What A Life

My past 2 years

2011-08-16T14:38:00.003+08:00

I can't believe it has been that long. Much has happened since then. Married life has been a journey and it still is. I've owned my first performance vehicle and have since parted ways with it as well. Am about to go on my first Europe trip and am dreading the 12 hours journey considering how fidgety I am. I have gotten wider horizontally, and that too has been, erm, remarkable. Even my wife is embarking on a new journey to which I have to play the supporting role in order to make it work.

A friend reminded me recently that life is a blessing. There are no shortcuts in life and that we have to work for everything. As cliche as it may sound, it does hold water. Thus, I am blessed to have a fantastic wife, friends whom you can actually call friends, family from both sides whom I sometimes take for granted, who loves me dearly still and much much more. Dwelling on what might and what if won't make a difference. I have to make the difference. As quoted by Sarah Connor, "There Is No Fate But What We Make".

Angels and Demons

2009-05-21T10:05:00.002+08:00

Quote : "Religion is flawed, only because man is flawed"

I leave this for your own interpretation

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-26T07:15:00.002+08:00

28 March 2009 has been chosen as Earth Hour and it's time to yet again, demonstrate our choice to contribute a little back to nature and to make a statement. Sydney was where it began in 2007, it went global in 2008 and is now in over 77 countries. We hope to reach a billion peeps in creating this awareness.

All it takes is just an hour. Wife, skip reading, kids may skip homework, I will give Warbook an hour break. And it starts at 2030 hours. If you can't do it just for an hour, Earth is doomed for sure.

Do know that this one hour will not save Earth. Are you gonna switch off all non-essentials because you really care about the planet you live on now? Or are you just in it because you were caught in the wave of hype and publicity. This stunt just shows that people are aware of such causes but I shiver to think what percentage of the population are actually doing what it takes to protect our planet after this hype wears off.

No wonder no Aliens ever lands on Earth. They probably know more than we do and find that it just ain't worth it.

"How's Married Life?"

2009-03-17T07:08:00.000+08:00

It's been 4 months now since our wedding day and it's funny how most people ask the question,"How's married life?" to newlyweds. And each and everytime my reply is a simple, "No change". Why should it? You love that person as much as you did before you got married, no?. If at all there is a difference, it would be either you love her more since then or you start to resent her since then. But lifestyles need not be changed just because 2 person got married. We still love to go on dates, we love to go to the cinemas, we love to window shop, we love to travel and do all the things that we were doing before. She has her circle of friends and I have mine. So I sometimes wonder what kinda answer people expect of me from that question? Could it be ....

1. Whoa, she has lots of habits I didn't know of
2. Since living together, we keep arguing
3. I wish she'd give me my space
4. She nags a lot
5. I'm glad you asked coz I can't wait to let off steam

It's perception and this kinda dogmatic mentality is driving me up the wall.

Will We Learn and Evolve

2008-12-16T09:25:00.005+08:00

Have we really given any thoughts on how much the human race has progressed? Do we know our history? Do we even know what life was like before we were born? Well, people always imagine how 'their' life would be if ..... but what about how Earth would be like if ......

We strive to break the limits of what our tiny brain had or could achieve, always looking for progress, always looking for wealth, always looking for ways to improve lives. We tear down trees in the name of progress, bring down hills and mountains to feed the hunger of the wealthy. Replacing them with concrete and producing waste which are then thrown back to the very soil that gave the raw resources. And when I say we, that includes me. Practically almost everyone lives in concrete these days. As much as I'd hate to say that it is a drain on Earth resources, as long as the human race continue to grow, so will the demand. That is a fact none can run from.

I haven't done a movie review in a while *been too stingy to fork out 20+ bucks on 2 tickets these days*. My wife and I went to watch The Day The Earth Stood Still, starring Keanu Reeves and Jennifer Connelly. I've already heard reviews of the message it sends through the movie. And putting it to reality, it makes thinking people think further.

It revolves around another life form, representing several alien civilizations superior to humans, threatening to remove humans with their destructive nature (which we call progress) and by doing so, allowing Earth to heal itself before the point of no return. Keanu, playing the alien, but looking very much like an agent in The Matrix, was the messenger.

Keanu, playing Klaatu is bent on wiping out our civilizations as he felt that was the only way Earth can be saved. And Jennifer Connelly, plays Helen Benson, a biologist who tries to convince him to give us a chance to evolve when on the brink of destruction. I admire the message it tries to sent. But we are far from realising nor acknowledging the fact that Earth is dying at the rate we are progressing. An eco-system could only sustain so much.

Thus we ask ourselves this question, if we knew Earth would collapse by year 2010, what can we do, what would we do and what must we do NOW to ensure that future does not happen? I was elated when I saw the concrete structures crumbling and dissolving when the 'aliens' went on a path of destruction. How mean am I ... *not a question*

I have been watching too much Terminator : The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Bangkok - First Time

2008-11-20T13:55:00.004+08:00

I was so looking forward to getting away from KL, after weeks of being bogged with wedding details. And getting off the plane, made me realise that it has all been worthwhile, tagging my wife along with me on this honeymoon.

Now, this is my first trip to Bangkok and I had no expectations of what it would be like. The air is polluted, the streets are clogged, with cars and people alike. And to make my experience worse, I developed a fever couple of hours after arriving there. Yes, my body finally had time to break down after running around on my wedding day. My poor wife had to take care of me in the hotel room that evening, and I slept through that evening/night without taking her anywhere. And behind our room was a rail line, which the darn drivers can't seem to take their hands off their horns.

Would I return to Bangkok? Yes, if only for the mega malls, namely, Siam Paragon & Central World. The former had to be my favourite of them all. Paragon itself has its own departmental store all on its own and within it, mega brands were aplenty. It was akin to walking around Pavilion in Kuala Lumpur.

And how they deco their display shelves was simply attractive.

And this is only one of many rows of pens, I can't find such varieties in KL

You know, all this while I never tried Auntie Anne's while I was in Malaysia. Fearing I would have nothing else to eat but Tom Yam all the time, I settled for a pretzel while feeling peckish. And I enjoyed it. Very nice indeed. Trust me to go to Bangkok to try this instead of back home.

They even had a Lamborghini Murcielago on display in the mall outlet. How cool is that?

When I recovered the 2nd day, we walked a little bit more and were able to see what goes on at night after seeing all the props and all during the day. They can publicly have beer festivals just outside of the mall. And there were many of them.

The only cute thing I saw there was the restroom doors at Baiyoke Boutique Hotel where we stayed. No time to visit any of the infamous Tiger Shows nor any of the temples, which the latter having no pull factor on me.

Do you know which to go to?

Well, I'm still in Phuket now. Will share my thoughts on it at a later date.

Sealed With A Kiss

2008-11-16T10:14:00.003+08:00

There I've finally been 'allowed' to kiss the bride by the 'official' of the day. And now, I shall be leaving on a 10 day long honeymoon *switches phone to silent and screening who calls before answering*

Only a message of 'alien invasion' will get me out of my honeymoon.

Greedy Malaysians

2008-11-03T07:18:00.005+08:00

Malaysia, a land of many opportunities. I always believe that if you work hard enough and add some savvy into what you do, there will be money to be made. In any traditional business, there will be times money is made, and times when money is lost. Name me one traditional business where money is never lost? Oh wait, toll concessionaires, they never lose money due to the lopsided contract between the government and their cronies.

How bout petrol dealers? You would think they have been making wads of cash each time the price of petrol went up. They're always claiming the discount is the same. If the petrol price today is RM1.92, they pay RM1.72 from the suppliers.

Now that crude oil price is hovering around USD67 per barrel, the government has reduced petrol price, for the 3rd time now since reaching a whopping RM2.7o. It now stands at RM2.30 per litre. What irks me are the petrol dealers who claims to lose thousands of dollars each time there is a price reduction. And that is true, not taking away any credibility to their claims. Let's have a look at how they lose.

When the price was at RM2.70 per litre, they bought the petrol price at RM2.50 from suppliers. As soon as the government reduce the price to RM2.55, they claim to have lost considerably due to the old stock which they bought at RM2.50. Even with the 5 cents profit, they cannot overcome their overheads. Granted. And it goes on when it drops to RM2.45 and now RM2.30. Everytime it drops, they cry like babies.

Well, what about when the price went up? When they bought it at RM1.72 cents when petrol price was at RM1.92, what happened when the petrol went tp to RM2.70? The 20 cents profit shot up to Rm1.o8 per litre on whatever stock they had left. And this goes on each time there is an increase. Did I ever hear, "Govt, you're not being reasonable. You've increased my profits this month and now I have no choice but to buy a new car to offset it or I have to pay higher tax. Why are you doing this to me?"

There are 2 sides to the coin, petrol dealers are mostly cronies anyway. I said mostly, not all. There are of course genuine ones. But bear in mind you money grubbing operators, this is a business you are running. Be thankful you have a business that has been generating profits for you all this while. And with any traditional business, there is NO GUARANTEE of continued profits. And to the government, stop making decisions at your whim and fancy. Give at least a week's notice of any impending increase or decrease to not only dealers, but to consumers alike. It is obvious, they have not needed to queue up at petrol stations to experience the traffic chaos when everyone rushes to fill up before midnight. Even those who do not want to be part of that rush, are stuck along clogged roads filled with cars waiting by the road side near a petrol station, waiting for their turn.

Stop crying and to the government, stop managing Malaysia like it's just a game.

I'm Taken on Halloween Day

2008-11-01T16:53:00.012+08:00

Well, here you have it. I'm married and there's nothing you girls can do about it. You all had your chance, too bad. The best girl won. In retrospective, I won too. And what a day it was. A day to take the vows said, or lack off, seriously, and a day just being plain silly, much to mine and everyone else amusement, including the public.

Waking up at ungodly hours to prepare for the day, eyes barely open when faced to the sun to get the best possible lighting angle for the photographer, the usual sweat dripping as if I just came out of a shower were just amongst the few parts of the day that seems to challenge my gung-ho-ness I had. Was it all worth it? You bet it was.

Well, a sneak preview if you will, these shots are just merely taken by our 'daughters' who were there trudging along with us wherever we went. God bless their hearts. They're not taken by the hired photographer of the day, Robin Ng, which I look forward to seeing the final results when it is ready.

"Wow, he's actually signing it" thought her

This was taken opposite Pavilion, whose management did not allow us to snap any photographs related to wedding, much to my disgust of their snobbish policy.

This picture is taken at Khareyana Spa, courtesy of Puan Azam who allowed us to utilize the location. If only she'd offer free spa treatment for the day too :P

And to my wife (got to get used to it), I love you and here's wishing you a Happy Birthday too. I shall reward you tonight.

Quality of Life - KL vs Perth

2008-09-06T09:02:00.001+08:00

It's funny how each and every time I visit Australia, I resent Malaysia more and more. It's not the people I resent, but the quality of life we get dollar for dollar. And people sometimes wonder why I choose to visit Australia, time and time again. So, here is my attempt to rationalize why I say the quality of life there is of higher quality. I will try my up most best to compare apple to apple and orange to orange. But where it differs, the content or logic is the same.

I'll start with McDonald's. I usually have the Sausage McMuffin with Egg set in Malaysia. It cost RM7.80 tax excluding. In Perth, I took the Bacon & Egg McMuffin set. Both comes with a hash brown and coffee or tea. And that only cost me AUD$4.95 WITH tax.

Cars are so darn cheap there. A Toyota Altis 1.8G would cost us approx RM119,000 whereas the Ultima Sedan, which is what Australia calls it, is, get this, only less than AUD$40,000 with full leather trim. That's a whopping 79,000 difference, dollar for dollar. My most recent trip, I saw a Ford Focus which sells for RM120,000 here in Malaysia for A$20,000. Oh, did I tell you there isn't any toll? I didn't? In KL, you just can't get by without going thru toll plazas every now and then, here and there. Oh, and in shopping malls, parking is free. And in some part of the city, free parking is also available albeit only 1-2 hours. Free parking in KL city? Hahahahahahahahaha .....

Here's the cruncher, petrol, which our dear Malaysian Government tries so very hard to convince the locals who knows no better. Petrol prices fluctuates according to the market. During my most recent trip, the most expensive I saw was AUD$1.43 per litre and the cheapest was AUD$1.41 per litre. When you shop at supermarkets, like Woolworths for example, you get 4 cts off petrol too, which we paid AUD$1.39 when we fill up the car one day. In Malaysia, a producer and net exporter of oil, we previously paid RM1.92 per litre. And recently, a hike which yten puts our petrol at RM2.70 per litre but reduced 2 weeks ago to RM2.55. Oh sure, economics comes into play and all but at the end of the day, I'm just showing how we pay so much but get so little. But I so resent the government for saying, "We are still amongst the cheapest you will pay for a litre of petrol. Here you pay RM2.70 but in Australia, you pay RM4.29 (AUD$1.43 x 3 exchange rate)". What a load of crap.

There are stuffs that are more expensive there too, but you get so much more back because of the excellent infrastructure and support to the people by the government. I've a colleague who wonders what's so good about visiting countries like Australia. He doesn't like to travel unnecessary. And he'd rather travel to Asian countries where he can speak his mother tongue language. And that is fine. But one has no right to comment on the negatives of going to somewhere he or she have never been before.

We make do with what we earn here in Malaysia, but to those who haven't been elsewhere, you haven't been living. It's really an eye opener. And to think that I've only just begun. Where next? After all, according to Bukit Bendera UMNO division chief, Datuk Ahmad Ismail, we chinese are squatters and do not belong here in Malaysia. So, why stay? I'd rather spend my money elsewhere when your own countrymen do not see us as equal.

Warbook @ Facebook

2008-09-04T07:37:00.001+08:00

I'm addicted, that's all I can say. My lover, who initially introduced, taught & assisted in the growth of my hero, is now just as addicted after I showed him the tricks of the game. I have to admit, I spend most of my time on the internet mainly on this game. It's available on either Facebook or Bebo.

All you have to do is find and add the Warbook application and visit here for tips and strategies. WARNING : Don't play this game if you don't know when to rest and when to play.

The good thing about this game is that it is real time. And there is a strategy to playing it. Even a code of conduct amongst the alliances. Facebook, ahhh, I forgot how I got started on Facebook. And the moment I did, someone said to me, "Finally, you are on Facebook". Huh? Facebook only mah. Tried many applications I have, but Warbook is by far the most interesting of them all. Fleet Command? Slayers? Werewolf? They're all child's play when compared to this.

So, try it for those who hasn't and has time to spare. But please don't ignore my above warning. It is addictive once you get the hang of it.

Korean Drama Series

2008-09-02T00:39:00.002+08:00

I never did really understood why Korean dramas were making headlines in most parts of Asia. Sure, the women were good looking. But are the series itself worth watching? Well, I found that out in my recent trip to .... Korea, nah, Australia.

Having some time waste in between all the appointments and rest and meals, my god sis started me off with a new series which she have not seen herself, Full House. Main cast were Song Hye Kyo who played Han Ji-Eun and Rain playing Lee Young-Jae. I must say. It was truly entertaining. Almost every emotions you can think of is felt when I watch it; love, hate, sad etc. But what I love most was humor. "What?" They love saying that and add that with some funny facial expressions, they were really funny. I could not wait to watch the next episode after anothers It was addictive.

Full House meant a home built and filled with love in the series

Next up, she recommended to me, Coffee Prince, a series she has watched twice and making it thrice when she watched it again with me. A tomboy, who fell in love with a guy who taught she was a he. And despite reservations, he decided to go all the way even though he thought she was a he. Wah, I also cried a few times in this series. And I think anybody would have fell in love with Eun Chan, the female lead character played by Yoon Eun Hye.

I then watched 200 Pounds Beauty. Well, the point is made. She has given me another series to watch and also a list of other recommended series. All in due time.

FIGHTING, I first noticed this word used when watching Full House. It was a way for the lead actress to psyche herself up when things are down. Then the lead actor added his own to it when he tried to cheer her up. AZA AZA FIGHTING. Then FIGHTING was again used in Coffee Prince, and then again in 200 Pounds Beauty. Then it occurs to me that it is probably used in most Korean series or amongst Korean themselves. How interesting.

Forah, I have you to blame or thank, for getting me addicted to Korean series. Time I may not have to watch it just yet, but I will eventually. And sis, AZA AZA FIGHTING!

She Knows, I Know, But I Have To Go

2008-07-29T06:05:00.001+08:00

Leaving is not easy, but I must go, even if it is for a while. So much to do, months to go. If only I am as resourceful as her. But deep down, she understands I have to go, and that eased the agony of leaving.

I shall return for my life is with her. And only with her, I am complete. Wait for me.

Who So Serious?

2008-07-28T19:19:00.001+08:00

Most people says I'm a very serious person. I'm serious when it comes to being punctual. I'm serious when it comes to work. I'm serious when people let me down. I'm serious when I let people down.

Imagine a life without seriousness. Where people will go like this ...

1. Hey, you're late. Damn that's funny. Haha, let's do that again next time.
2. Oh, you want to provide 3 inch concrete instead of 4? Haha, sure thing ... so long as it doesn't crack and look like the crack in your arse.
3. Hehe, it's ok you couldn't make it at the last minute. I'll probably return the favour hahaha

Seriousness has a time and place for it. Maybe I overdo it, and people don't think of me as fun. Well, all I can say is ......

Why So Serious about me being so serious?

Seriously, the late Heath Ledger was at his best as one of Batman's greatest nemesis. His unseriousness as a villain really puts serious people like me to shame. And this has got to be an all time best for Batman's franchise. Applaud to the casting crew for their seriousness in finding an awesome actor to play that role.

Now, should I remain serious? Seriously? Can you be serious please? Hahaha, why so serious?

The Dark Knight, a must watch.

Street Party at 1U

2008-07-27T23:58:00.005+08:00

I'm not a fan of street parties. Not because I don't enjoy it if the party is interesting. Mainly because of the crowd, the conditions imposed ie. like no outside food because they want to sell their ridiculously priced tidbits, snacks and drinks, and most importantly, the heat or sweat I will have to endure.

To compensate the heat I anticipate, I asked my fiancee to buy me a mini portable fan. And it was from Mark & Spencer. Yes, I've already surveyed it before, seeing that I would probably need it when I am in my wedding day attire. And I wanted 2, just in case 1 broke down. RM29, would you believe it? Even she can't comprehend that I would spend that money on a fan.

I must admit, I haven't been to many concerts at all in my entire life. Musical shows, yes, not concerts. The opening act is a farce I tell ya. People didn't come to watch Daniel, our Malaysian Idol. People didn't come to watch some AIM winner whom I don't even know but maybe others do. People came to watch, Daughtry. Doors opened at 7pm, opening acts were f#@!*?g 3 hours. To make matters worse, it was drizzling. Sure, many were having fun. But there were no itinerary for us to know what was in store. And by the time Daughtry came out, my mood was dampened. So was my fiancee, who was shocked when I told her we're going for a street party. She knows me so well actually, more than I know myself sometimes.

Andddddddd, they didn't allow cameras in? Video recorders I get, but cameras? Geez, how sad can that be? Traffic Jam, brought to you by Sony Ericsson and held at One Utama, Central Park Avenue was a let down for me. And maybe just me alone. So, without a camera, this was what I could get using my 'antique' Nokia N73.

Heck, I can't even get a decent photo with a poster with that phone.

My head's glowing, can you see, can you see?

And to top it off, after 4 years and 7 months of driving my car with High Intensity Discharge (HID) light, I got my first summons when I decided to leave the street party half an hour after Daughtry appeared. I'm gonna send it to Daughtry.

Perth (June 2008)

2008-07-10T23:45:00.002+08:00

It's easy to get lost in time when the air is fresh and clean, the skies are almost always blue, the sea breeze making a mess of my hair and compounded further by good company and family I've not seen in 3 years. Yes, it's been that long.

And winter is always my cup of tea to make a getaway great. Despite raining during our last couple of days there, I managed to get some really good photos and I personally feel so relaxed during the entire trip. The 4 legged family are always great. I find peace in dogs and cats, but fuiyoh, the moment I met Oscar, the word calm was deleted from my dictionary. He sniffed, he jumped, he clawed, and just hit the repeat button, you know what I mean.

He's always like this jumping on people

Only when he's on a leash will he sit and be still, though not all the times. And I've got to remember to bring some fly swatters over there next time as that's the only thing he has 'some' respect for

So much so, I had to hand built a fence to keep him away from the laundry area. I didn't know my carpentry skills was that good. Tired but satisfied seeing the dog looking at me and unable to get through.

Being there with my fiancee was something different. Perth has always been like a second home to me mainly because of my family there and Perth being the destination where I gather my thoughts and unwind from stressful Kuala Lumpur. It was somewhat different also because of my sudden interest in amateurish photography. Always carrying my trusty basic DSLR with me, I snapped at anything I liked, food and scenery. She always complains that I don't like to take people :P I guess mainly because I used to be camera shy like this cat, Lil' Mouse

But I'm getting the 'feel' of it lately and it has improved. Or have I? But what I love taking are always close up shots, macro shots to be more precise. And especially food. Yummy ....

Ok, so we had Japanese, in Australia ...

I had this in Hillary's Harbour, food was alright, service was bad

And I couldn't miss out on this, McBacon

We got hungry while walking in the city one afternoon, it cost AUD$4 but without onions, he charged me only AUD$3.50. Wow, 50 cents off onions, not bad.

We had this really huge burgers in a small shop in Freemantle. Mine had bacon and a mouth watering beef patty. Bliss ..

"Can I finish that?" ... of coz she did, she being her :P

I had quite a few breakfast sets over there. This being one of them with a hash brown.

I had this at Wild Fig on my last day there. A breakfast set for lunch ...

During my 10 days there, I had this waffle 4 times. Costly, but oh so worth it.

I'm not really a big fan of 'Italian' food. I hate Italy for that matter. But this spaghetti marinara that I had at Sorrento's was really good. Great choice of restaurant on my last night there.

This is called Vegetarian Nightmare - Pepperoni, Ham, Bacon .....

Ok, enough about food. There used to be this cafe named Bien that sells amazing fries. Unfortunately, they have closed down before I managed to introduce it to my fiancee. Well, now to plan my next trip since Air Asia is starting it's maiden flight there in November and at a cheaper airfare. When?

Wedding Photography # 1

2008-05-24T22:16:00.004+08:00

Being a photographer to a friend is always challenging. On one hand, she's always saying, "Eh, it's ok, go rest" or "Eh, stop taking photos and enjoy the meal lah" and on the other end, making sure most of the moments are captured. But those who knows me know I do not like to disappoint. So, it isn't surprising that I forgo having a proper dinner just so my friend would be able to have those memories retained.

Ok, so I'm not a professional when it comes to photography. It's just a small and tiny part of my numerous hobbies. It takes 3 parts to have the moments captured the way it was supposed to be remembered. One, it takes a reasonably well functional camera to do the right job. Mind you, it's a balance. It doesn't mean by purchasing a RM20,000 camera, it would ensure your shots are perfect. Two, learning the functions that are available on the camera and the ability to change the settings to suit the conditions in the shortest amount of time possible. Otherwise, the moment would have gone. Just as life would eh? Finally and most importantly, in my opinion, is the natural flair in seeing what other novice camera owners wouldn't see. The split second moment as once you've missed it, it's gone.

As you could judge from the pictures below, I may not possess completely all of the above, but I hope what I have been able to do is enough for the couple.

The Bride

She sits waiting patiently

The Groom arrives

"When was your first kiss? How? With or without tongue?" - asked Mayin

I hope I never ever do that

The benefits of chum char :)

The Heng Tais

The Chi Muis

Her side

His side

A favourite shot of mine

Me, Wai Kian, Hui Lee and Khar Min

My congratulations to Hui Lee & Wai Kian

Seeing them through the day and how tired they were, I now prepare myself to do the same and more come year end. Who then would be my photographer?

Fantastic Weekend

2008-05-20T00:26:00.005+08:00

Allow me to thank Hui Lee & Wai Kian for asking me to be their unofficial official photographer on the day of their wedding. My fiancee and I have known Hui Lee since secondary school and Wai Kian for the past couple of years and I am honoured to do so. More on their actual day photoshoot later.

Hui Lee & Wai Kian

Hui Lee & Me

Hui Lee and us goes back a long way back to when we were members of the St. John's Ambulance in Setapak High School and Kepong Baru Secondary School. I knew Hui Lee through Spellbound, and we together with Chok Yee have spent many good times together. We had lost contact with Chok Yee since the last couple of years as she's been living in Singapore with her hubby, Kevin and son, Oliver. Till today.

It was a pleasant surprise for Chok Yee to call us as we've missed her dearly. And to have her together with my fiancee, Hui Lee and Wai Kian was a moment long overdue.

Spellbound, Chok Yee, Hui Lee, Wai Kian and me - note : pix credit to my young padawan, Oliver

Chok Yee & Me

Oh, Oliver Yeo aka Kevin Yeo Jr tagged along with Chok Yee when she visited our home. And boy, was he hyper. Truth be told, I'm never keen on kids who are overly physical and on the constant move. But here is a kid, who despite 'playing all out', also listens well to his mum. My hats off to her coz I'll probably be just as strict or more if ever I have kids of my own.

Chok Yee, please come more often. It's not just because we miss you, but also because we are in need of a free of charge cleaner from time to time too.

My fiancee and I wishes Hui Lee and Wai Kian our congratulations. May there be plenty of great journeys ahead of your lives.

Su Chan Deli Fries @ BV II

2008-05-14T22:06:00.004+08:00

How much would you pay for a bowl of fries like this? I probably wouldn't pay more than RM5 if I knew it was going to be this size. Sure, there's sauce and all. But, but, but ............................ RM14? Heck, even McDonald's fries taste better any time any day.

Just in case you're wondering, NO. Su Chan is not related to me.

Light Sleeper

2008-04-28T08:24:00.001+08:00

I stand corrected on how I define people who consider themselves light sleeper. Well, eat your heart out. This guy is the epitome of that defination. Try beating this.

Found this guy sleeping on a bench while I was in Macau. I initially thought nothing about it but found it perspectively wrong.

His head was about an inch or 2 off the bench.

Looking at the size of his neck, no wonder it could support the weight of tis head. I am lucky he didn't wake up to see me snapping. Otherwise, he would have levitated me to such heights, I would think I was a magician.

My Pledge for Earth Day

2008-04-22T11:51:00.004+08:00

We all know and have heard of the consequences of global warming. As a singular, I may not be able to make a change. But if everyone could just contribute some minor changes to their daily life, the total effect would be tremendous.

Therefor, I pledge to NOT TURN ON MY LIGHTS from the moment I step home this evening till tomorrow morning when I leave for work. How much will that help to give Earth a chance to heal? Not much probably but it's a start. Earth Day is about celebrating what earth has contributed to us and it's time to give back.

Hong Kong & Macau

2008-04-21T12:36:00.002+08:00

Having been to Hong Kong and Macau for the first time, my impression was such that I will not pay for another trip to Hong Kong. The 2 full days I was there were more than enough. When I travel, shopping is usually not a big part of my itinerary or priority. I love seeing the lifestyle of the citizens and just walking around to enjoy the sights of the country.

The Group (which was way too huge for my taste)

I always thought Hong Kong was a great place to visit. I've come to appreciate the diversity of the different countries I've been to and I must say, Hong Kong is least appealing of them all. Congestion and rudeness of the people was really an awakening for me. Japan in a sense was overly populated too, but the infrastructure was so well planned and implemented it didn't leave me gasping for air. And they were so friendly and polite, despite not many being able to speak proper English.

You know, I didn't realise there was a ruling against snapping photos of steward/stewardess. Just before take off, I snapped a pix of a stewardess who was upfront near the cockpit. Wah, in no time at all she walked up to me. I was expecting, "Sir, could you email me that pix you took of me? You look like a professional photographer and I'm sure the pix looks awesome". Instead, "Sir, Air Asia prohibits photos of the crews to be taken. Can you please delete that?" So, this is what I shot instead.

Air Asia's resident ghost

Arriving in Hong Kong in the evening, we had to toil like slaves, dragging our luggage bags up and down subway steps and pedestrian walkways. By the time we checked into the hotel, we were like a pack of hungry wolves in search of meat. At the first sound of pork, I ordered what the rest ordered. Thinking it was lean pork. My ignorance was such that I didn't realise "Chi Sau" meant pork trotters.

Even the noodles had a rather smelly fragrance that I could not make out. My poor empty tummy that night :-(

I have to mention that I missed the cable car ride due to my acrophobia. Hence, the following pix are courtesy of Jocelyn, Air Asia's ghost who followed our every footsteps.

Fainted just looking at the pix

I missed the food since I wasn't up there with the group. But the upside to it was, I had plenty of time to refine my photography and managed to catch Alien vs Predator Requiem for the 2nd time :-) There weren't much photos of Hong Kong which I found fit for my blog. But when I was in Macau, it was a complete change for me. Neons were everywhere and I've never seen so many casinos converge in such a small area before.

Every casino was unique in their own way. The few we were at had performances by dancers, singers, musicians and the likes. Some were scantily clad of course. But what I loved most was the availability of free flow drinks served at the casinos. Though not all, MGM Grand was one such casino which offered juices, hot drinks, milk and etc. Some only offered mineral water.

Read the price tag *fainted*

Oooh, my favourite time of the trip was in Zhuhai. We were on the look out for cheap massages and we stumbled across one just after crossing over from Macau. My colleagues were asking them on the price per hour coz I couldn't understand what they were saying. When he came back and told me it was 20 bucks per hour. I was like, "ok, that's cheap". Then he went, it was RMB20 which is about RM10 per hour. Full package please : 3 hour body massage, manicure, pedicure & ear cleaning. Total cost = RM55 +/- Let's do that again.

We had some free time to spare coz it was still early to crossover back to Macau. Some of them who had already walked a little bit was saying we should go to this one particular shop. And walk we did and eventually ended in a shop selling this.

Eric? Yvonne? How was it?

The food was nothing great, though I kinda like the 'tan tan'.

The infamous egg tart

Ham Chim Peng

When will I place my foot back in Hong Kong? Sponsors anybody? Now I can't wait for my next break in June .... yippee.

My First Tag Heuer

2008-03-19T18:52:00.002+08:00

Ever since a couple of years ago, I've always like Tag Heuer's range of watches. Built tough with sporty features, it looks so much better than the old-man Rolex. I mean, come on, it's a Tag Heuer (pronounced: täg hoi-er).

All this while, my watches has always been Casio. From the early days of game and watch till the Casio calculator watch till today's G-Shocks.

Imagine wearing this during school days, fuiyoh ....

When I started working, even those steel or leather strap watches has no appeal to me. Then came the Tag Heuer Chronograph. Mika Hakkinen was the face of the watch if I'm not mistaken. Cool looking metal strap, black face, simply amazing. The cost? RM7,688. Could I afford it then? Well, I saved and saved and finally bought myself a Tag Heuer.

Ok, so it isn't a Chronograph, but a Tag Heuer nonetheless. Did it feel good? Nope coz wearing glasses is uncomfortable. People say "You'll get used to it someday". Sighhh, that's the problem, I don't want to get used to it. I guessed this is what I have to live with as I don't think I could ever trust a ophthalmologists with the Lasik procedure. For now ...........

Well, my eyes ain't that bad actually. My problem started when I had fever, flu & some sore throat 2 months ago. One of the medicine which was prescribed gave me bad side effects. I took it the night before I slept and the next morning. It was during driving that I felt I could not concentrate or focus. I had eye coordination issues. It was a good full week or so before the symptoms subsided. Then it began, I felt my reading has somewhat suffered especially under low light conditions. And oncoming cars were a bane to my driving at night. The onslaught of lights from oncoming cars made me squint my eyes to reduce the glare.

The lenses that was prescribed has made the glare less annoying and my reading has also improved. No longer struggling to read the finer prints. All at the cost of my esteemed colleagues saying, "Welcome to the club".

Congratulations Malaysia(ns)

2008-03-11T13:38:00.006+08:00

What an amazing, yet shocking weekend it has been. Malaysians have finally awoken from the deep slumber, with such a tremendous roar that not only shook the ruling coalition but the opposition coalition as well. Many predicted the winds of change but no one expected the 12th Malaysian General Election to be such a disastrous outing for Barisan Nasional.

I was at 1 Utama shopping mall in the morning of Sunday. Everything had seemed normal, despite all the campaign banners, buntings and posters in every corner you turn. Then, my fiancee told me "Come, let's buy the newspaper. Something big happened in the elections" (somewhere along that line). Apparently, she received a few sms from friends, indicating some shocking turn of event. I was like, how big can it be? Lost more parliamentary seats compared to the last elections? Found a newstand, grab a copy of The Star (which is biased to Barisan Nasional) and it read -

Barisan reels from worst-ever election performance

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is in shock. The Barisan Nasional is reeling from its worst-ever election performance. While it managed to keep Terengganu and will form the next government, it lost Penang, Selangor Kedah and Perak to the Opposition and failed to recapture Kelantan. - excerpt from The Star, 9th March 2008

I was so elated, I jumped like a blardy monkey. The result has been long overdue and I am proud of all the Malaysians who came out to vote. It's time our rights are heard. It's time to clean up the shit that these states has stacked up all these years.

Now comes the hard part. Celebrations can only last so long. DAP, PKR & PAS has to know that, the people are their voices. If they have the power to vote you in, they have the power to vote you out at the next elections.

General Election 2008

2008-03-07T13:30:00.001+08:00

8th March 2008, a day of possibilities, a day of hope, a day to make a change, a day to remain status quo. Whatever your reasons may be to vote or not to vote is your perogative and yours alone. The last couple of years has been a shake of awakening to my senses. Yet, when I started this blog, I tried staying away from politics. But today's headline truly tells us non-bumis where we actually belong. Below are partial extractions from The Star newspaper.

Vote for a voice in the Government, says Abdullah (click for source)
PENANG: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reminded the Chinese community that if they gave the DAP their votes, they will end up not having any representation in the Government. “You have to decide if you want a louder voice in Parliament or representation in the Cabinet where they can be more effective in representing all communities,” the Barisan Nasional chairman said.

He said if the Chinese did not have representation in the Cabinet, their requests would not be heard. However, Abdullah said the Barisan wanted the Chinese community to be part of the Government. “We do not want to have a government that does not have representation of all ethnic groups in the Cabinet. We want to be the best and I want to do the best for the rakyat,” he said at a press conference after opening the RM110mil project to upgrade Penang Hospital's heart and surgical unit yesterday.

Abdullah reminded Penangites of the situation after the 1990 general election when the MCA was “paralysed.” “When the MCA lost its voice, the people felt it. I hope they will think very carefully. This is important in the interest of all races,” he added.

What the FUCK! Is he not the Prime Minister of the rakyat? If at all, the chinese community chooses to elect DAP, are we not to be represented just because the ruling coalition turns a deaf ear to DAP, merely because they are the opposition? MCA, wake up and stop being a dog grovelling at their feet. Are you not confident of your community to rise up to the challenge if you work harder, without fear for the betterment of the chinese community? You know what our concerns are, and if you can't improve on it, step aside and let someone else have a shot at it.

The following could not be found in The Star Online but was published - "We will give what the MALAYS WANT and will not REDUCE it. But we will not forget and leave our Chinese and Indian friends in Barisan" ~ quote Pak Lah

It says it all, doesn't it? So, take advantage of your voting rights and VOTE SMART. I shall be rooting from behind the scenes and register myself for the next General Elections.

Gong Xi Fa Cai

2008-02-17T22:39:00.007+08:00

Chinese New Year just seems to be getting a lot quieter here in KL. Gone were the days where it resembles a ghost town 10 years ago. Though the streets were free of the usual congestion, you could still tell many didn't leave the bustling city.

But this will be the final year where I thought I could earn my riches like I used to back when I was young. And boy has 2008 been a bountiful year for me. Up till today, which is the 11th day of Chinese New Year, I have shamelessly received 24 red packets.

With 4 more days to go, 24 is on the high side. The amount doesn't matter much, but with each passing year, the "When are you getting married?" remarks seems more frequent.

Well, fret not everyone. For this shall be the last year I am to be on the receiving side. So, line up everyone; nephews, nieces, cousins, friends and friend's children. I heard it's a tradition to give 2 red packets during the inaugural year and someone even told me it's fun to give out them out. I just hope she wasn't lying to me :P hahahahah

Let's Settle This

2008-02-13T15:14:00.002+08:00

It happened right in front of my very own eyes.

A : Beginilah, ikut pendapat kami dan gambar ini, memang mesin kamu terkena kabel kami
B : Jadi, macam mana?
A : Kalau nak buat repot, boleh, tapi kurang-kurang kena bayar pampasan RM20,000. Itu sebab saya datang nak tanya, sama ada nak buat repot or nak settle kat sini.
B : Kalau nak settle kat sini, berapa?
A : Kalau settle, lebih kurang 3-4 ribu saje.
B : Bos saya kat luar negeri, saya tak boleh buat keputusan.
A : Kalau gitu, saya kena balik dan buat laporan kerana isu kelmarin melibatkan ramai penduduk.
B : Biar saya cuba telepon ofis saya

A moment later

B : Mintak kurang lagi boleh ke?
A : Nak settle berapa?
B : Seribu boleh?
A : Tak boleh lah, lebih kurang dua ribu ok lah.
B : Saya mana ada duit banyak tu sekarang? Ada pun lebih kurang RM1,500.
A : Takpe lah, tunggu saya telepon bos saya dulu.

Soon after

A : Bos saya minta RM1,600.
B : Begitulah, kalau dalam dompet saya ada duit sebanyak itu, saya bagi lah.
A : Jadi, ada berapa?
B : *korek korek* RM1,5xx lebih sahaja
A : RM1,500 jadi lah.
B : Ok, terima kasih
A : Gong Xi Fa Cai

WTF!!!!!!! $#@@*&?! Too bad I didn't take any video of the conversation. Otherwise, he'll just say, "It sounds like me, it looks like me, but I cannot say it is 100% me".

Sunway Parking

2008-01-24T12:19:00.000+08:00

I've been biased. Having only written a review on Pavilion and The Gardens, I didn't see the need to do one on Sunway Pyramid. Well, I was wrong.

They have revamped their parking lot and I must say, it is fantastic. The management and designer has been very considerate to the plight of nomad motorist, turning in vain in search of a vacant parking bay. They derived a system worthy of mentioning in my blog.

Driving in, I notice there were these LED signages. They serve to inform us how many parking bays are available. Now, if you've been to Genting Highlands, they too have this system. But it only shows something like "444 bays available". Well, eat your heart out Mr. Lim. Sunway Pyramid's signs are on every row, indicating how many empty bays are available in that row, read this, in REAL TIME.

Get ready for this, they even have proximity sensors in each and every parking bay. When a vehicle is parked, the sensor which is located just above the vehicle will activate and a light located in front will turn red. Likewise, when the bay is empty, the light in front will show green. How ingenius is that? A first in Malaysia?

I am very appreciative of what they have done, and i'm sure the same can be said for many motorists as well.

Fish Food

2008-01-21T23:14:00.000+08:00

Having been bitten by some pesky fishes when I was swimming in the sea during a recent trip to Kota Kinabalu made me grew wary of them. I mean those fishes were stalking my every move. I can actually see them following me when I had my snorkel on and looked under water. I shooed them by kicking my leg towards them and they would just scatter only to return. And their bite sure pack one helluva punch. Even made some of my friends bleed. They'll swim fast towards your leg, and SNAP. You don't even know what hit you.

Well, I subjected myself to it again last Saturday, albeit a mild, or many mild bites. I'm beginning to love Pavilion very much. For it's shops, for its orange juice, ease in finding a car park, and now for their Fish Spa. For RM38, this is what some of us subjected our feet to for 1/2 hour.

Ticklish? I love it

They were ticklish at first, but after half a minute or so, it started to feel good. The fishes are known as "Garra Rufa". Discovered in Turkey, they are known to peck away at dead skin and that they did. My feet did felt smoother. During the treatment by the fishes, they somehow seemed to swarmed around my feet. Must be my dirty feet.

Crash Boom Bang

2008-01-13T22:51:00.000+08:00

There is this short song that goes like that

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Woe, despair and agony on me

Deep, dark depression, excessive misery

If it weren't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all

Woe, despair and agony on me"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Oh, I was floating alright, then came the stung. It happened in a similar fashion when I was in my late teens. Then, I was running across a road in the rain. The moment I jumped onto the curb, I slipped. I threw myself forward so that I don't fall backward. Next I knew, "crash", a lamp post came between my eyes and it became a starry moment for the next minute or so. The humiliation.

I was at Chef & Brew in Bukit Damansara yesterday, and it was kinda dejavu for me to see the same thing happening again. Well, almost.

It rained, as you would have it. Dotter offered to take a group photo of all of us after dinner. But nooooo, I wanted everyone to be in the photo too. So, I took the camera away from her, placed it on a flat surface, put on the timer, focus, click and it was ready. All it needed was for me to get back to the group within 10 seconds. The camera did snap a photo but it wasn't how it was meant to be.

Not clear enough?

Rushing to get into the frame, I slipped the moment I went up the step. Again, I threw myself forward, crashing on my right knee and my wrist instinctively went down to cushion the fall. I could have sworn at that very moment, I broke my wrist. The excruciating pain was just unbearable at that time. After a few minutes on the floor gripping my wrist, I got up. My dotters told me to go see a 'ta tit'. What in the world is that? Well, stubborn old me. I have yet gone to see one. I'm typing this aren't I? It hurts when I move it around much. No external swelling is visible. I presume the injury is a little crack in my wrist somewhere. We'll see how it is if and when the pain subsides before I decide on my next course of action. Till then, some TLC and restricted wrist movement will do.

Hmpth, and one of my dotter was still posing for the photo.

Punctuality

2008-01-11T06:33:00.000+08:00

Scenario 1
George is meeting Osama at Nikko Hotel Kuala Lumpur at 1pm.
George, who drives, stays in Bangsar while Osama, who has to catch the public transportation stays in Batu Caves.
Osama arrives at the Nikko Hotel at 12:59pm
George arrives at 1:30pm.
George apologizes for being late, saying he got stuck at home deriving yet another war mongering plan.

Is that acceptable?

Scenario 2
You are attending a wedding banquet of a friend. Invite says 7pm. It doesn't say dinner starts when. You arrive at 8pm, despite being free earlier because you assumed dinner will start at 8:30pm at the earliest.

Is that acceptable?

Scenario 3
You are supposed to meet someone at 1pm at KLCC. Till 1:30pm, he or she has yet to show up. You walk away despite having a mobile phone to ring that person up. He or she rings 5 mins after you leave to ask why you're not there yet. Do you tell him/her off? Or do you walk back there and act cool?

Is that acceptable?

2007 Regrets & Accomplishments

2008-01-03T23:48:00.000+08:00

Resolutions here, resolutions there. It's impossible not to hear about them when you're around people. How many of us actually made pledges for the year only to totally forgot about it or chose to ignore it? Well, I have none for 2008 but here are my 2007 upz and downz.

My regrets are ....
1. not visiting my grandma often enough
2. not being able to bring my fast but efficient driving to a screeching halt
3. not having enough funds to furnish my guest room
4. not being able to control my temper and mood changes
5. having high expectations of humanity
6. having more responsibilities at work :(
7. eating too much instant noodles, fried luncheon meat & sausages sinced I moved out on my own
8. being too verbal with my opinions, despite with logic and common sense
9. over spending on my car
10. not being a registered voter
11. Malaysia sent a tourist up in space, wasting taxpayers money
12. the condo management increased maintenance charges by 40%
13. the hills in Melawati are to be cleared for development

My accomplishments are ....
1. making better fried rice, cooking porridge & ABC soup
2. turned my car into a role model for other Vios
3. found myself in awesome Japan
4. retaining my Nokia N73 for a full year
5. obtaining a Diploma in Prohect Management
6. having more responsibilities at work :)
7. learning to use the basic functions of Adobe Photoshop
8. started a novice blog
9. staying on my own for a full year, and survived
10. losing weight since returning from Japan
11. did 19 magnificient laps at Sepang International F1 Circuit
12. we sang a song for a 5 day work week, and realised in 2008
13. being engaged to my childhood sweetheart
14. changing my wardrobe from British India to GAP & Zara

I am sure there's more where that came from. Perhaps another day.

I Am Legend @ Signature GSC

2007-12-27T11:13:00.000+08:00

RM20 for a movie tickets? Who would pay so much? Yours truly lah of course. I mean, I was willing to pay RM25 when GSC introduced Gold Class and was showing Lord of The Rings. No I didn't get to try out Gold Class and don't ask me why. Now Gold Class has shot up to RM45 or more. It's a no no for me anymore. What do I get for RM20? Well for one, all the seats are couple seats. 2 seats separated by aisle on either side. And the seats were comfortable unlike GSC Pavilion. So thumbs up for GSC Signature at The Gardens. Would I pay again? Probably not but then again, who knows.

They gave cupcakes during the promotion. Rather nice actually.

Spacious enough

There's been an influx of zombie like movies this year, namely Resident Evil & 28 weeks later. I Am Legend is no different. Starring one my my favourite actors, Will Smith, he potrays a military scientist who is trying to find a cure for a virus which causes mutation and turns everyone into a violent zombie like thingy. He and his dog Sam, are the only cast in the movie, mannequins and 2 survivors aside. Though similar story lines, I watched to see the effects and to get my heart pumping faster once in a while. One thing though, I didn't know Zombies were smart?

When finished, we went to Gurney Drive restaurant in The Gardens. But the price ain't no Gurney Drive (Penang). The fried rice below cost me a whopping RM18 *fainted* Don't think I'll be eating there anytime soon anymore. Oh, it's non-halal which is great. I'm a babi fan.

p/s : All pictures we taken with my trusty Nokia N73. Pardon the quality.

Beautiful vs Ugly Structures

2007-12-14T17:48:00.000+08:00

I used to ply this road quite often when I was working for a company based in the golden triangle many years back. Never really appreciated it coz it was always packed with cars during the morning rush hours or I was usually looking forward to making my way back home.

But these past few months, often I have driven on this road during the night and have started to marvel at some of the structures that has cropped up here and there. The night scene was just beautiful. Coupled by the fact that there were so little cars coz I was headed into the city instead of out, a leisurely drive was what I did most of the time as compared to my Schumacher moments.

Somehow I don't understand why the government allow for some structures to be erected amidst all the nostalgic and futuristic ones. Can't they have the architect propose decent looking ones for approvals? Just look at the video below and wait till the end. You will know what I mean.

Advise : This video was captured by a professional stunt driver. Do not try this on your own. Video is approx 79 seconds.

Worse of all, they charge an entrance fee for this. Bah!

New Image

2007-12-13T00:30:00.000+08:00

Hair, never had much styling done with my hair except for the occassional mousse applied. You see, I'm too lazy to be washing my hair everyday and I kinda enjoy having my hair all soft and nice. Long hair is a no-no for me. You see, I sweat very easily and profusely. Long hair aggravates that, hence I try to keep a short and tidy hairdo most of the time.

But never did I thought my hair could look the way it did during my company's annual dinner in Genting Highlands last Saturday. Never have I seen so much hairspray and gel used for a single event.

A word of thanks to my colleague and friend, Eric who made it possible for me to look the way I did for this one and final time. And we look stunning. Yeah, I have thick skin.

Wong, myself & Eric

Simpson's Fav Food

2007-12-06T22:00:00.000+08:00

WARNING : Last pix to be viewed with parental guidance as it is classified PG21G (G=gross)

I realise when you're really in pain, there really isn't much choice when it comes to food. Even more so when you can't even open your mouth wide or chew properly because of the pain. But survival is paramount. So, cook lah.

This was my first time with the ABC soup. Edible.

Anyway, I'm sure Homer Simpson eats way more than what is up there. They say that's whom I look like.

Don't I look like Homer

That was 3 weeks ago and it was horrible. Had seen 3 doctors in less than a week and the last ended with a jab in the butt. Ouch!

BEOWULF @ The Pavilion GSC

2007-12-06T00:13:00.000+08:00

Golden Screen Cinemas gave it a 'U' Classification, fit for all to watch with a little note to remind parents to be mindful if they have kids under the age of 13 watching.

A naked woman and a naked man, bouncing bosoms, uncontrolled hormones, bodies torn in halves, men gutted, head bitten off, naked woman, oh I've said that already haven't I? And it was classified 'U'? Ok, before you get all worked up, they were animated. But one hell of an animation.

As usual, Anthony Hopkins was fantastic. His enigmatic presence and his voice over as King Hrothgar reminds me why he continues to be a top class actor in most of each movies. Then there's Angelina Jolie, mother of the creature Grendel. Even in animatiion, she has to be beautiful.

Just make sure she's not in your dream as this is how she looks like when you're asleep.

Then there's Beowulf himself. Played by an unknown (to me at least), Ray Winstone was an excellent choice to play the character of Beowulf, son of Scyld Scefing and a Hero of the Geats.

His feats in the movie would have killed Achilles if the two ever met. And his fighting scene with Grendel was fast and furious, yet humorous considering he was fighting naked.

A must watch movie with a 4 star rating out of 5. However, I was kinda disappointed with GSC Pavilion. As usual, opening to the public when they have not completed part of their renovations, namely their wall insulation and wood varnishing. Sigh, always sacrificing finishing just to meet deadlines is not the way to go. The seats are new and spacious, yet doesn't provide the same comfort as Cineleisure Damansara seats. Oh well, you can't have them all considering the tix was free.

Season Greetings!

2007-12-05T18:58:00.000+08:00

This is the season when I look forward to visiting malls to see the kind of Christmas decorations they have. Most do not disappoint, with fresh ideas and designs popping up everywhere. Well here are some of the decors that I took with my digital and mobile camera.

One Utama - Before

One Utama - After

The Curve

Mid Valley

Suria KLCC

Well, I shouldn't have put in the last one. Suria KLCC doesn't seem to be moving along with time (kinda like the company I'm attached with). With fierce competition from rival malls within the vicinity, it's always the same old same old. Not just with Christmas decors but with the Ramadhan and Chinese New Year decors as well.

Pavilion, the new kid on the block, have a rather astonishing deco.

And I was in luck to catch the carolling there last Saturday night.

Amd what a Saturday night it was. We witnessed some great dancing by a bunch of youths. Great stuff. Better that than rempitting. Very healthy activity.

We went for a drink at Island Bistro and for once, I didn't mind the orange juice not being sour. It was just right. Best orange juice I've had in years.

The Gelato was pretty good and so was the service. We went in when it was due to close in 15 minutes. The Manager was kind enough to offer us another scoop of Gelato on the house. How could we resist. Now I can't wait to try out the Crayfish meals

I realised I have been avoiding many places due to my dislike of crowd and traffic. But there is seriously more entertainment at night and I've been a fool to avoid that time of the day.

Time to stop being a couch potato.

When Is A Wedding Not A Wedding

2007-12-03T15:07:00.000+08:00

Doesn't this fella have any dignity in him? Heck, doesn't the bride have any dignity in herself? Hell, don't they have dignity for each other? Since when is the union of 2 person in love not enough? Yeah, so I've read and heard that professional bloggers makes lotsa money from blogging. But to ask for sponsors in this manner leaves one wondering, do they even love each other? Or are they doing it just to turn it into a money making scheme?

Oh please, spare me the suggestions that they have no money. Both are working adults and earning from their blogs through advertisements as well. Unless they are gonna donate ALL their ang pows to the poor and needy, their union is a business sham. If a grand wedding is beyond their affordability, scrap what you don't need and have a meaningful wedding where close friends and families attend. And I cannot and will not support organizations that sponsors such a cause.

He quotes : "You may be surprised to know we have a simple wedding, because I just want to share my happiness moment with my family members and friends. That is what its all about….Happiness" What a load of crap!

Wedding is a moment when 2 person starts a journey of a lifetime together. When you have sponsors whom you don't even know well attending your wedding, is there any meaning to it anymore? These couple will probably say yes, afterall, they have already received the sponsorship and will most likely pocket all the ang pows. No matter how enterprising one is, this wedding is a shame to those who wed for love and humility. I fear what you will teach your next generation the lessons in life.

Don't matter if by putting this link http://www.probloggerwedding.com/ will indirectly make their blog more popular, but people need to know who they are. And if you know this couple, share your thoughts on what you ACTUALLY think.

True, I don't know you to judge you. But when you advertise yourself on a blog and in the media, you put yourself before others to be judged. So, don't tell others not to judge you like what you said to this blogger.

Sepang F1 Circuit Experience

2007-11-13T00:01:00.000+08:00

I take pride in my car and those who knows me knows I don't settle for anything less than perfect on my setup. Car modification is an expensive hobby. It started with my 1997 Proton Wira which I first had it modified in year 2000. Full racing exhaust and a racing clutch, I trashed it till the manual gear box needed overhauling. Well, Proton being Proton, there were a host of other problems that came with it even if I hadn't modify a single damn thing on it.

It was then decided I needed a more reliable and economical car. The launch of the Toyota Vios came at the perfect timing. It was a sensible choice then, given that its wasn't a Proton, and considering Honda City came without VTEC yet. Honda only released a VTEC City about a year later.

The moment the car was delivered, in went the first modification the following day. Since then, it has undergone continuous transformation and it's not even completed. Performance became an obsession, and it's not just about the speed. Handling and stopping power was being given fair treatment as well. It was given a tuning session on Deepavali Day.

Since my first tuning in early 2006, which revealed my stock engine produced a mere 76.2 wheel horse power and 104Nm of torque, it is now delivering 93.3 wheel horse power and 126Nm of torque. That's 20% on a 1,498 1NZ-FE engine.

And all that has led till today, my first outing in the Sepang F1 Circuit. Stripped out rear seats, front camber set to negative 2 and a fearless co-pilot, we were set to leave the pits.

"Why are you smiling? Aren't you afraid?"

With a transponder to record my lap times, I was all set to go. Careful not to exceed the pit speed limit, I couldn't wait till the marshall gave me the thumbs up to flag me off. And when he did, I was focused. It was a rainy track session and it really tested the car's suspension setup, tires and driving skills.

I did a total of 19 laps, coming into the pit lanes on 3 other occassions. By the 10th lap, my pathetic Bridgestone Potenza G3 was useless. Overheated, it was gripless in many of the corners and I had to throttle down just to take them. Twice I almost spun 180 degrees but managed to counter steer but the 3rd time was too much already. Spinning 180 degrees, I was lucky there weren't any cars behind me. And I was also lucky not to spin into the sand or gravel patch, otherwise a tow truck would be needed to tow it out.

My moment of pride came when I was trailing a Suzuki Swift Sport 1.6, which pumps out 91.9 whp and 112Nm of torque (assuming he didn't modify). Inching my way closer, he couldn't handle the pressure and under brake at turn 15, causing his front wheel drive to understeer and slid into the gravel. I hope his car isn't damaged in anyway though I saw him on the track again later.. We're just enthusiast and passionate about our driving experience at the end of the day.

Hmpth, to indicate to all the non-first timers, many of us had to don this sticker so that the faster Evos, Silvias, STI's, Type R's would know to stay clear of us.

Well, out of that 19 laps, my best time was on lap 6 which clocked 3 minutes 23 seconds. Considering I had a passenger as added weight, a wet circuit and lousy tires, I'd say I did pretty well, considering I wasn't overtaken by any other Suzuki's or Vios and only by the bigger capacity and faster cars. Now I can't wait for my next track session, hopefully with better tires then and some fair weather.

My heart goes out to my fellow Vios owner from Singapore who crashed at turn 14.

I guess we are in one way or the other putting our cars at risk with this hobby, but one we are willing to make. Afterall, racing on a track is so much safer than on the streets in KL these days. Also, my thanks to Vios Owners Group Singapore which organized this and made it possible to invite a few from Toyota Vios Club Malaysia as their guest. Much obliged.

It's Disgusting, Don't Look

2007-11-12T21:17:00.000+08:00

I can't believe my luck, and I don't mean a windfall or good luck. Who hasn't had a breakout of pimples before right? It should be normal. But of all places for it to pop out, this has to be my worse nightmare.

Come on, in between the nostrils? You have no idea the amount of pain it is having on me. Though not really visible unless you are shorter than me, it caused swelling around my nostrils and upper lip. And the constant pain gave me headache and sleepless nights. Panadols gave me some relief on Friday. But came Saturday, it was just too much. Rolling in bed and couldn't sleep, I rushed myself to a clinic and the doctor told me the pimple got infected. Gave me anti-nflammatory pills anti-swelling pills, stronger pain killers, anti-biotics, some cream + a RM65 bill. The pain killer took its effect 45 minutes later. It was then and only then could I sleep.

Till now the swelling is there. Burst damnit, burst I say @#%$!*?

Japan (Part 2)

2007-11-10T08:07:00.000+08:00

The Train Network

Reading on Nicolekiss blog experience, I was a little worried about transportation arrangements prior to leaving for Japan. In most places and cases, I am a guy who knows my bearings pretty well. Lost is not in my vocab. And even if I do, I am not one of those egoistic guy who refuses to ask for direction. In fact, I'd ask ahead just to plan my route.

Having bought the Japan Rail Pass a couple of weeks before leaving, I obtained a copy of the rail network in Japan. WTH? *slap myself silly* Get a grip I say. Brace myself. *slap myself again*

Arriving at Kansai Airport, we walked outselves to the JR Kansai Station. We saw, we wept and we walked to the nearest officer we could see to cry for help. This station, every sign or destination is in Japanese. How am I gonna even get to the hotel?

Think KL/Selangor/Seremban train lines are complicated?

Now, feast your eyes on this.

Having said that, upon getting a better understanding of the system and how every district is so well connected, I must say I am very impressed. Their trains are so punctual, that despite having to be manually driven and not computer operated. Each train has so many compartments. Here in M'sia, a sardine would have it's guts squeezed out when in an LRT during the morning or evening rush hour. With only 2 compartments and unexpandable LRT stations, how does the government expects us to rely on public transportation?

Getting a subway ticket was tough the first time. Not knowing where to start on the machine, we had to seek the assistance of school kids to get us a tix *hiding face*. Under my watchful eye, it was a peace of cake after that.

First, know where you are and where you are going obviously.

Then you pay. You can pay for up to 6 tickets at any one time. And that is awesome in helping to reduce the queue at the ticketing machines.

Select how many passengers

Choose you fare rate per pax

Collect ticket and you're done.

The People

I got honked many times while walking, bells actually, by bicyclists. They are plentiful there and the only downside is that they don't have a designated path for bicycles on the footpath, only road crossings. They eat, they listen to their iPods, the talk on phones and they chat with one another while cycling.

Tokyo is really overcrowded. WIth a high sense of fashion and demand of only the best, I am not surprised at the high cost of living over there. Was at a street just feeling amazed at all the ants walking around.

Passionate, especially the older generation. It is becoming very rare for us to see people who not only work for a living, but work with a dedication to their responsibility. We were at Meiji Shrine in Harajuku and was walking along a wide gravel path with huges trees on both sides of the path. Leaves were everywhere. I just stood there and watch in amazement his grace and techniques in clearing the leaves. Yeah yeah, what technique you may say. But I just had to record it.

Anyone here who is passionate about their work?

I'm Dating Hello Kitty

2007-11-01T17:31:00.000+08:00

Her Name:
Kitty White

Her Profile:
A white kitty with a trademark red ribbon, born in 1974. Her birthday is November 1st. Loves her mother’s homemade apple pies or her boyfriend's instant noodles. Her hobbies are dancing, reading, and collecting small things.

Her Pix:

Her ride:

Happy Birthday .... here kitty kitty, miao!

Japan (Part 1)

2007-11-01T01:08:00.000+08:00

Having only been to Australia on numerous trips, Japan is the only other foreign country I have visited. While the culture between the two is very different, I would still pick either to stay in as compared to Malaysia if I have a choice. Given current political scenario in Malaysia and my status as a non-bumi, I would presume many countries would have the same affect on me at this point in time.

Looking back at the draft itinerary, we gave Umeda Sky Building a miss because I was too chicken to go up, especially so when I found out they have see through escalators.

The escalators are between the two towers. GULP!

Pictures above courtesy of Wikipedia.

So, I only took pictures from below to remind me of my phobia of heights.

The Accommodation

The budget hotel I stayed in Osaka isn't too bad. The room in Weekend Mansion Osaka is spacious and the walk from the nearest Subway is only about 5 minutes away.

The bathroom is small, comparable to the Bath#2 of a housing project I was attached to 2 years ago. Yes, that small.

Saw this on the way back to the hotel one night. I hope no one was injured.

Oak Hotel in Tokyo was a different contrast. It was small, and it is 10-15 minutes away from Ueno Station which is JR operated. Imagine having to drag our luggage there and also when we check-out. There is a subway closeby but we were to cheapskate considering we have the JR Pass. Taking the subway means we have to pay.

Accommodation is not something I place great emphasis on when going on a holiday. Afterall, we're normally out of the room early and back late. My advise is simple, when going to a developed nation, one can opt for cheaper accommodation as chances are, they will be clean and safe. The less developed the nation, the more reason why you should stay at better hotels as safety and security becomes an issue then.

The People

Speaking of trains, do you know speaking on the phone in the train is prohibited? In fact, the audio reminder will inform you to turn your phone off when you are near the reserved seats area for the handicapped, the elderly, the pregnant. Such consideration.

And I thought my trusty Nokia N73 was great. I don't recall seeing anyone holding a Nokia in Japan. Mine being a monoblock phone, I hid it from view of everyone seeing that practically everyone uses a flip phone. You get the occassional slider phones. Only once or twice did I see someone using a monoblock phone.

flip phones

more flip phones

dun they have other type of phones?

ok, time to hide my phone

iPod is a must have for a lot of people. Men and women alike listens to their favourite tracks while in the trains. That explains why I had so much difficulty searching for my iPod Touch. It was sold out practically everywhere. Only happen to chanced upon it during a sightseeing visit to Amlux, a mega Toyota showroom in Ikebukuro. The yonger ones will be on their Nintendo and PSP. No, I repeat, no PDA's were seen during my stay there. They have moved beyond that phase already.

Greetings are always given when visiting an outlet, be it retail or food. I found it difficult to hear it at first, but moshi moshi which is commonly used here by M'sian japanese wannabe, is pronounced as moshi mosh instead. Bowing is still practiced there but not so much in a metropolitan city like Tokyo and especially lesser wihin the younger generations.

The Food

Bringing instant noodles, biscuits and snacks to Japan probably saved us a sum of money. But seeing that we were out in the morning and only back to the hotel late in the evening or ight, it was inevitable that lunch had to be eaten while we were on the go. This is what we have been eating.

Mochi @ 130 Yen

Red Bean inside

Tokiyaki with squid inside @ 400 Yen

Pork RIbs

McD's Ebi Fillet was oh so delicious. Filled with prawns, I couldn't help but ate it a few times. Don't ask how many times though. And of coz, they had McPork. Trying it, it was nothing special, likewise for the Bacon burger they had on the menu. Too bad they don't have any of it here in Malaysia.

McEbi Fillet

We began eating more outside as our rations started dwindling. Tried their Bacon pringles too. Pretty good I must say.

Don't hold your breath for Part II unless you are a fish.

Money Cheating Establishment

2007-10-29T18:54:00.000+08:00

What has become of businesses? Have they stooped so low that this has to happen to me, yet again?

I was at Mid Valley Megamall yesterday. Having only eaten an half boiled egg and crackers for breakfast much earlier in the morning, my stomach growled way before lunch time.

I have not been to a Delifrance in a very long time, much less this outlet.

Having ordered some beverages and pastries, the bill came up to a cool RM48.95 for 5 of us. Taking out a RM50 note from my already depleting wallet to pay, I knew how much change to expect. Would you believe it that they just returned RM1? Did they fail Maths? Was their cash register not working? They didn't even bother to tell me if they had run out of coins or small change. They just left the tray, receipt and RM1 on the table and left. Leeches ......

A Child's Wrath

2007-10-29T17:32:00.000+08:00

I was brought up singlehandledly by mum when my dad passed away when I was only 2 years of age. With a sister who is 3 years older than I am in tow, my mum could be considered as one of those super single parent. Childhood wasn't easy, always lacking in many things when compared to others. But we get what we need and some occassional perks.

I'd like to think that she brought me up to be an obedient and righteous son. Am I? Hey, we're kids back then. Rebelling WAS fun and I had my fair share of disciplinary action. Now, rebelling IS also fun. I don't do it intentionally but at times, the old skool of thoughts is just that, old. I seldom bend or break my interpretation of how things should be done, unless you can convince me with logic and common sense. And I am as stubborn now as I was back then. Nothing much has changed, only my skin became thicker.

Having been brought up and associated with women most of my life, I find they are either soothing or they are a pain in the neck, in no particular order and not necessarily one without the other. Let's see, I was raised by mum when she's not at work and by my grandmas when she was at work, not to mention having my sister around 24/7. Being a church goer during my primary school days, most of my mum's friend were ladies. Then I had a 'kaima' and 'kaimui' at the age of 12. Few years ago, Kaima made me realise why I can be so strong and stubborn mentally. Literally having to be the 'man of the house', I was made to realise that I had no father figure all this while to guide me, to scold me, to support me and to love me. I had the company of my uncles occassionally but till this day, none whom I can relate to or be an example to me. Who then was my pillar of strength when the stars weren't shining as bright?

Family, can they be counted upon, in good times and in bad times? Situations varies and changes I guess for everyone. But they are still family. We can't ignore them, we can't abandon them, we can't stop caring nor can we stop loving them. Respect goes both ways they say in a relationship. And a parent-child bond is also deemed a relationship, no? Can that bond be broken?

Touched At Last

2007-10-24T21:08:00.000+08:00

So I lied about getting an iPod Touch when it has a bigger capacity. Sue Me!

Now I can't wait for them to release software update so that I can input on the calendar as well. Yippee!

Tsukiji Fish Market

2007-10-24T07:49:00.000+08:00

19th Oct, I must say waking up at 4am is ridiculous, just to see a bunch of dead fishes. Japanese are notorious for their Sashimi, creating a huge demand for tunas. The market was alive today as compared to being there 2 days ago, without realising that they are closed on 2 Wednesdays a month.

This is the first time I've seen Tunas this huge. No, National Geographic channel does not count.

Unloading of the fishes must have taken place much much earlier in the wee hours of the morning. What they do is to label the fishes.

Then it was open for checking by cooks, market operators etc to inspect the fishes for freshness. Once that is done, they bring this fella out. It's auctioning time, may the highest bidder win. And he's the man of the hour.

I tell you, he was damn good and funny at the same time. He wasn't the only auctioner around, but he was the most entertaining. I suspect it's due to the fact tourists like myself crowd around that tourist designated area and he must entertain. Anyway, once the buyers have paid up, the can haul their catches away. They even have a cutter on hand to cut them into size for you, upon additional payment of course.

Tokyo Chainsaw Massacre

The fishes were really frozen. I overheard a tour guide telling a tourist that upon catching, they are instantly frozen in an ice room on board the fish trawler. This is to retain the blood within the fish and doing so would improve the freshness and taste of the fish. Blood = Raw = Sushi ... bleh

Consumer Market

Japanese were known for their Kamikazes and dying an honorable death by way of Harakiri or Seppuku but this is something they fear.

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/06/24/business/tuna.php

Lim Jia Xi

2007-10-23T12:23:00.000+08:00

A colleague of mine just delivered a baby boy while I was away in Japan. Was at her place yesterday for lunch and she spoke of the escalating cost in having babies. Hey, isn't it still cheaper than adoption?

Born Lim Jia Xi, he looks so much like his older brother. Congratulations Jimmy & Yvonne!

Babies, they are so damn cute when young. Is that why people have them? Had an insightful discussion with his mum and my colleague many weeks ago. They were mumbling about high cost in raising a child, and I'm talking about from birth till they actually start to earn a living. I posted a question. "Parents these days seems to grumble about the escalating cost of raising a kid. This cost, that cost, this cost, that cost. But I rarely hear discussion of how much joy does a kid has on a parent. If that is so, why do they have kids in the first place". I can't remember their actual answers. Perhaps you could comment on my question too.

Moshi Moshi!

2007-10-15T21:03:00.000+08:00

I do not want to return to Malaysia. The past couple of days spent in Kansai prefecture was wonderful. Perfect weather, perfect transportation system, very clean, very systematic and the perfect travelling companion.

Just arrived in Tokyo this afternoon and was at the Shinjuku district, browsing around for potentially good buys for eletronics. I wish now I had left my credit cards in KL.

Tokyo really is a city of lights. Neons and huge LCD screens everywhere, you would go blind just looking around. But I guess that is the reason why many of them here wears sunglasses, even if it is at night. Oh, at 5:30pm, it is already dark.

My feet is killing me. Mount Kinabalu does not seem that bad after this. But it has been well worth the walk thus far. Internet is free at this hotel I am staying. So, I would not hog the line . If you must know, my sentences are in full because I can not find the apostrophe on their damn keyboard. Geez!

告別

2007-10-11T16:31:00.000+08:00

Japan, here I come. After months of preparation and numerous destination changes, I am one day away from Land of The Rising Sun. My bag is filled with instant noodles, snacks, drinks, cereals and biscuits.

Let's pack this in first

Then this

Won't be enough, we need more

We need drinks

Hey, it's expensive to have our meals there. A simple Bento lunch box would set me back approx RM30, so I heard. It's a lunch box for goodness sake. I expect to lose weight by the time I get back, if I decide to come back.

Sayonara

I'm Getting The Hang Of It

2007-10-09T22:49:00.000+08:00

I tell you, my fried rice taste AWESOME. With my favourite ingredients, it was a cinch to prepare.

What a weekend it was. Made french toast the next morning as I've not had it in a while.

Laugh all you want, but I bet you're slobbering now.

Erica & Alice

2007-10-09T13:35:00.000+08:00

The Brave One

Jodie Foster has always been one of my favourite actress since Silence of the Lambs. She hasn't been versatile in her roles but that doesn't stop her from dishing out award winning performances time and time again.

She plays Erica Bain, a victim of a brutal & violent assault which cost the life of her boyfriend. Despite recovering physically, her emotionally scarred life drove her to purchase a firearm illegally. In self defense at first, she soon became a vigilante, killing scumbags of the city. We need her here to shoot them snatch thieves.

How many has been victims of any crime before, only to see the perpetrators get away? Don't we wish we'd have the courage and means to punish them as we see fit?

Resident Evil : Extinction

Ah, naked yet again but im not surprised. Alice (Milla Jovovich) once again battles the dead to save mankind from extinction. Created from the immensely popular console game, Resident Evil comes to it's third installment after Resident Evil (2002) and Resident Evil : Apocalypse (2004). Claire Redfield (Ali Larter) from the series, Heroes looks much better than Alice, I must say. Being the original incarnation from Project Alice, her blood is the key to eradicating the walking dead and perhaps, reversing the effects.

It's sad that these days, movies have resorted to sountracks and shock to scare viewers. Where has all the movies that makes our hair stand just by their mere presence gone? This show is mostly, you jump, I jump. Or was it, you bite, I bite? You shoot, I shoot or something like that. Boring.

Hakka lah, not Cantonese

2007-10-08T06:41:00.000+08:00

"Wo Pu Hui Chiang Hwa Yee, Ni Ker Yi Chiang Kwong Tung Hwa Mah?" - was amongst the first line of Mandarin I learnt

Oi! That's neither Hakka nor Cantonese lah.

With my broken Cantonese, I was never really seen as a pure chinese during my younger days. In fact, seeing that my Malay seems to be more fluent, my Malay colleagues have nicknamed me Mat and it has stuck with me for the past couple of years.

You see, my couz, Catherine and myself took it upon ourselves to derive a family tree a couple of years ago from the little information that we have. At the word go, all was plain sailing, seeing that we only had immediate relatives, siblings and cousins to start with. To dig further, it obviously meant having to wipe the webs off family photos, meeting them and engaging them in *boring* conversations on family generations.

Aunt Christine told us sometime last year that we are of Hakka heritage. Huh? Hello? I'm Cantonese ok, so I've been told. Goddamnit, I've been lying to everybody. I have not even mastered the Cantonese dialect, how lah to master Hakka. Anyhow, she said in order for us to see further up the tree, we needed to pay a visit to the Hakka Association. Nah, too troublesome. So, what I have here is all that we know.

If for any reason, you so happen to see someone you are related to on the list, please get in touch with me. I would gladly buy you a "Kat Chai Shin Mui" and you can fill in the blanks of the family tree further. My couz, Catherine can be contacted at cathcsh@yahoo.com and you know where to find me.

Vios 2007

2007-10-05T18:16:00.000+08:00

UMW hosted a sneak preview of the all new Toyota Vios for it's Toyota Merit and Tribe Toyota members today at Mid Valley. I have seen the pictures of the new Vios before as Thailand already had them a few months back, and they had the luxury of choosing a manual or an auto tranny.

Going into the vast floor space that they had occupied, I was not suprised to see the new Vios, well not on the outside that is. But within it's new Global Outstanding Assessment (GOA) body, lies spaciousness I didn't find within the previous models. With 60:40 foldable rear seats, boot space became even more flexible. A new 1.5S is available as a choice on top of the 1.5G and the 1.5S models. Side mirror indicator, side foldable mirror, steering mounted media control buttons, front driver & passenger cabin lights, centre arm console, a Multi Information Display are what's new in the 1.5S model. A VVT-i 1NZ-FE 1497cc enginepowers it, providing excellent power to weight ratio.

When the function began, it was the first time I had seen DJ/VJ Serena C up close, and I must say she looks better up close and personal than on TV. Petite with huge eyes. "Look at the Vios, not me" she jokes with the crowd.

And many were waiting for the main event of the function, a performance by our very own artiste, Maya Karin. Singer and actress, she rose to stardom in the local production movie, Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam and suddenly, she was everywhere.

Outside was 2 fibreglass molded Vios 2007, which was given a decal makeover. Bold & cute.

Before Maya Karin came on stage, we made our way to a caricaturist who made a black & white impression of us. He was fast and he is damn good. Don't I look cute?

Bird's Nest 'Soup'

2007-10-05T08:17:00.000+08:00

Mr. A & Mr. B, 2 veterans within the company I am currently working for. In these past couple of years, stories of their past usually cause a tickle within my body. And yesterday was no exception. It was during lunch that A suddenly brought up the issue of the re-opening of a "hotel' in Puchong, and we all knew which hotel he was referring to. He knows this particular pimp who use to update him on new 'products' and one in particular was mentioned during lunch. He said, "jin wo" girls are now available. I had imagine that these "products" had skin as smooth as silk and was damn energetic and healthy *wiping sliver off my chin*. He kept asking if we knew what he meant. Being innocent *whistling*, we said no. He had explained that these 'products' will swallow. Ok, but I still did not see how "jin wo" is related to that.

B then changed to a related topic. He mentioned that in Malacca, there is this heritage building which has been renovated to attract birds to build their nest there. And he said, the birds that came are called Swallow.

A Swallow

It was then that we know how it relates to the 'products'. But my curiosity soon discovered the following.

The Chinese name for bird's nest soup, "yan wo(燕窝)", translates literally as "swiftlet's nest" (yan=swiftlets, wo=nest). When dissolved in water, the birds' nests have a gelatinous texture used for soup or sweet tong sui. It is mostly referred to as "jin wo" unless references are made to the salty or sweet soup in Chinese cuisine.

A Swift

A & B, you are mistaken. They are swift, in name and in motion. They don't, I mean, they are not swallow.

Note : Fictional or is it?

Touch Me Not, Yet

2007-10-02T13:47:00.000+08:00

30th Sept, 6:01pm, Ring! Ring! +60321712633? Wonder who could that be?

Me : Wei wei?
Caller : Hello, I'm Ivan from from Apple KLCC
Me : Yes?
Ivan : I'm calling to inform you that iPod Touch has arrived
Me : *shocked* Cool, I'll come have a look either tomorrow or Tuesday
Ivan : ok, shall I reserve the 8GB or 16GB for you?
Me : 16GB please

Ivan : see you then

*click*

Heck, I'm not gonna wait till Tuesday. Made a beeline to KLCC yesterday evening and went in with such eagerness to try out the iPod Touch. #!@%*/ this blasted fella was playing with it. While waiting, I was playing around with this iMac on display. It was only a 2.4Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo processor but it was blazingly fast. Not to mention it would look good on my desk at home. More on that next time, maybe.

10 minutes had passed before I finally got my hands on it. And boy, did I enjoyed every moment of testing it. Here is my review.

Photos
The screen resolution was amazingly clear
It was so easy to zoom in, by spreading 2 fingers and to zoom out, by bringing 2 fingers together. Pictures could be in potrait or landscape by just rotating the iPod

Music
Attaching album covers, it was effortless to flip through multiple albums

Video
I would assume their test videos in there were hi-res videos. So, video quality would be subjective to what you upload. But the screen is capable of playing it in high quality

Safari
Best part of what I like. Loading of web pages was fast and crisp. Unlike mobile phones where web pages are in text format, the iPod displayed a page in all it's glory, pictures and colors.

Contacts
You could either input directly into the iPod individually or you could sync it with either iCalendar on a Mac or Microsoft Outlook on XP or Vista.

Calendar
This was a failure of Apple's design. You could not enter any data in the iPod. Your only option would be to sync it with iCalendar or Microsoft Outlook. Basically it means you would have to update your appointments into your PC before it gets into your iPod calendar. Bad move.

8GB or 16GB
Both units were of similar size. Slim and sleek, thoughs the chrome finishing at the back smudges with finger prints easily.

The iPod Touch is excellent in most areas. But I would defer from purchasing it until they release an updated Calendar function which allows for direct input. Also, 16GB is too small for me. After some tidying up of my media files yesterday, my photos and music compilation adds up to a whopping 11-12GB. This does not even include my videos. And I'm pretty sure not all 16GB is available considering the software would have taken up part of the capacity. Till it happens, I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed.

Hypocrite Environmentalist

2007-10-01T18:14:00.000+08:00

Wild animals fleeing, trees being felled all round the world, polar ice caps melting, rise in climate temperature, inhalation of toxic fumes, polluted water and land, erratic and unpredictable environmental behaviour. And here I am being told that I, little ole' me, can affect a change to make it better or worse.

Here is what we can do to;

Reduce your impact at home

Reduce your impact while on the move

Try as I may, there are still bad habits that are hard to inhibit, such as leaving a running tap while brushing my teeth or washing dishes. Or my passion on car modification, which in turn guzzles up more fuel. As Dr. Koh Tsu Koon once said, "We must find a balance between economic growth and preservation of the environment". Well said, but futile. Evolution has shown that need and greed rules the mentality of many nations.

If we can look beyond them, perhaps then, and only then can there be a chance for mother nature. Till then, may she have mercy on us.

Gardens vs Pavilion

2007-10-01T01:56:00.000+08:00

Sunway Pyramid, One Utama, Megamall Mid Valley, Suria KLCC, Lot 10, Sungai Wang Plaza, Starhill. One would have thought it's more than we could handle, but noooooooo, they want more of our hard earned money. And we were gullible enough to fall for it.

The Pavillion

With the established Starhill, KL Plaza & Lot 10 lining up just opposite of it, one wonders what more could the Pavilion offer to the public. My jaw dropped when I saw all my favourite retail shops under one roof. Not only were they there, many of them were on multiple floors.

Donuts for breakfast? Now wait a minute, is it donuts or doughnuts? British and Americans, why can't they synchronise.

Man, the mall was huge. We were there from 10:20am till about 4pm, and we haven't even entered most of the shops. It was good training for what I might have to go thru in Japan.

I'll let the pictures speak for itself.

Baby Lily is the 'alleged' owner of Miss Whatever.

Copyright Disclaimer : This video is not related to Miss Whatever at The Gardens @ Mid Valley or anywhere else. It shall be removed if the owner so request it.

The Gardens @ Mid Valley

Gelatissimo Ice-Cream, this was what greeted me the moment I entered. I was in love already. Unfortunately, it was way too early for them.

It looks huge as well, with Lower Ground going all the way to the 4th Floor. The mall was longish like Mid Valley. Yet, it is dwarfed when compared to the Pavillion.

I miss you

Dare I enquire the ticket price?

This particular staff in Funky Mama came out just as I was about to snap this photo and was all over me, just to tell me I'm not allowed to take photographs, "Management Policy". I've taken so many and this was the only one that stopped me. I sure ain't buying mummy's clothings from her next time.

Calvin Klein, one would assume their staff to be efficient and knowledgeable. I was enquiring on a particular jacket and it had no price tag. No price? That in itself is a scary thought already. But seeing him and his colleague fumbling about to get the price was humorous. After a good 5 minutes of waiting, I left and told them to just get the price. I might be back. And came back I did, an hour later. The price?

Need I say more? On their service desk, there was this sign;

I was flabbergasted that he did not know about it and was searching high and low for the wallet when I wanted to have a look at it. Oh, this is the Calvin Klein within Isetan. Having visited Calvin Klein that was on the Grd Floor, it fared no better with employees speaking like ruffians. Mr Klein's name has been tarnished. Now, did I buy anything above RM1,000?

Pros and Cons

Both were competing with each other to complete ahead of schedule. And due to that, they sacrifice finishing and completion. Ceilings were incomplete, escalators were squeeky, certain floors were incomplete as we were greeted by a wall when the lift doors opened to one of the floors at the Pavilion. It was no better at the Gardens, floors and many areas were dusty. Railings were cordoned and lacquering was still being applied on the wood finishes. The Gardens still had employees manning parking ticket counters instead of automated parking. Something which doesn't make sense when they have huge hi-tech touch screen directories on every floor. I am also saddened that GSC has only design and catered to the higher income group of cinema goers. What about poor me?

Quality of shops are nonetheless nothing short of spectacular. From mid to top of the range apparels and brands, they can be found in both Pavilion and Gardens. Having said that, it is not suprising that the Pavilion holds the upper edge in retail outlets due to their bigger floor area. It was an experience just walking these 2 fantastic and spanking new malls. Wear a good pair of sneakers or slippers and you're all set. Now I'm ready for Japan or am I?

Tainted Blood

2007-09-26T14:32:00.000+08:00

Ever since I could remember, I always been reminded by my mum that I have G6PD Deficiency. Didn't really knew what is was till she passed me an A4 sheet listing down the medicines I am allergic to. Oh my god, am I that sick? But it didn't bother me at any point in my life. Only irritates me each time I made a visit to the doctors, I have to remind them of my allergies. As I grew older, a doctor once told me the deficiency will actually go away once I outgrew my childhood. Then some said it wouldn't. Damnit, can these doctors make up their bloody mind?

Oh well, life went on as usual till I made my first blood donation back in 2003. Feeling proud and considering I have no fear of needles, "prick away", I said to the nurse. The feeling I had diminished the moment I received a letter from Pusat Darah Negara some 3 months later. Dropping on my knees and praying, I opened the letter in my room. What could it possibly be? The content said nothing more than just asking me to pay them a visit.

Geez, such suspense. So, off I went a couple of days later to the centre. Preparing myself, I sat on the chair and asked the reason I have been summoned. "Mr. Matthew, your blood test shows you are a possible Hepatitis B carrier. Please make arrangements with General Hospital to have another blood test done to confirm it". WTF!!!!!!!! How did this happen? How did I not know? What are the symptoms? In fact, what in the world is Hepatitis B all about, a sad acknowledgement of my lack of awareness.

Hepatitis B, as extracted from Wikipedia

Hepatitis B is an inflammation of the liver and is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a member of the Hepadnavirus family and one of hundreds of unrelated viral species which cause viral hepatitis. It was originally known as "serum hepatitis" and has caused current epidemics in parts of Asia and Africa. Hepatitis B is recognized as endemic in China and various other parts of Asia. The proportion of the world's population currently infected with the virus is 3 to 6%, but up to a third have been exposed. Symptoms of the acute illness caused by the virus include liver inflammation, vomiting, jaundice, and rarely, death. Chronic hepatitis B may cause liver cirrhosis which may then lead to liver cancer, a fatal disease with very poor response to current chemotherapy. Hepatitis B usually gets better on its own after a few months. It may, however, cause a more serious chronic infection.

a micrograph showing Hepatitis B virions

So many questions to ask. Where do I even begin? During the session, I was advised to avoid alcohol altogether. Which is fine and dandy, seeing I'm not a heavy drinker anyway. But heck, did I feel like drinking at that very moment. I was also told, 95% of carriers will lead a normal healthy life while 5% will turn chronic. Does the odds sound good?

September 2007, here I am leading a reasonably healthy life. Consumption of alcohol has been reduced further. I'm not doing anything different as compared to before the diagnose. Anyhow, a collegue recently enquired on the status of my health. Sadly, I have been procrastinating and putting off getting a blood test, which is suppose to be once every 6 months. It's been 2 years. This test is to get the enzyme count in my liver, which will show if it has turn chronic or not. It's high time for another blood test. After Japan that is ....

Acknowledgement : a special thanks to Paul for enquiring. if it wasn't for that, I might have ignored the fact that I am a carrier. a geisha for you when I return from Japan

My Ex

2007-09-20T10:07:00.000+08:00

There was a time you could live without them. I really can't recall when I had my first but it was a moment of pure joy back then. The curves was simply amazing. And that was a Nokia 3210 mind you. Not my fault you thought of something else.

Since then, I've had numerous, as I shall try to recall, mobile phones to suit my different moods and taste. All phones were sold prior to getting a new model, except the N73. Let's start ...

Nokia 3210
- long batt life due to mono screen, slim back then
Nokia 8850
- small in size, premium, though buttons & slider was kinda flimsy
Nokia 8910
- pop up slider, bought a month before color screen came out #@!*&%
Nokia 6600
- well crafted, first camera phone for me, sturdy (found out after running my car over it and was still alive and kicking)
Sony Ericsson T630
- unstable software, not as user friendly as Nokia but got used to it after a while
Sony Ericsson S700i
- won me over with it's camera quality, external storage, media capabilty
iPaq 6365
- friend sold to me at a great price, tried and tested for a week, decided it was too bulky and sold it at a higher price
Motorola L7
- it's slimness, batt life and functions were great, though Motorola fares worse when it comes to user friendliness
Nokia 8800
- cream of the crop, love everything about it except for it's lousy batt life and lack of external storage. Seeing a colleague of mine with it recently was a dejavu moment. And I wasn't surprised when she crap about the battery
Sony Ericsson P990i
- it's Wifi was not as I expected, software was slow to respond and bulky unless you detach it's keypad
Nokia N73 (did not sell)
- read comments below
Nokia 8600 Luna
- i'm a sucker for 8 series Nokia. But then realised, camera + external storage is important
Nokia N73
- let's just say, I've been using this for approx 9 months now. It's camera features are great. At 3.2 megapixels + autofocus + flash, it outshone the Nokia 8600 Luna a great deal. Great screen, acceptable batt life, external storage, reasonably sized, I'm hard pressed to find a better mobile phone.

May my old phones rest in peace, wherever they may be. Till the next 8 series Nokia appears .....

Bourne Ultimatum

2007-09-19T23:11:00.000+08:00

Please watch Bourne Identity (2002) and Bourne Supremacy (2004) before watching this, provided you want to be lost in the script right from the beginning. What can I say, I love them all.

The script, the wham bam kabaam scenes of Jason Bourne, the quick tour of the cities he was in; Moscow, London, Paris, Madrid, Tangier and New York City, the assets and no, I don't mean Nicky Parson's (Julia Stiles) assets and the trademark pace of the movie itself is simple astounding and mind boggling.

Thank you Fly.FM and Spellbound for the complimentary tickets.

Ratatouille In The Making

2007-09-19T23:03:00.000+08:00

Ah, food. Everyone loves them. This is Malaysia for goodness sake. We live to eat or do we eat to live? I'd prefer the former if you'd asked me. But I tell ya, if I have to cook to eat, it better be worth my time and effort.

Cooking has not been my forte. Not that I don't like to, but because I don't fancy the preparation that comes with it. Not to mention the cleaning up once you're done. So, the only advantages I can think of is the fact you only cook what you like. That means no onions, no chillies, no curries, you get my sniff. You want a list of what I have always cooked or tried over the years? Get your fingers and toes ready, coz that's all you need.

1. Instant Noodles (ingredients : eggs, prawns, meat balls)
2. Fried Luncheon Meat
3. Fried BBQ Pork Sausages
4. Fried Rice
5. Porridge
6. Steam Fish
7. French Beans + prawns

Ok, you can put your toes down. So, coming back from Sabah, I had bought myself a supposedly fresh red promphet fish. Eager not let the freshness get away, a gourmet menu was prepared last Saturday to fill 2 bellies. Steam fish and french beans, yet again. What were you expecting?

Anyway, I'm grateful that preparation for both the dishes were fairly simple and straight forward. Removing the scales of the fish was tedious, especially when they started flying all over the kitchen. That would be the only time I'd buy a fish all the way from Sabah.

Pictures taken using a Sony Cybershot DSC-F77A

Dare I be bolder next time? Any volunteers to be my guinea pig?

Pictures taken using a Panasonic Lumix LX2

Japan Itinerary (Draft)

2007-09-17T09:47:00.000+08:00

Yippee, holiday ..... and my first to a country other than my numerous trips to Australia, S'pore and Ko Samui not withstanding. JAPAN, land of electronics and JDM cars. It's like heaven, only if I have wads and wads of cash to buy them all. Wishful thinking, who says one can't dream.

Well, below is a planned itinerary, subject to approval from my gf of course :P

12th October (Friday) - Osaka
- Arrival at Kansai Airport
- Osaka Castle
- Umeda Sky Building
- Minami, a shopping and entertainment district
13th October (Sat) - Nara
- Kofukuji Temple
- Todaiji Temple
- Nara Park
14th October (Sun) - Kyoto
- Undecided yet
15th October (Mon) - Tokyo
- Tokyo Tower
- Imperial Palace
16th October (Tues) - Tokyo
- Yokohama
- Chinatown
- Minato Mirai and Waterfront Promenade
17th October (Wed) - Tokyo
- Tsukiji Fish Market (very early in the morning)
- Harajuku
- Tokyo Disneyland (starts at 6pm)
18th October (Thurs) - Tokyo
- Gotemba Premium Outlets
- Peace Park
19th October (Friday) - Tokyo
- Shopping & Sightseeing at Shibuya
20th October (Sat) - Tokyo
- Shopping & Sightseeing at Shinjuku
21st October (Sun) - Tokyo to KL
- A sad day indeed. Flight back to Malaysia at 1:30pm from Narita Airport

Dotter and Fatherhood

2007-09-15T09:00:00.000+08:00

5 dotters, no sons, that's how many I have at my ripe age of 33 . I have adopted them many years ago. And now that I am wiser, I know better. I have no regrets for doing so, considering the tonnes of humor and laughter they have inflicted on me. And celebrating a dotter's birthday was what we recently did. Who attended? Mikunie, Cellie (dotter no.3), Mimikuku, Spellbound, and birthday girl, Piggy (dotter no.4). Don't ask me how the heck they have those names. I'm just as confused.

4 of them are actually going to Hanoi early next year.And the shock on Mimikuku's face when told of what to expect from a third world country, it was priceless. City girl.

Birthday presents these days have become somewhat, unimaginative. Discreet was not their forte when it came to giving out presents. Inserting the 'present', in full view of Piggy, I couldn't help but be amused and giggled at the table. The present?

"the best birthday present ever" - thought piggy

I always wondered what it was like to order photo prints online. And Cellie actually ordered prints from Flickr. Suprised I was to see the compilation and result of her orders. Nice.

Piggy, a very Happy Belated Birthday to you from Mummy & Dada!

Obituary Photo?

2007-09-12T16:44:00.000+08:00

Well, if you have already been to Japan or are planning to do so, you need not worry. Considering the cost of living there and what tourist like me would have to fork out when I'm there in October, they have prepared your photo in advance.

A temporary visitor visa to Japan is valid for a period of 3 months. I kinda applied early and was lucky my travel period was within that period upon my Visa approval. It took only 3 days for them to process the Visa, barring any hiccups. An application form, passport, airline ticket (return preferably), bank statements and a photo were required. Click here for additional details.

But why must the photo be in that format? Scary .....

Childproof Yourself

2007-09-11T11:54:00.000+08:00

Bah, who says childproofing is only for childrens. Having none doesn't equate to having a safe home, as the picture can attest.

Don't laugh, but this was courtesy of me rushing for the remote to watch a program and accidently bumping into the coffee table last Saturday night.

"What's that? Is that guffaws I hear? Stop laughing I say ...."

1 Cent Opinion on 1 Cent

2007-09-11T09:57:00.000+08:00

Ever come across 1 cent(s) on the streets? Do we pick them up because it has value or do we ignore it for fear of being seen as a scavenger or cheapskate?

Well, one thing's for sure, a restaurant I visited yesterday assumes you don't value them as much as they do. A visit to Nando's KLCC was all it takes to stop me from donating my hard earned money to them in the future. Their cleanliness leaves much to be desired and the quality of the food has somewhat dropped according to my taste bud.

We asked for the bill a short while later and it came to RM40.83. Now, it doesn't take a genius to compute that a payment of RM50 would have a change of RM9.17. The waitress instead came back with RM9.10. What the heck happened to the 7cts? It would have been more acceptable if it was RM9.15. And if they didn't have any 1 cents or 5 cents, they should return RM9.20. Shortchanging customers was not the way to earn a tip. Rather than make a fuss, much to my girlfriend's frustration, I decided not to frequent that outlet anymore.

Touch Me Please

2007-09-10T23:33:00.000+08:00

Apples ..... one a day to keep the doctors away, or so they say. In this case, it's not working. The anticipation of the iPod Touch in our shores are pushing my pulse rate to soar ever so dangerously. Just look at it and tell me you aren't slivering now. And when you go through it's feature rich specs and design ingenuity, tell me it's not sending shivers down your spine. Auto rotate, one of a kind touch navigation & WIFI are amongst it's killer features.

With some prodding, I was soon informed that it's arrival would be sometime this week or next. I was jumping around like a kid when discovered it's impending arrival. I currently own a 4th generation 20GB iPod (non-Photo/Video) and have been eyeing a replacement of late. Damn lucky of me seeing I was close to purchasing a 30GB iPod Video only 2 weeks ago.

Ok, the downsides of this unit, if it was a downside. 16GB is not a lot these days. Combine my music and photos archive, I would have to occupy at least 11GB already. And I presume 16GB is not what is fully available, seeing it comes preloaded with an operating system, unlike the older iPod which is basically, just a portable storage unit. What about videos? The other would be my inability to find a stylus in their specs. If it doesn't come with it, it would be difficult then for me to use the calendar, contacts or other built-in applications. Well, let's hope that it does.

Though pricing has yet to be released, I reckon it wouldn't stop the die-hard Apple fans from snapping all available units within days. Stay tuned for reviews if I'm lucky enough to get hold of one and ever so lightly touch it.

Mount Kinabalu

2007-09-08T11:00:00.000+08:00

We had booked accommodation ahead by as much as 4 months and we were pleasantly suprised to the comfort and location of The Peak Lodge. It costs us RM250 for a 2 room/4 bedded apartment like unit. Panaromic view of Mount Kinabalu with a fireplace thrown in. Though we weren't cold, we couldn't resist lighting them up, if only so we could take a photo of it.

I couldn't have asked for a better start to the day. We started off at 8am. Cool breezy air fills my surroundings and great company Wong, Then & Eric to begin our treacherous journey.

Though I fretted about hiking up the longer Mesilau trail, it was an experience I thought I would only try once in my life. Being told that it was a more scenic route fuels my enthusiasm further.

It seems no amount of training was sufficient to prepare a commoner like me for a climb up Malaysia's tallest mountain. The load in my bag was of no help either. The contents? 2 T-Shirts, a windbreaker, a sweater, monkey mask, gloves, 1 headlamp + 1 torchlight, a pair of slipper, batteries, chocolates, buns, water bottle, disposable rain coat, underwear, socks etc .... I wondered then if I had overpacked or underpacked. As I drag myself up, I soon find myself in the company of the guide only. Where were my friends? Where were the scenic views promised? All I could see what steps after steps, rocks after rocks with sweat profusely dripping down my whole body.

Finally, a plant which caught my eye. I am always guessing how this Pitcher Plants traps its prey, Does it close it's cover? If it does, how does it sense when to close? Only when the guide explained did I understand. Still, how stupid can an insect be to drown themselves in the water contained in it? Life, so fragile ...

I finally caught up with my friends. Or to be more truthful, they were waiting for me at one of the checkpoint huts, gobbling up buns and chocolates to recharge and laughed they did when they saw the guide being a porter to my bag.

The RM3 walking stick did wonders for us. Those who were using the more expensive anodised aluminium must have wondered how the heck can that stick support us. We brought them back as a momento if you must know, all except Then who discarded it during his hike up to Low's Peak.

Being slow has it's benefits. As shown below, this particular web was a beauty to behold. Such weaving, such craftmanship. Too bad Elvis has left the building. Only the web remains. One wonders if the pitcher plant nearby had anything to do with it.

What? Only 2222metres (7290 feet)? How far more? How long more? I kept asking the guide, who must have looked at me and said, "What a wimp". Another sigh ... The trail definately isn't for the weak hearted.

Roof, I see roof. Finally, Laban Rata. I almost knelt and kiss the ground. My friends were ahead of me by about 20 minutes. Nevertheless, we were esthetic to have reached our first goal and looked forward to having a shower and a good meal. Our bed bookings didn't go as plan, much to my friends delight. We were thrown into a room where 2 Swiss girls were already occupying. Men's dorm were overbooked *whistling* I was amazed at the astounding speeds in which Then & Wong occupied the bed exactly adjacent to the girls. Wolves ....

The night was a restless one indeed. It was already a hot night for some with the ladies in the room, and when the heater came on, it was more than I could handle. I started stripping and eventually became topless. Short of removing my pants, I got up to asked if everyone was feeling the heat. We then decided to switched the heater off. By then it was too late. I couldn't sleep anymore, What more when Wong and Eric started snoring like a freight train.

Cock-a-doddle-do, it was time. Yawnnnnn ........... what am I doing? So many layers of clothings and socks. I felt suffocated in all the clothings. But hey, it was necessary right? Down we went for a hot cuppa before the leaving Laban Rata at 2:20am. And that was the last I saw of them as they huddled up towards Low's Peak. As I trotted along, sweat was dripping profusely down my head and neck, drenching my monkey mask & inside clothing. Sweat? In the cold? Well, those who knows me well enough will attest to my sweating prowess, much to my dismay. Finally, 3662m (12010 ft). What a relief it was to have reached the 1km Sayat-Sayat Hut checkpoint.

Relief? Another 1.7km, said the guide. Damn, I knew I couldn't make it for the sunrise at this point. I was however adamant on reaching the peak. I rested for about 10 minutes and tried to warm myself up but to no avail."Get up", I said to myself. I was now shivering away like someone with Parkinson's disease. It was now a matter of mind over body. 200 metres. No, not 200 metres more but only 200 metres since the last checkpoint. Then it had to happen, my frozen body gave up on me. Cold, of all elements to stop me on my tracks. Here from someone who sleeps in an airconditioning room naked with a fan blasting away. Here from someone who loves travelling to cold weathered countries instead of the opposite. I sensed I was on the brink of suffering hypothermia if I had continued on. Heartbreaking as it was, I informed the guide I was not able to go any further and asked him to look for my buddies while I go back down to wait at the checkpoint. I was huddled into a hut which sheltered me from the wind. It didn't help as I was already drenched in sweat on the inside. I kept warm as best as I possibly could.

The sun, the sun. Never had I been so looking forward to seeing the sun. Well, that was the best sunrise image I could take from where I was. I then proceeded to walk down towards Laban Rata. Halfway through, the disappointment set in and I cried like a baby. 8km up Mesilau, 1.2km up the peak, and I couldn't make the last 1.5km. My heart broke a thousand pieces.

Then eventually caught up with me. Hearing his story of success brought more sadness to me, but I was sharing his achievement as well. Bravo, well done mate. We reached Laban Rata soon enough. The Swiss girls arrived shortly after and Then was frantically asking me to get my camera ready. Look at his mug shot ... he was darn pleased.

Wong & Eric eventually descended. Slept and rested we did for a while before packing up and began the knee jolting trek down Timbuhan trail. First, it was the thighs, then the knees, then my slipper wearing feet. Not surprisingly, I was behind them by about 12 minutes by the end of the hike down. How comfy the taxi felt when we sat on it to proceed with concluding our adventure. Upon retrieving our luggages, Wong was carrying an envelope containing our certificates. Hooray, mine was the cheapest - RM1 for a black and white certificate for reaching checkpoint 1 while they had to pay RM10 for a colored copy. Suckers! Haha ........