Famous Kuching Vinegar Noodles

There are not many eateries in Kuching that you need to wait for a table; but at Next Coffee Shop on Carpenter Street, there is an average waiting time of 10 minutes. Being one of the longest running noodle coffee shop in Kuching, Next Coffee Shop is located along Kuching's colonial shophouses and is famous for their vinegar mee with "spare parts" (pig internal organs) soup.
Vinegar mee is not to be confused with Kuching's signature kolomee because it has its distinct sour taste compared to the salty/sweet taste of kolomee, even though the noodles have a similar texture. The "spare parts" soup is a mixture of pig internal organs, fishball and pork meat. The noodles can come with meat but customers usually order plain noodles to go with the meat in the soup. The fragrant sour taste of the noodles is what makes people coming in droves to this establishment. Taking 1 hour to find a car park, wait for a table, and having your noodles served is a common occurrence during the weekends.
If having good customer service is key to a great business, this coffee shop definitely breaks all the rules because not only is the food famous, so is the notoriously rude order-taker. Impatient customers are usually given a good scolding from him but that doesn't stop customers from coming. Customers just need to abide by an unwritten protocol:

"only speak when you are spoken to"

Here is a step by step guide to having a pleasant experience at Next Coffee Shop:

• Order your drink when you are asked
• sit and wait for the order-taker to come
• place your order, but do not second guess whether or not he got your order right (BECAUSE HE HEARD YOU THE FIRST TIME),
• wait some more for the chopsticks and spoon to arrive, an indication that your order is being processed, but do not ask if they have forgotten your order (BECAUSE THEY DO NOT FORGET)
• your noodles will arrive shortly.

Important note: Don't try to be over-friendly or a Smart Alec with the order-taker! (see picture below), or you will be verbally dealt with accordingly

Next Coffee Shop open in the morning and closes after lunch. Do not expect to have a quick meal whenever you come because of the waiting time involved. For location map, click here

Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (Part 3)

This is Part 3 of my book summary of Napoleon Hill's influential success classic, Think and Grow Rich.
Hill was able to personally meet the most powerful and successful people of the 20th century for over 25 years. Through his work, he was able to formulate a philosophy of achievement based on real stories of real people who had used those techniques to create their successes. In a nutshell, his book teaches how we can put ourselves into the same state of mind as those who have created great wealth.

Practice 5: Unleash your Imagination
Imagination is like a muscle; it grows stronger with regular exercise and weakens through inaction. It is a creative workshop that is limited by Man himself. There are 2 types of imagination; synthetic and creative imagination. Synthetic imagination is the rearrangement of old concepts, ideas or plans into new combinations, which I would summarise as evolutionary ideas. Creative imagination is the creation of new concepts, ideas and plans, which I would summarise as revolutionary ideas. Both types of imagination can create wealth, but great leaders of business and arts are people who have developed their faculty of creative imagination. Revolutionary ideas are the products of creative imagination which only functions when the conscious mind is stimulated, or vibrating at an exceedingly rapid rate. The commentary section of the book then goes on to give practical examples of imagination with the likes of Coca-Cola, KFC, McDonalds, Starbucks, 3M, Wal-Mart, and many more.

Practice 6: Practise Organised Planning
Planning is the transition between ideas from the imagination into tangible products or services. Align yourself with people who can review and contribute to various aspects to your plans and if your first plan fails, try another till you succeed. Being one of the longest chapters in the book, I feel that this chapter in a way sways from it's main topic into discussing topics such as:

• The 11 Major Attributes of Leadership
• The 10 Major Causes of Failure in Leadership
• How to Write a Resume
• The QQS rating of Service
• The 31 Major Causes of Failure

In summary, this chapter emphasizes that in order to get something, you must clearly plan how to get it.

Continued from Part 2

To be continued... Part 4

Business Concept 7: The Culture of Excellence

I just attended a 1-day corporate training workshop and here are some lessons that I thought were worth documenting down while still fresh in my mind.

• Creating a culture / environment of high performance / excellence is about teamwork. It begins with 1, but also keep in mind that each and every 1 has a part to play no matter how insignificant 1 might think
• A corporate motto can drive the message throughout the company, but each and everyone has to believe in the message and driven from top-down. Dwelling on this, I came up with the motto "Helping People"
• We all have untapped potential we choose not to maximise. Look at handicapped people: The blind have a heightened senses of smell, touch and hearing. Those who cannot make use of their legs make up for them in their arms to the point that they are stronger than able-bodied people. Complacency and taking things for granted are roadblocks to most people
• The kung fu masters of the old days would teach their disciples 9 out of the 10 steps they knew for fear that their disciples will outperform them in the future. They needed the 1 step to maintain the advantage, but what happens when their disciples take on new disciples? They teach 8 of the 9 steps they know for the same reason and this creates a culture of dwindling ability. Creating a culture of excellence is teaching the disciples all 10 steps so it forces you to learn and create the 11th step
• Continuous improvement is an action, whereby when repeated, can turn into a habit that becomes second nature.

Thanks to Nicholas Choo for creating an interesting learning experience.

Best ABC in Kuching

Air Batu Campur, also known in short as ABC, is a familiar dessert in Malaysia and Singapore. Different people call it different names. ABC is also known as Chendol or Ang Tau Chan Lut. Shaved ice, mixed with read bean, assorted gelatinous foods such as chan lut, sien chau, and jelly, with swirls of sweetener such condensed milk and coconut milk makes it a refreshing dessert during a hot day. Additions such as corn and tropical fruits are also available in its "special" version.

The best ABC in Kuching is located at a humble stall along the Waterfront. What makes it special is the traditional (manual) way he shaves the ice, unlike the motorised machines used everywhere else. Besides the method, his fresh springy chan lut, soft red bean, special blend of coconut milk and caramel sugar makes it different to any I have ever tasted.

Even the setting is unique in its own way. Sitting on the long wooden stools kinda makes you feel like going in back in time and watching cars drive by gives you a carefree feeling. I would put this little best kept secret as a worthwhile tourist attraction. You can even chill out at the VIP lounge with cushion seats in his van :)

The vendor starts selling late in the morning, around 11am till late evening, around 5pm. At night, another group sets up a burger stall there. The best ABC in Kuching can be found here: (click for location map)