just not enough and each mission is different from the other. You can however play one mission first before deciding if you like it and want to proceed with 2 more. They are that flexible!

Our main concern was whether our little girl who is only 7 years old and a wee bit tiny for her age- is allowed to play or not. Well, guess what? There is no age limit! As long as the kid can wear the vest, can walk and can shoot, he/she is good to go. 

The little girl in her vest

Before you go, here are some tips for the first-timers:

• Wear covered shoes e.g sneakers, sports shoes, etc. You will be able to move faster and not worry of falling/tripping. Also, people may step on your toes if they are open-toe shoes. OUCH! For the ladies, DO NOT wear high heels. If you have common sense, you wouldn't think to wear one in the first place.
• Wear dark-coloured shirts and pants, so that you can camouflaged better into the dark surroundings. White is a NO-NO, unless you want to be the one everyone keeps aiming and shooting at.
• Wear thin clothing/dress lightly. I learned this one the hard way. Although the arena is air-conditioned, once the game starts, you will have to continuously move or else be the target. You will automatically sweat like a pig not even 5 minutes into the game.The adrenaline surge plays a role too in opening the pores of your every sweat gland in your body. Best is wear sleeveless with shorts- good for ventilation!
• Move quickly, find a good hiding spot where you can aim and fire. But do not stay in the same place for too long, you only get points if you shoot someone. If noone comes along in 10 seconds, it's a good idea to go and hunt for them.
• Duck! Whenever you see the lasers aiming your way, turn your body sideways. You will have targets over your chest, your back and smaller ones on your shoulders. You can also move with your back against the wall/maze so that you can see whoever is aiming at you. 
• Rapid fire at your target is more likely to score you points than taking your time to aim and shoot as your targets are always on the move. You just have to press a button at the sides of the muzzle and press the trigger continuously to initiate rapid fire sequence. This is OK to do when you are playing the solo game- which means shoot everyone you see. This is not OK when you are playing on teams, you may end up accidentally shooting your team mates and your score will be deducted and hence drag down your entire team's overall score.
• Watch where you are going, cause you will bump into someone or something when you are trying to runaway from getting shot. Believe me, it is painful.
• Remember, trust no one. We went into the game during the first solo game pledging our loyalty to each other and even form a mini alliance against the others. 2 minutes into the game, all bets are off and you find your own husband shooting you in the back. I believe I have made my point. Let me repeat, TRUST NOONE.

Let me explain the game in my own words. Firstly, you will be given a card to log into a laptop provided at the counter area. You can select your own name or select a cool nickname like Rambo... Or not. Next you will be ushered into a room where you will be briefed on how to play the game and the do's and don't's. Then you will enter the armoury where you will suit up in your vest and armed with your phasers a.k.a the-thing-you-use-to-shoot-at-people. You will then enter the arena and then you can start shooting after everyone is ready. Each mission lasts 20 minutes, give or take.

If you are playing 3 missions, mission 1 will be the solo mission while mission 2 and 3 will be the team missions. In the second mission, you are divided into two teams RANDOMLY. You cannot choose your own team mates. So do not waste your time and breath to persuade the good players to join your team. As it turned out, we got to play the first mission on our own but when it came to the second and third mission, we were thrown together with two more groups of people whom we do not know. And, 3 of us from our group of 10, were the ones randomly selected by the computer system to join the green team while the others remained in red team. So, during the game, I get to shoot my cousins. Game on!

People can see what you are doing from outside on this screen! 

In the first and second game, the bullets and lives are unlimited. When you get shot, the vest will voice out ' shields up' and you won't be able to shoot or get shot within few seconds. That time should be used wisely to run for cover, or else the person who shot you in the first place will be able to shoot you again. For the third game, you have limited bullets and lives. 60 bullets and 15 lives if I remembered correctly. When you run out of either one, you will have to return to your base to recharge. This is not as complicated as it sounds. Basically, you just walk pass your base and you will instantly regain your power. 

For me, the third game is the most exhilarating and fun one. Each team has their own tower and base. To score, you can either shoot the players from the other team or shoot their tower. Tower gives you more points- 100 points minimum while shooting the players only gives you 25 points minimum. You also get special powers during this third mission which you can select from the screen on your phaser. Deactivator- deactivates all the lives and bullets of your target in one strike. Bonus- increases your points every time you shoot someone. Rapid fire- fires 5 shots in 1 second. I think there is another one but I just cant recall. But my favourite is Spy mode. Yes! You can change the colour of your vest into the enemy's colour, sneaked into their base and shoot their tower. I managed to shoot both their towers once I activated my Spy mode.. Not too bad, eh? But remember, the special power mode last for only 20 seconds or so and you only have 3 chances to activate them throughout the game. Use these wisely. 

My team won during the team missions twice! I also single-handedly secured our base during the third mission by preventing the players from shooting our towers, while the rest of my team go on an all-out attack on the enemy's base. It proved to be a good strategy as we won the whole game. And I was the top 5 high scorer during the solo game... Guess who just found her hidden talent in laser-tagging. KIDDING! ;)

I'm top 5 y'all!

Our green team won!

The most unexpected thing are the kids. Due to their small size, they move faster and have a smaller target on them. Most of the time during the game, I found myself getting shot by the younger cousins. The most entertaining part was when the little girl activated Spy mode. I mean.. what's the point? Everyone can tell who she is due to her size, she did not even make it to our towers before she got shot. It also did not help when she announced to every person she passed by, 'Look, I am a spy!' Hahaha. Every one of us enjoyed the game so much and vowed to play again when they come back to visit us during the next holidays. This time, the 'old clan' plans to join us too, by 'old clan' I mean my uncles and aunties.. Great, more easy targets to shoot :) Sooooo looking forward to it.

We will be back!

Address: Level 3, 1st AVENUE MALL, Jalan Magazine, 10300 Penang, Malaysia

Ticket pricing: 
- OFF PEAK

• 1 mission- Rm18/person
• 3 missions- Rm36/person

- PEAK

• 1 mission- Rm21/person
• 3 missions- Rm42/person

Opening hours: 10am-10pm daily, Peak period price applies to SAT, SUN and Public Holidays


Phone number: +6042519092

E-mail: tagme@laserops.com.my

Website: http://www.laserops.com.my/

Sushi Mentai @ Elit Avenue

Who haven't heard of this new sushi place in Penang that is cheap and nice? Apparently, noone. The name Sushi Mentai actually comes from the word Mentaiko, a sought-after top fish roe dish lightly flavoured with sauce. This branch in Bayan Lepas is the first of its franchise in Penang, newly open since 6th of July 2015. They have already expanded their business to Johor, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and soon, Singapore! Sushi Mentai holds true to its philosophy which is to bring affordable and quality Japanese food to everyone. Now, everyone can eat sushi! (inspired by Airasia's slogan) :p

When i visited this sushi joint during the Raya weekend, the place was full of people both inside and outside the shop. You actually have to take a number to secure yourself a table seat inside. When we reached, the number has already reached 25 and we had to stand outside waiting with a bunch of other sushi-lovers for around 20 minutes before we can even enter the shop. 

Big crowd

Everything on the belt -this consists of pink plates and red plates- are either only Rm1.80 or Rm2.80 each. This is cheaper than the Sushi King Bonanza with all plates at Rm3 which is held twice annually.

They also have other food items that you can order from the menu. I have not tried these yet.

However, we were disappointed that the sushi people considered more worthy to eat such as Unagi, baby octopus and white tuna are nowhere to be found. We only managed to get hold of one plate of salmon and one plate of scallop during our entire time there. We were told that the crowd was too massive and they did not have time to serve the sushi aforementioned. It was a lame excuse.. in my opinion. Anyway, we do like the other sushi that we have tried while we were there. Quality wise, could have been better, but taste wise- acceptable for the price. 

Our bill came up to rm203 (inclusive of 10% service charge) for 5 adults and 5 kids. The surprising thing was, the kids' table ate more plates than us! haha. Verdict is- we will be visiting again soon. :)

Me, hubby and cousins

Cousins and aunt

Kids' table

Adults' table

P.S: They do not practice reservation system. All seats are strictly on first come first serve basis. So be sure to go early to take a number! ;) Parking is also limited especially during dinner time.

Address: 1-1-33A, Jalan Mayang Pasir 3, Elit Avenue, 11950 Bayan Lepas, Pulau Pinang

All outlets opening hours: 12 noon to 10pm

Website: http://sushi-mentai.com/

Coffee Venture @ Raja Uda

This café has been operating since February this year. Business is really good and every time I pass by, the place is always full of people. I could wait no longer and finally went to try this café with my cousins on Raya day 2. We reached at about 10 something at night and the whole place was still bustling with life. 

People mountain people sea

The entire shop covers two shop lots so it's quite big but it's 'crampy' with not much space between two adjacent tables. There were 10 of us altogether so finding a table that can fit all of us was a trouble itself. In the end, one of the staff arranged for us and we were settled comfortably and ready to place an order.

Wefie with the gang

It was already pretty late considerably so I did not order coffee for myself as a caffeine fix so late at night would definitely keep me staring whole night at the ceiling till the next morning. The others wanted to try their coffee since their café was supposed to be famous for their coffee (considering their name Coffee Venture, duh! haha). 

The menu

Knick-knacks sold in the cafe

We ordered Caffe Latte, Hazelnut Latte, Cappucino for the boys, chocolate milk for the little girl, peach yogurt smoothie for the caffeine-intolerant and Walnut Brownie Chocolate for myself. Turns out all the coffee we ordered were too bitter to our taste, the yogurt smoothie tasted like it has gone sour and all in all only my hot chocolate was worth mentioning. My walnut brownie chocolate (isn't that a mouthful? :p) has both the nutty and chocolaty aroma and is rich with flavours. Not too sweet and not too bitter. I felt like I have just won the lottery for ordering the right thing off the menu as I had the tendency (and the luck) to order the least tasty food/drink usually.

Caffe Latte Rm7.90

Peach yogurt smoothie Rm12.90

Hazelnut Latte Rm8.90, Cappucino Rm7.90

My walnut brownie chocolate Rm8.90

The place was really noisy and we could not really hear ourselves when we were talking to each other. So, it's probably not the best place on earth to 'yumcha' and hang out with friends as you will find yourself shouting over your drinks to each other, get more thirsty and ended up ordering more drinks. Hmm.... perhaps that's the café owner's plan all along.. Haha... 

Limited cake choice

Absolute? Chocolate Cake Rm9.90

We did not try any food since the kitchen was closed after 10pm. Choice of cakes was also limited at that time. In their defense, the price of the drinks was acceptable for a café.. You would expect to fork out more than 10 bucks per cup but that is not the case for Coffee Venture. Perhaps I will visit again one day in the morning to try their breakfast menu. Definitely looks scrumptious on their FB page. :)

The total damage

Breakfast menu

Membership is also available now and get 10% rebate for every cup

Address: Pusat Perniagaan Raja Uda 23 & 25, Jalan Raja Uda 12300 Butterworth

Opening hours: Daily, 0800-0000 

Kitchen operating hours: 0800-2200

Phone number: 013-582 3388

E-mail: coffeeventure0223@gmail.com

FB page: https://www.facebook.com/coffeeventure0223

Tips and information on boarding a train from Butterworth to Huahin

After our New Year's day wedding, we decided to go for a mini honeymoon before the one we planned for this coming Sept. It was a short n' sweet trip. The husband let me plan the whole trip, just the way I like it.. I love the excitement while planning for a trip.. Hehe.

We decided to go by the train! Actually... I decided to go by the train. Just because I have never been on a train (unless you count the MRTs/LRTs haha). I love to experience new things and be the one to say 'been there, done that'. So, reluctantly, the husband give the go-ahead. We purchased the train ticket from the new Butterworth Railway Station as the train tickets cannot be purchased online. For those of you who have been to the old railway station before, it has already been demolished and in its place now is the new and modern station. The entrance is a little further away than the original one and we went circling around few times before we were able to locate the entrance. For those of you staying on Penang island, you can buy your train tickets in George Town at the small KTM office on Penang Island.

The new Butterworth Train Station

The easiest way to travel from Penang to Hua Hin is by train as both cities are located on the main Southern railway line that extends down from Bangkok and stops in Butterworth on its way to KL and finally Singapore. Butterworth railway station is only a short 15 minute ferry ride from George Town on Penang island. It is not possible to book this trip online as mentioned earlier as it is operated by the State Railways of Thailand.

There is however just one departure every day, leaving Butterworth in the early afternoon at 1400H and arriving in Hua Hin just after sunrise at 0626H, so it is best to purchase the tickets as far in advance as possible as the train can quickly fill up during peak travel periods and holidays. However, we learned the hard way that they may not be punctual and the train can be delayed. Ours got held up and we ended up reaching at 11am. But it is a blessing in disguise since we could not check in our hotel until late in the afternoon anyway and most of the places we plan to visit only opens at earliest around 10am. 

The train has just two second class sleeper carriage available where you will have to purchase a sleeper bed, either lower bed or upper bed. The lower beds are the best by far and are much wider than the upper beds.

This means they are the first to sell out, so it's best to book at least a few days in advance. Try to get a bed in the middle of the train as you don't want to be right next to the automatic doors (at either end of the carriage) which will mean you won't get much sleep. You may also ask the ticketing officer when you purchase the tickets which seats are nearer to the electric outlets. That's right! You have access to electric on board. We were just glad to have electric outlet to charge our mobile phones. I even saw some people boiling water and cooking rice on the train! Interesting... Seats / beds numbers 37 - 40 are right by the door to the exit and 1 - 4 are at the toilet end.

Food is also available on the train for dinner and breakfast as well as soft drinks. One of the stewards will come around with a menu. There are food items such as tomyam and fried rice. I think the food is overpriced a little bit- more than Rm10 per bowl of tomyam.. So we prepared our own food such as bread and potato chips to ate and snack on the train. 

If you have a friend or relative in Thailand, you can ask them to buy the return train ticket from Thailand to Penang, as the tickets are sold at any railway station in Thailand up to 60 days in advance. Another alternative is to pick your tickets up at the border at Padang Besar when the train stops for passport control, just like what we did. You will have to pick up all your luggage and follow the crowd to have your passport checked and stamped before entering Thailand.

In my opinion, taking a train is a far more relaxing journey than taking a bus. The cons of taking a train is probably the possibility of dying from boredom. I though there would be nice views to keep me entertained, but nope. The views are pretty much the same from start to finish except when nearing Hua Hin railway station. Hua hin is unfortunately not accessible by flight unless you take a 3-hour bus from Bangkok after landing. 

P.S: 

• It can get a bit cold in the air-conditioned train, so make sure you bring some sweaters. Blankets are provided (one blanket per bed) but i think they are too thin for me- I am very cold-intolerant :p
• Also, bring some mosquito repellant, I remember seeing a few mozzies flying around in the train.

Train Ticket Butterworth-Huahin: 

RM97.90 (upper) RM105.90 (lower)

Train Ticket Huahin-Butterworth:

Adult Fare : Upper berth 1020 Baht - Lower berth 1110 Baht 

Child Fare (aged 3-11) : Upper 681 Baht - Lower 771 Baht

  

Nyonya Colors @ The Gardens

Just before we head back to our lovely Penang again, we decided to drop by Midvalley Megamall to fill our tummies before hitting the road. After wandering around the lower ground floor, we came to this packed-to-the-brim Nyonya food eatery 'Nyonya Colors'. We decided to give it  a try. When you cannot decide what is tasty to eat at an unfamilliar place, follow the crowd and you can't go wrong.

Nyonya Colors specializes in premium homemade quality Nyonya kueh and delights. They have a wide selection of kuehs at the counter where you can order and carry back to your table. The first one that caught my eyes is the ondeh-ondeh, my favourite Nyonya kueh of all time. It contains gula melaka a.k.a palm sugar inside and it is sweet and delicious. Personally I like the ones i have bought from Jonker Street @ Malacca better just because they contain more palm sugar. Hehe...

Ondeh-ondeh Rm2.80 for 6 pieces

The husband ordered for himself nasi lemak rendang ayam, while I decided to try their yellow laksa (Thai). He also ordered a curry chee cheong fan and cendol redbean to share. I like anything with santan (coconut milk) even though I am highly aware that it is unhealthy.. So the laksa I ordered hit the right note with me as it contains santan. Nasi lemak was good as expected while the curry chee cheong fan is our favourite! The curry had just the right amount of thickness and I like that they sprinkle a generous amount of sesame seeds and fried onions on top, just the way I like it. I expected the cendol to be really good but it was just alright, nothing to shout about. 

Nasi Lemak Rendang Ayam Rm11.50; Curry Chee Cheong Fan Rm6.50; Yellow Laksa (Thai) Rm11.50

Cendol Redbean Rm5.40

Nyonya style interior

Super crowded

We enjoyed our lunch at Nyonya Colors very much. I can't wait to bring my parents here on our next trip to K.L as they love Nyonya food especially my mum. You won't see the last of me! :p 

P.S: Nyonya Colors provide free delivery services to most areas in Petaling Jaya and selected areas in central Kuala Lumpur. If you wish to order their delicious Nyonya Kueh and snacks, please select the food you want from their menu and fill up the order form, which you may send it to them via email (nyonyacl@gmail.com) or fax (03-7710 1263). Alternatively, you may also call them at 03-7728 2288 to place your order.

Nyonya Colors

LG 230A, Lower Ground Floor

The Gardens Shopping Mall

Mid Valley City Kuala Lumpur

Office address: 

Little Cravings Sdn Bhd 

7A, Jalan SS 21/34 Damansara Utama 

47400 Petaling Jaya 

Tel: 03-7728 2288 Fax:03-7710 1263 

Email: Lcraving@tm.net.my 

Outlets:

Nyonya Colors 

F65, First Floor 1 Utama Shopping Centre 

Bandar Utama, PJ 

Nyonya Colors 

F66, First Floor Jaya Jusco 

Bukit Raja Klang 

Little Cravings 

LG320, Lower Ground Floor 

1 Utama Shopping Centre 

Bandar Utama, PJ 

Opening hours: Daily, 10am-10pm

Phone: 03-2287 0087

www.nyonyacolors.com

Spade's Burger @ Raja Uda

Today my parents and I went to try the new burger joint in town. The name 'Spade's burger' is no stranger to fellow Penangites. It has been founded since 2013 and its first outlet at Medan Kampung Relau in Penang island has been so successful that they have expanded their business to the mainland in none other than Raja Uda, the best place to 'cari makan' in Butterworth. This new branch has just opened their doors to patrons since 9th of June 2015. They are currently only opened for dinner from 5.30pm to 10.30pm unlike their island counterpart.

It is easy to spot the first-timers- they will be studying intently the menu and the corresponding graphic chart before ordering. Lol.. I have been planning to try this for a long time but haven't had the chance to.. I'm so glad they are now opened so near to my house that I can visit whenever I have craving for their burgers. Advised to go early as the place is super crowded when we reached at 7pm. All the tables were occupied and we had to wait for a vacant one.

The new Spade's burger branch in Raja Uda- Crowded!

The graphic chart/menu was really helpful. My mum just pointed out to me which one she wants and I made the order for her. But the area in front of the menu is always crowded with people as many customers gathered in front of it to decide which burger they want. In the end we each ordered different burgers using different proteins. I ordered a Porky Pair 2.0, the mum ordered a Green Submarine while the dad decided to go for a Chick (burger).

Porky Pair 2.0 Rm12.50

Green Submarine Rm13.00 

Chick Rm10.50

The graphic menu/chart

Menu at the counter

SpadesSauce and Red Hot sauce- So goooood!

The burgers are delicious and special. I especially like the cheese crisp and caramelised bacon...So yummy. My mum told me there is something in her fish burger that she could not figure out but it tastes good.. Being curious like I always am, i took a bite of the white piece and gave my verdict almost immediately, 'It's lychee la!!' My mum laughed at how she could not identify lychee.. So we know now whose taste buds are better. Haha.

They serve burgers with patties that are made from 100% meat without fillers, MSG and preservative. Spade's burger also make their own sauces and each burger comes with different sauces and toppings. All 3 of us looooove the sauce so much we keep asking for more from the counter. The SpadesSauce tasted a little like ranch + mustard + garlic while the Red Hot is like the first combination + chili.

The burgers are sold ala carte and you just need to pay an extra Rm5.50 for a set of fries and refillable soft drinks. The fries are wayyy better than McD's and so much crispier. You can tell they are made from scratch as the potato skin are still visible on some of them.

Initially we felt that ~Rm10-19 for a burger is a little too expensive. We thought it was just a burger but we thought wrong. The burgers are really awesome and I cant wait to try the others. Before leaving the joint, the mum whispered to me that she wants to have Spade's Burger on her coming birthday in August... LOL! So, these are definitely no ordinary burgers, my mum is already hooked~ 

P.S: The good news is... there is no GST or service charge! :)

Address: 
99, Jalan Raja Uda, 12300 Butterworth, Pulau Pinang

Opening hours: 5.30pm-10.30pm (for now), closed on Mondays

https://www.facebook.com/SpadesBurger/timeline