LIFE IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT TO BE....

Gong Xi Fa Cai 2012! Happy New Year!

2012-01-20T08:57:00.005+08:00

It is time again for Chinese New Year. This time we herald in the Year of the Water Dragon!

The following pictures are decorations in some selected shopping centres.

SUBANG PARADE

By the way, off topic a little bit. One could also find cute and peculiar stuff at shops on the main street in Subang Jaya's SS15.

Angry Bird ang pows?

The pop pop..but I miss the firecrackers!

Lantern decorations!

We got ours too!

Anyways, here are some more pictures of Subang Parade's decorations.

EMPIRE GALLERY

SUNWAY PYRAMID

MIDVALLEY MEGAMALL

SURIA KLCC

PAVILLION KL

FAHRENHEIT 88

SUNGEI WANG PLAZA

A BORING STARHILL.

The only prominent thing is that they resprayed their escalator steps in RED!

WETEX PARADE, MUAR

In Muar, I could not resist the temptation to get their famed bak kwa. Heard it is famous in Muar. Got some but yet to try.

Here's wishing all a safe and prosperous Chinese New Year!!!!

2012

2012-01-01T19:34:00.003+08:00

Happy New Year 2012!!!!!!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T19:06:00.000+08:00

We were in Bangkok....last year

We are back again this year for Christmas!

Love the picture taking booth!

What's up folks????

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

Quaint, pretty and authentic Nyonya Melaka

2011-11-19T12:26:00.000+08:00

The other day, whilst thinking about places to eat, my wife told me about this place. It was called Tranquerah. I asked, what the heck was Tranquerah...and she mentioned it was an interesting themed restaurant located somewhere near Sunway Giza at The Strand. As far as I knew, The Strand has not opened but she said that it was located at the Red Carpet of The Strand. What names I thought!

Anyways, after getting my bearings wrong and driving in circles, we finally found the place. Believe me, it was extremely mind blowing!

As we sat down, I had to go to the toilet as the bladder was full. Inside....it struck me the most. I found the toilet so pretty that I thought I stepped into a museum. The design was nostalgic. I thought that one could easily sleep here and even eat here! Yes..it was extremely clean!

The restaurant grabs you the minute you set your eyes on it. I whispered to my wife that I hoped the food was as good as the looks Tranquerah trumpeted!

As we sat down on the antique but well chosen table and chair, we found ourselves reading about how the restaurant, Tranquerah took the name and explained its origin. Tranquerah came from the Portuguese word, palisades which are entrenchments or outworks made from stakes driven to the ground, a fortress to protect the town. In Melaka, Tranquerah is now Tengkera! The story and the restaurant was well done as it created a close, historical yet intimate feel as we sat down admiring the place.

At one corner, near the entrance, I saw chillies the at least 6 inches long! And they were real. The people there told me they found it at the market....No fakes in the decorations.

I was also told that the panels used were recycled and put to use as part of the whole concept. This concept was the brainchild of a group of people from Melaka and Sarawak!

As we were already awed, we looked at the menu, we ordered the asam jawa juice drink. It came in a tall glass and a sip of it surprised us as it was very refreshing and tinged with the correct sour and sweet taste.

The petai prawns came with large succulent prawns. The petai was my wife's favourite and she being the lover of petai, attested and confirmed it was fresh well done.

I devoured the the ikan cencaru sumbat. I loved the crispy skin and the lightly salted fillings. It gave the fish the desired play on the taste buds.

The ayam pong teh was another favourite. Chunks of chicken simmered in the gravy made the white steaming rice even more salivating especially with a dollop of the homemade sambal belachan.

Tranquerah is not just a restaurant. It is a an experience. The whole outlook, the decorations and the delicious food made it a beautiful find. It has been a long time since I had discovered such a restaurant. The last one was The Junk in Kuching. Whatever you pay is definitely worth the trip to discover Tranquerah just as the Portuguese did with Melaka!

2011-10-15T15:14:00.000+08:00

We recently went to watch The Sorceror and The Whitesnake. At first, it was because we thought that with Jet Li, it would be a Kung Fu movie. It turned out to be a righteous monk going against sexy and pretty white and green snakes played by Eva Huang and Charlene Choi with love interests. The CGI was great too.

In the end, I think,personally the two snakes gave sexiness to the movie with the teasing CGI bodies and sways. Watching in 2D make them even more enticing! Hahahhahahha....

I guess Eva Huang has come a long way from playing Stephen Chow's mute girl in Kunfu Hustle. Remember the lollipop girl?

I would say that this movie is worth watching for its eye candy!

Best Gift Ever

2011-10-12T21:42:00.000+08:00

The N82 has been my faithful phone since 2008 when it was bought just for the General Elections of 2008. It is still pristine and the 5 megapixel camera was brilliant!

During my last birthday, my better half decided that I had to grow up and get a touch screen phone...and she got me a whopper! A brand new N8 Nokia phone! It has a 12 Megapixel camera!

I found this a great gift! Thanks dear! Now...what pictures shall I take......by the way, it shoots HD videos too!!

More fame from MBO Cinema pening in Subang Parade with Namewee

2011-09-20T21:51:00.000+08:00

This is so damn cool..Namewee, Loh Gwo Burne, Dennis Lau and Nizam

Of course, even cooler with the cast of Nasi Lemak 2.0 and a bevy of 2 beauties *wink* and one of them is Miss Malaysia...

Time to really celebrate with friends...Izwan and Loong!

MBO Cinemas Open in Subang Parade

2011-09-09T00:08:00.000+08:00

MOMENTS OF FAME. 7TH SEPTEMBER 2011

With cast of Nasi Lemak 2.0 at MBO Cinemas Subang Parade launch.

Taken from another blog, runwitme.blogspot.com

Yeah wah lao eh, Namewee!

Gold Coast Pt 5

2011-09-06T23:57:00.000+08:00

Another beautiful day riding the bus. This time we headed to Harbour Town Outlet Mall.

And these beauties greeted us at the entrance.....they were SWEET!!!

Of course, with many shops and discounts, we just have to get something!

As lunch approached...we looked for something different....ITALIAN

We shared the pasta and Nonna's is up to mark.

Gold Coast Pt 4

2011-09-05T22:31:00.003+08:00

The night scene in Surfer's Paradise.

This street statue mime was done really well.

Of course in Surfer's Paradise, we could not miss Seafood Empire.

And our dose of freshly shucked oysters.

Th prawn avocado salad was beautiful and delicious.

But the fish and chips

and the LOBSTER were HEAVENLY!

Gold Coast Pt 3 - Interesting things

2011-09-04T19:31:00.000+08:00

There are many interesting things one would find walking at the newly renovated walk of Surfer's Paradise.

You would find toilet facilities like these spread over every 100 metres away

And these stainess steel bowled toilets are UNISEX! Beware though, as they can be cold on your butt!

BUT..civic use is still left at home..Look at the tissues!

Cycling is a big thing hence the need for bicycle racks. Not just boring ones but with artistic inclinations.

Yeah..they do care about their landscape unlike our good Malaysia.

Imagine this type of walk in Malaysia? I wonder if our government ever use what they've learnt in their lawatan sambil belajar to do the same.

Temporary traffic lighting system is alos available....and you have companies offering these for rent too!

And lastly ..even their refuse truck is clean and REMINDS you of recycling!

Gold Coast Pt 2- Best Fish and Chips

2011-09-04T19:15:00.000+08:00

The best Fish and Chips in Surfers Paradise is Ben's!

Even the damn irritating pair of seagulls think so!

Look at the beer batter dipped Fish and Chips with calamari rings! Heaven!

Gold Cost Pt 1

2011-08-29T22:25:00.001+08:00

Gold Coast...a great place...

With nothing much to do in the AirAsia X Airbus A330-300 for 7 hours since 9.45pm, we took the opportunity to pose a bit!

The duduk bersila in the plane pose.

Of course I cannot even bersila lor! So instead mine was a boring pose...er.. award winning pose?

The shadow of the plane as seen from the window as we approach the airport.

At the quaint Coolangata Gold Coast Airport at 6.30am!

Our room was ready when we arrived the hotel at 8am! Normally rooms are ready after 2pm only! Whew! Nice fluffy pillows and bed though. The best part was....

Ta daaa!!!!! The view for our room! Our room faced the river and looking at this daily in the morning just makes you happy!

Walking the streets of Surfer's Paradise with Hard Rock as the backdrop.

Taking a break for a quick self taken picture at the beach. Er..can you see it? It is behind us.

The newly renovated walk of Surfer's Paradise.

B loved this chair!

Yeah...lest we forget...next comes the best fish and chips ever!

URUGUAY PASSION PLAY WINS IT!

2011-07-31T12:59:00.000+08:00

I am very happy that Uruguay wn the Copa America beating a defensive Paraguay 3-0. It just shows that passion play will have a winning chance all the time. Remember Japan winning the Fifa Women's World Cup? Well...I had hoped my prediction that Uruguay would eventually win after a great World Cup in South Africa losing to Holland.

One goal by a great Luis Suarez.

A a wily coach Oscar Tabarez who I must commend as being astute at attacking play.

Both Diego Forlan and Luiz Suarez will be remembered. Suarez is young. Forlan has aged like great wine.

In the end, Diego Forlan will be remembered as a LEGEND, joing the ranks of Diego Maradona of Argentina. It is just sad that Forlan never lifted the World Cup. Just maybe...we will see.

Japan does Asia proud!

2011-07-18T12:00:00.003+08:00

This early morning of 18th July 2011, I woke up at 2.45am just to catch the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup Final. I hoped to see a disciplined, yet skillfull Japanese overcome the creative and skillful Americans. Most of all I anticipated a great match.

In the end, I could not help cheering the fact that my prediction earlier came true. It has been a great World Cup for both the Japanese and the Americans. Both possessed emmaculate skills. The Japanese were disciplined whilst the Americans were free spirited.

The equalizing goal from skipper, Homare Sawa after Abby Wambach hit a great goal which looked good to clinch the cup, was a heart stopper. Both goals came in extra time after being tied 1-1. Sawa scored with 3 minutes left.

Hope Solo, the American goalkeeper was brilliant but she could not do any more as Japan won 3-1 on penalties.

It was a great final. So much better than the drab FIFA Men's World Cup final where Spain beat Holland in South Africa. Perhaps the men should watch and learn from the women. The women play with passion and skill. Theatre play has no place in their game. Japan is the first ASIAN team to win the World Cup!

With that, I will now focus on the Copa America where I think Uruguay may lift the cup. They play Peru next whilst Venezuela play Paraguay. Argentina and Brazil are out for the simple reason they lacked cohesiveness and passion. I throw my support to Uruguay now Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez kept showing why skills and passion are still much needed.

Women's World Cup 2011

2011-07-04T22:23:00.000+08:00

After the men's World Cup 2010 in South Africa, this year the women's edition would be in Germany. The favourites remain to be Brazil, Germany, Sweden and the USA. However, this time, an Asian team showed strong pedigree. Japan. A country recently rocked by the Tsunami and nuclear exposure, showed passion play.

I believe perhaps as Japan progresses, we may yet see an Asian team winning the world cup. Since 1991, USA has won it twice, Norway once and Germany twice. This 6th installment augurs well for Japan. Shall we see the samurai clasp gold? I hope so.

The difference between the men and women's world cup? Well..beleive it or not, the women's edition is so much more fun to watch as skills rule, not so much theatrics!

X Men First Class

2011-06-15T12:27:00.000+08:00

Watching this year's movies is like reliving all the comic books. Starting with Thor and now X Men : First Class before The Green Lantern comes along makes it a great outing so far. Both Thor and X Men were, in short, the best so far since Batman of Michael Keaton and the Joker of Jack Nicholson.

Emma Frost really taunts her figure here

The line up is so cool you will forget the other X Men movies.

For a prelude, this Movie is seriously First Class. Watch for the cameo of Wolverine by Hugh Jackman...telling Xavier and Erik (later Magneto) to fuck off when they tried recruiting him!!!!! That was hilarious!

Pirates of The Carribean 4 - On Stranger Tides

2011-05-25T23:47:00.001+08:00

Last year for our 1st Anniversary, we watched Robin Hood at GSC Signature in MidValley Gardens. This year....

This year, on our 2nd anniversary, we caught the movie, "Pirates of The Carribean 4 -On Stranger Tides".

Our verdict? Well....it could have been better though....But I really think they should can the franchise. Getting abit worn. The only stratling thing? Mermaids who eat people and has fangs like a vampire. They "LOVE" people to death and then eat them! Whoaaaaaa!!!!!!

Our 2nd Anniversary Dinner- HYOTAN

2011-05-25T23:05:00.004+08:00

For dinner, b and I decided that we try another Japanese Restaurant at SS15, Subang Jaya. Last year we did another restaurant in Kampachi for our 1st Anniversary and it was good. We decided on Hyotan. We arrived at 7pm and found our seat near the main door facing the sushi bar.

We started with sashimi. The thick cuts were fresh and perfect. The quiet demeanour in which the sushi bar chefs went about were very calming.

We also ordered rolled fried mackerel fish with plum. The dip was a mix of salt and pepper. It was interesting.

We also orderd 2 types of sushi. White Maguro and Red Maguro (Tuna). These were brilliant. It felt as if they melted in your mouth!.

We also ordered a soft shell crab maki roll. It looked great and it tasted good too. By this time, we counted that out of 10 guests who came in, 90% were Japanese! Wow!...we did not know that many Japanese eat in Subang Jaya! If the Japs came then the food must be like what they are used to! Authentic!

The last was the sushi platter. Well prepared. I believe Hyotan is a great Japanese Restaurant.

Here's to a great 2 years b!

THANK YOU B FOR BEING PART OF MY LIFE.... LOVE ALWAYS!

Angus Celebration, Our 2nd Anniversary Lunch

2011-05-25T22:27:00.003+08:00

It was 20th May 2011. Our anniversary. It has been 2 years and how time flew. I think I must say that I am the luckiest person on earth. My wife smséd me at the stroke of midnight as we lay in bed with the best message of the year.

This year, I took leave just as always to keep the day clear for our anniversary. She chose Angus Japanese Charcoal Grill steakhouse for our lunch. Off we went to Pavillion KL and made our way there. The place was dark and were only 3 other tables occupied.

Yes....after for so long, we finally ate at this restaurant after it has opened for quite awhile. Looked posh on the outside...but inside......hmmmmmm....... look at the table setting above.

Happy Anniversary b!

The first plate was a steaming hot roll. The butter melted so easily into the bread. It was ok lah. Same old bread like others. Nothing spectacular.

The next appetiser was a fish fried to a crisp and laced with balsamic vinegar. Not bad.

Then the soup...which was WITHOUT BREAD!

And the bonito filled salad. This was ordinary.

Then came my steak. A good 1 inch plus thick! The dang place was so dark and I forgot my flash was off!

B had her spaghetti - seafood aglio olio which she claimed to pale in comparison to the one in Dome!

Here's a great pic of me sticking it to the piece of divine beef! The meat was juicy and tender and it moist. Great Angus Striploin steak!

Dessert was ome pudding. Looked pretty but was a terrible end to a great steak.

But it was worth it as both of us savoured the whole day together...and yeah, we watched Pirates of the Carribean 4 too!!!!

Absolutely Fast Five!

2011-05-17T14:16:00.000+08:00

After a flurry of lusy movies since the funny animation, RIO, I finally caught a movie that is worthy of every RM spent! Ah yes! The 5th instalment of the Fast & Furious Franchise! The return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker at their best.

As always, the movie starts with a chase. It continues with plots though familiar but the action grips you from the beginning. Adding to the muscle of man is Dwayne "The Rock"Johnson. He really looked like a bad ass. But then again, the "people's champ" and did show an eyebrow here and then.

Of course, other than the beautiful muscle cars, APPLE show why they are the "IN" gadget now. Just look at the beauty above.

Hell yeah, Fast 5 Rocks! Gonna watch THOR soon and I hear that's a great one too.

The Sarawak Elections...In the end

2011-04-28T13:04:00.004+08:00

I landed in Kuching on Friday, 15th April 2011. The airport was packed. It seemed that somehow there had been an influx of tourists. Overherad, were chatter of Sarawakians coming home to vote. There were also those from political parties in Peninsular who came to help out.

The most prevalent chatter was...."Why do we need those in Peninsular to teach us or lead us? We know what to do. Their coming will ruin the plan". I listened. I went back to the interior. I watched.

In the end it was prophetic and these two won handsomely :

Let's wait for Parliamentary Elections

SARAWAK ELECTIONS 2011

2011-04-06T22:47:00.003+08:00

The Sarawak Elections will see 71 state seats being contested. There are the usual parties like Parti PBB (Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu), SUPP (Sarawak Unted People's Party), PRS (Parti Rakyat Sarawak), SPDP (Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party) as Barisan Nasional and standing against them would be parties like DAP (Democratic Action Party), PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat), SNAP (Sarawak National Party) and PCM (Parti Cinta Malaysia). A good number of independants would also be seen contesting.

SUPP

PRS

SPDP

PCM

PAS

DAP

SNAP

Who will eventually make the new government of Sarawak? From today 6th to the midnight of 15th, candidates will campaign. On the 16th of April 2011, votes will be cast. The winners will be the drivers of Sarawak.

Of the above, we notice that PBB, SUPP, PRS and SPDP are all local parties with an alliance to the Federal led BN whereas those on the other side, only SNAP can lay claim to being the truly local born party. DAP has somehwat assimilated and can be considered a local party. The Malaya based parties are PAS, PKR and PCM. It looks like the Malayans are coming over..we do not know to help or to colonise.

All I can say is that the best product ever is the UBAH soft toy! Now that is damn Cute!

Le Chon, Philipines

2011-03-13T12:26:00.002+08:00

I have never been to Philipines and when I got the chance, it was a dream come true. There are many interesting aspects of Manila, but I will start with BABI. Yes, BABI is everywhere. There is a street in Manila where Le Chon is sold!

Le Chon Baboy is roasted suckling pig and off the tour bus they smelt great! They have also got Lechon Baka which is beef!

Lechon Baka at Mili's

You can rows and rows of ready BABI in the stick! Giant satay anyone?

Of course, I got a taste of abit! Not as melt in the outh as the ones we get in Malaysia but the skin was reasonably delicious

What's on my mind?

2011-02-18T19:43:00.001+08:00

My home

Chinese New Year Decorations

2011-02-07T12:09:00.001+08:00

The Chinese New Year decorations this year are very diverse. I had the opportunity to go around a few malls before I headed home via a long journey for Chinese New Year Eve recently.

A phoenix in The Gardens was breathtakingly elegant.

The Lion and Dragon Dance village scene in MidValey evokes old time China.

Pavilion's modern Shanghai like take gives a current intrepretation.

1 Utama's grandeur of Red and Gold made an opulent statement!

Subang Parade's simple village like scene of daily huotongs made cultural impact.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!!

2011-02-07T11:56:00.000+08:00

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!!! It is the Year of the Metal Rabbit!

Cool decorations are abound in shopping centres and Subang Parade is one of those. Loved their authentic theme of huotongs!

The customary Yee Sang again beckons and I had my first one in Muar!

Oh ya...there was a Ving Chun exhibition at Subang Parade too! I wonder why the lions look so different.

And of course, my wife and me had to go to Joey Yap's Feng Shui talk! And the verdict was...The Rabbit is ERRATIC!!!!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-31T08:45:00.002+08:00

It's Chinese New Year of the Metal Rabbit! In advance as I make the annual exodus home to my wife's place...here's wishing you a Happy Chinese New Year! Kong Hee Fatt Choy!

Saigon Pt 2

2011-01-13T23:13:00.003+08:00

Vietnam is a foodie paradise. All would come in a huge selection of greens and dipping sauces. There is just this one restaurant, Au Pagolac Bo 7 Mon ie 7 types of beef! That was a beefy experience!

Our room at Dang Dung Street, Dang Dung Hotel 2 was comfortable until the karaoke outside starts to rattle you each night.

The traffic in Saigon is deafening from the sounds of horns used incessantly. Motorcycles consist of nearly 98% of the choice vehicles on the road.

But they do have nice parks as the streets are lined with rainforest trees as well as cool banners like this one below!

Onward to Dalat for some cool air and a tour...and they brought us this:

...8hours by bus from Saigon! Now, even their "Love Garden" is a tourist attraction! Anything sells in Vietnam!

Saigon 2010 Part 1

2011-01-13T22:55:00.002+08:00

Vietnam! Yes...Ho Chi Minh City or Saigon would complete my Vietnam experience after earlier visiting Hanoi a few years back.

The food was great! I managed to find the Com Tam (broken rice) dish in many places and also had Banh Cuon or springrolls as well.

The refreshing taste of Saigon is just one reason why Vietnam is just reknowned for other than its jams!...traffic jams!

Perhaps this trishaw would have been better!Of course trips to the museum is a must as we went to the Ho Chi Minh Museum.

And the must buy Vietnamese coffee and famed weasel coffee selling at VND60,000 per 100gms! Thats about USD5 per 100gms!

Earlier, we landed at Tan Son Nhat airport in Ho Chi Minh. It was relatively queit, small but modern compared to Hanoi.

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-03T23:20:00.000+08:00

Happy New Year...and hope 2011 brings out the best!

Christmas in MidValley and The Gardens

2010-12-15T08:25:00.000+08:00

It is always great to check out the Christmas decorations around the Klang Valley. My favourite so far has been as usual, MidValley Megamall. This year, their theme was a "Funtoystic"Christmas!

Huge trees, huge bears and large baubles collected over the years and reused magically.

The scene of gift boxes adds to the mood.

Over at the Gardens, though, it was simpler They reused most of last year's decorations but added tulips as props for the garlands and the trees. It had the desired effect befitting the shopping centre's image.

Now that is what I call a large bear!

Their advertisement and message boards are clearly seen and in bright colours. You will never be lost as you would know waht they have..a great sales inducer.

Even their retail section is beautifully done. Noted most items are recycled but new props added.

The main stage area features the same round stage used in previous years. A good example of adding on from what they had and making it look different with varied props.

It is Christmas time!

2010-12-15T00:55:00.000+08:00

Bangkok in December always seems the best...guess who I met?

Cristiano Ronaldo!!!! wohooooooo........Nah..he is just wax from the newly opened Madame Tussaud in Siam Discovery...imagine a wax museum in a mall!!

I guess this year, they cleverly used the rabbit for Christmas and perhaps the upcoming Chinese New Year of the Rabbit!

In the day, the decorations seemed nice too.

Outside Siam Paragon

Cute contest boxes at Central World

Yes...it is Christmas time....we had a great time in Central World Bangkok!

Isthmus Kuching

2010-11-23T12:58:00.000+08:00

The ancient greek word isthmos, for the word "neck" basically explains the word, isthmus. An isthmus refers to a piece of land with waterfronts on both sides. And in Kuching, the largest project so far under development is the Kuching Isthmus. The first to be completed was the Borneo Convention Centre.

The masterplan showed a new iconic convention hotel tower to serve the borneo convention centre, also intimately known as BCC.

Facing the waterfront and access through the industrial area of pending past the infamous Sarawak barrage bridge towards Petra Jaya..Kuching attempts to re-create a green lifestyle. I wonder if photo voltic energy would be used. This would be great. Plans area slo afoot for commercial areas to face the waterfront and a mall built in the centre of isthmus. There are also plans for cruise ship docks as well as a marina.

The BCC took inspiration of a leaf and the water feature is run by rain water harvested from the roof to create a cooler feel.

Kuching...my home...all we need now is better administrators for hertiage and culture appreciation.

Best Shopping Centre in Kuching?

2010-11-23T12:36:00.003+08:00

Kuching. A city planned to explode in development, yet slow to awaken. We have malls...shopping centres...but then those in the city are nowhere near perfection.

You have to go away from the city, to find a shopping centre just like we are used to in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore or even Australia.

The Spring was godsend. Just brilliant!

Yes....in the beginning we had elektra house near the open air market in power street, kuching. This was Kuching's first mall. Then we had Kuching Plaza...the mal that had the first escalators in Sarawak! Now it is abandoned and left to rot. Wisma Hopoh came and never thrived. Wisma Saberkas was a first multilevel mall and is now an old lady.

Sarawak Plaza gave us hope, then Riverside and then Tun Jugah and also Green Heights mall. Now,we have the new Hills Shopping Centre and The Boulevard shopping centre but still, the big mama of them all will still be THE SPRING!

This has Parkson, MBO cinemas, Mango and even MAC! Has cool chillout places like Starbucks and Kluang Station and it is freaking near Swinburne University!

We also await new malls like Plaza Merdeka as well as the upcoming City One Mall just a few blocks away from The Spring in Jalan Song ...but till then, The Spring has really got a spring it her step!

The 16th Asian Games

2010-11-15T15:33:00.004+08:00

Ni Hao!!!

Welcome to China! The 16th Asian Games got off to a colourful start just as the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The games' torch looked so "Transformer" like cool.

The splendid torch light uo at the backdrop of the great wall added a sense of history and nostalgia.

Their games logo depicted a phoenix.

Their uniform for the medal awards were brilliant and they have chosen their models well!

Now if only Malaysia can do the same!

Yes folks, let us enjoy the 16th Asian Games!

I want I want

2010-10-14T12:37:00.000+08:00

Finally a phone caught my eye! I have been loking at all my friends around me getting their hands on the damn iPhone 4 and thouught that I should get that too. My Nokia N82 still packed a punch since 2008 but this new N8 stirred my interest.

Sleek lines. Touch screen. 12 MP of picture quality! An iPhone 4 has only 5 MP. An N8 has better picture taking capabilities.

However, the iPhone 4 looks smarter and the touch screen face looked sleeker. Both are about the same weight. But the Nokia OVI store is no way close to applestore!

I am not sure about the operating system but the only advantage with Nokia is that I do not need to sign up with Digi or Maxis!

My verdict? With better picture taking of 12 MP which is akin to holdinga camera device and a packful of music listening options with an FM Tuner, I think I will be looking at the N8!!!!

Taiwan left an impression

2010-10-10T19:02:00.003+08:00

I have travelled to many places before. But this one thing caught me by surprise as I have not seen this before in my travels. In Taoyuan International Airport Taiwan, they gave us a prayer room.......for Muslims, Buddhists and Christians!!!!!

Yes...they have separate rooms for all.

Will KLIA follow suit? I dare Malaysia to do this as I do not think they would....Sad that we ignore this need. I seriously think we need to emulate Taiwan!

Anyways, another cool thing I found was a newspaper vending machine. I guess I was bored walking around the airport for 15 hours.

This was my dinner....Formosa Beef Noodles (again) and Milk Tea...

This was my lunch, Formosa Beef Noodles! and green tea by the bottle!!!!!!!

Taiwan is cool. One of the must places to visit!

Taiwan and a beautiful city of Taipei

2010-10-10T18:31:00.005+08:00

It was an eventful trip for me to Taipei. It removed all my negative thoughts about Taiwanese in general. I all began with my first trip via AirAsia X. Yes, AirAsia X. I never used AirAsia X before, just Airasia and the A320 Airbus. AirAsia X used a larger plane. An Airbus A330.

The seatings looked better in the grey and red trim scheme versus the black leather seats on AirAsia.

Of course, just to let you know, I nearly did not get home in time. My flight home from Taipei was cancelled due to Typhoon Fanapi which hit Taipei the night before.

This was what we get to see from my room. Sideways rain! The satff at AirAsia Taiwan were excellent! I would say that a budget airline with services better than a five star one deserves all the accolades.

Anyways, Taipei is a safe city. The streets are very clean and people walk even in the dead of the night. The most prominent thing about Taipei is the number of scooters! Yes, scooters but they are very disciplined in following rules unlike Vietnam or China or even Malaysia! All traffic and pedestrian as well as bicycle rules are followed. Taxis were also easily found and metered. The drivers are very polite and would thank you once you reach your destination. What courtesy!

The bus terminal is well lighted unlike ours back in Malaysia. This looks like an airport! Have you seen KLIA's bus terminus? A huge shame!

Of course, I had to visit the Taipei 101 tower! Best part was that the observation deck is on the 88th floor. In KLCC Twin Towers? You only get limited time per day, closed on Mondays and only to the 42nd floor. Sad case of a tourist project !

And we had to try the Taiwan Beer FLOAT!!!! Yeah a beer float!!!! at the 88th floor.

Cycling is a big thing in Taipei

You can even rent a bike

And the public transportation was superb!

Taipei, Food and what a trip!

2010-10-09T14:29:00.004+08:00

Taiwan's Street Market is the must see attraction in Taiwan. After going to about 4 street markets, I must say these are like ours back home minus the grea varieties of food and better hygiene. Taiwan's street markets are clean and orderly!

Interesting stuff can be seen in the night market. Those that are sexy are quite normal as seen above. But the clear winner were the FOOD and DRINKS!

These were the tastiest Taiwanese sausages I have ever tasted. They even got jumbo ones and they charge by the weight! Verdict: MUST TRY!

Of course, Shilin Tourist Market would never be complete without the famous fried chicken chop. Deboned whole thigh deep fried with a cup of taiwanese style milk tea! I had to queue to get my order done. VERDICT: Worth the wait!

Feeling rather adventurous, the first thing I partook in was the Chow Tou Foo! Yes the smelly bean curd. You can never miss it. Just follow your nose to the odour that smells like warm sewer or effluents within a drain. I got myself a bagful and shared around. They all said "You try first!" I did and damn it was tasty! Delicious that you wonder why it smelt so foul!? Perhaps the only similar explanation is akin to the durian to foreigners.

Of course the dim sum served at the Palace Museum Tea House was excellent.

A closer look at the Chow Tou Foo! Heavenly good masked by the foul smell! A true way to get friends to try a dare!

I bought this puff or "pneah" from a curious looking street vendor in a street market. The used stone ovens and the meat wrapped in a crust is fired after pasting it on the hot walls of a tubular oven. These were the best pork buns ever!

I also found it fascinating that the majority of the ugly service boxes are painted with scenery. Back home, ours are also decorated...with "notices for money lending services as well massages and some medicine to make men strong??!!"

These steamed pork dumplings were huge and the filling was generous. Taiwan street food is unbeatable!

The best thing was, I got a 1 litre iced red tea for NT$15 (that's about RM1.50) to wash the food down and the thirst whilst we walked the street market somemore!

Glenelg and Sammy's

2010-09-13T18:11:00.006+08:00

Adelaide has been a great laidback visit. The weather has started to get warmer as winter has passed and spring has come. We made our way to a historical place called Glenelg. This was the place of first landing by the europeans in Australia.

The famous jetty at Glenelg provides superb sights of the historical town

After getting off the tram that took us about 20 minutes from the railway station in the city and cost about AUD4 plus each, we see the square. Behind the monolith is the famed jetty. Of course, we had to look for some great seafood to munch. As we walked further up, we found Sammy's. A seafood restaurant.

This was what we ate and shared. A seafood platter for two..at AUD140!!!!!!!!

Glenelg is a superb small historical town. As we head back to the city and prepare to fly back home, Adelaide has been a great place to take a break.

Rundle Mall

2010-09-10T12:09:00.003+08:00

Adelaide is the place where the famed Haigh's chocolates are from. One of the shops is located at the historic beehive building at the junction to Rundle Mall.

Rundle Mall is a long strip of shops with some shopping centres on each side.

Interesting art and even ingenius ways to attract shoppers can be seen. Take a look at Adidas below. That is a bicycle I would want!

As we walked on we find the pigs.

These are the famous pigs of Rundle mall!

Aren't they cute?

Adelaide City is comfortable

2010-09-10T11:54:00.003+08:00

The best thing about Adelaide is the green surroundings. Yo also get to ride the electric trams within the city for free. Once you hit outside the zone, a condutor will come around selling tickets. There is also a city loop bus 99C which is a free hop on hop off bus and gives good commentary for tourists.

The tram and the bicycle.

Central Market in its orange glory.

City view from Victoria Square

Greenery at Victoria Square

The tram line

And the fountain.

Central Market

2010-09-10T11:39:00.002+08:00

The weather was a balmy 15 degree Celsius and was perfect for walking down to Victoria Square into Central Market.

The Central market was smaller than the one in Melbourne, but was quaint enough.

This shop intrigued me. It has lots of organic offerings including honey in these aluminium vats for sale in bottles or buckets.

And the typical Australian great seafood on offer.

And we found a great deal for lunch! AUD6.50 and you pay that so long as you can fit as much as you can on a plate!...And believe me, we saw people eating piles higher than that per person! This one above, we shared! Hahahhahahahahhaha.....

Grand Chancellor Hotel

2010-09-10T11:05:00.002+08:00

We stayed at Grand Chancellor Hotel on Hindley.

If you look closely, the hotel is just next to Club X, an adult boutique shop and near countless nightspots

The room was a suite...a free upgrade as we booked online....yes folks...find deals on the net..you will be surprised!

From our window, this was Adelaide's typical sky scene...you can also see Unversity of South Australia

And of course, almost immediately after setting ourselves down...from a cab that cost about AUD20 from the airport, checked into the hotel, dumped the bags.and now we are headed towards the Central Market passing Rundle Mall's junction.

Hello Adelaide!

2010-09-04T19:32:00.003+08:00

At last...a long awaited trip. Has been so long since I have been on a flight longer than 3 hours. The last time was in 2008 when I went to Melbourne to attend my friend's wedding. We chose Adelaide this time. A destination we anticipated would be more of a relaxing nature than cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Gold Coat or Brisbane. After flying for 6.5 hours departing KLIA at 950pm and arrived here in Adelaide at 650am!

After clearing immigration and declaring our foodstuffs and medicine packed in our bags, we made our way out into a chilly 10degree celsius taxi rank, we got into a cab. Malaysia should learn from this. We need large cabs for KLIA not the small cars we now use.

So, Adelaide...here we are!!!!

Toilets

2010-08-27T13:55:00.002+08:00

I am going to bring you the best of toilets in some places in Malaysia. The one above is a typical one seen in most coffee shops!

Looking for a break

2010-08-10T10:55:00.004+08:00

It has been a long time.

Finally I am going there and with my loved one. I bet Haigh's Chocolates would be a great buy.

And sitting on the historical tram

All the way to Glenelg !

When the time comes

2010-07-23T15:16:00.005+08:00

Sometimes we have to make a choice. Sometimes we have to start thinking if indeed there is a reason to start making a move. The Rhinoceros hornbill (buceros rhinoceros) thinks. The hornbill is treasured more dead than alive untile there is none left to show the world of Bumi Kenyalang.

The Kenyalang says man come and rape the forests. They make much promises. Deals and agreements only to say that these are also meant to be broken. The hornbill thinks. The Kenyalang is found in the highest form of rainforest and now man has come near. Man who took the hornbill as the pride and emblem so important as a crest that man now kill to be greedy. But the hornbill was revered by some as Singalong Burung, a war God.

Sarawak has many faces. Man has many faces. Man lived in harmony with the forest, the fauna and the flora. Now some men are destroying freedom of life and life now becomes expensive as medicines and food are no longer their right but an earned requirement.

The hornbill thinks.

The hornbill looks around and prays. Perhaps it is time. Perhaps it is time as the kenyalang is perched on the tree, watching bad coming to make a stand and call onto the people and the forest to take on the bad. The time is near. The time is soon. The hornbill perks up and looks around, the air is fresh with a tinge of coming pollution. The last stand is here. The time has come.

OLE ESPANA and DIEGO FORLAN IS THE BEST!

2010-07-12T14:48:00.004+08:00

The World Cup in South Africa 2010 ended early this morning. I went to sleep at 530am. I daresay that this World Cup has been one of the most enjoyable and entertaining since 2002.

The Final was played by the tournament's most technically astute teams of Holland and Spain. Each had a 4-2-3-1 game plan which seems to be the best formation for total football.

Paul the Octopus had got it right again. Spain won 1-0 in the last 10 minutes of extra time with a sublime strike by Andreas Iniesta from a Cesc Fabregas pass.

OLE ESPANA!

But the man most remembered has to go to Uruguay's Diego Forlan. He was the Golden Ball winner for the best palyer in the South Africa World Cup 2010.

Diego Forlan. A beautiful player to watch. A man who tamed the Jabulani and had us at the edge of our seats as his last free kick which was the last kick hit the cross bar at the last second of their 3-2 loss to Germany. Germany got 3rd place but Uruguay who were the last to qualify for the World Cup having to beat Costa Rica in the playoffs made history as the best South American team

Goodbye Maradona

2010-07-05T10:37:00.003+08:00

The quarterfinals were dramatic and beautiful. In the case of beautiful, Germany for the first time again after 2006 under Juergen Klinsmann played with beauty normally associated with the Dutch teams of the 70s or the South Americans like Brazil or Argentina. This time Germany beat Maradona's hearts and the whole of Argentina by playing the best football of defence and offence ala Total Football.

Maradona leaves us with abeautiful Argentina. But football brilliance was won this time through Joachim Lowe's total football following his predecessor, Jurgen Klinsmann's attempt in 2006 to create an exciting Germany.

To me Maradona is still a winner. A winner who tried to play beautifully. He has given us so much entertainment via Messi, Tevez, his 3 man defence and Dimechelis. Germany won 4-0.

The other exciting game saw Brazil beaten by the Dutch. The dramas came when Uruguay edged out a fighting Ghana on penalties 4-3 after a 1-1 draw and Spain beat exciting Paraguay 1-0.

The semifinals will pit Uruguay and Netherlands and Germany Versus Spain. I have a funny feeling Uruguay and Spain will meet in the Final. Diego Forlan, Suarez Vs Villa, Iniesta.

What a match that would be!

The Quarterfinals are here!

2010-07-03T01:39:00.003+08:00

The best matches are at the quarterfinals.

Diego Forlan was brilliant.

Fernando Muslera helped Uruguay beat Ghana.

And the head of Wesley Sneijder killed Brazil!

As we started the journey towards the end of a festive football tournament, we have to say goodbye to South Korea (lost to Uruguay), USA (lost to Ghana), Chile (lost to Brazil), Slovakia (lost to Netherlands), Mexico (lost to Argentina), Japan (lost to Paraguay), Portugal (lost to Spain) and of course the egositic England (humbled by Germany in the biggest score of 4-1) in the round of 16.

The quarterfinals would pit:

Brazil V Netherlands...at this time of writing Brazil lost 2-1 in a thrilling match. Netherlands will either meet Uruguay or Ghana.

Uruguay V Ghana . Uruguay won on penalties after an exhilirating game. Suarez saved Uruguay when he handled the ball as it sailed towards goal. Sent off and yet Asamoah Gyan hit the bar at the final whistle.

THE SEMIFINAL CLASH OF NETHERLANDS AND URUGUAY WOULD BE AN INTERESTING WATCH.

Germany V Argentina ( I think Argentina will win)
Spain V Paraguay (I think Spain will win)

Let us see how the next drama unfolds.

The Last 16 is here. The battle now begins

2010-06-26T13:01:00.003+08:00

Tonight, the first match of the last 16 qualifiers will start the battle of their lives. No more playmg for draws.

Diego Forlan will lead Uruguay. Playing flowing attacking football, Uruguay has gained fans after their displays. They wre never known to play attacking football. They were the ultar defensive team. But now, they abandoned that to play offensively.

Asia will have South Korea begin the knock out stage. In 2002 they played with heart. In 2010, they now play with great technical skill. Park Ji Sung will lead the creative offense.

Who will win this one? I would like Korea to win but my bet will be on Uruguay IF they play their attacking football.

The other match will be between Ghana and USA. I would like for the young Ghanaians to beat USA.

The First in and The First Out

2010-06-21T10:35:00.006+08:00

The first to qualify as the last 16 went to Holland. Their 2 wins over Denmark and Japan meant that Holland became the first nation to qualify. Brilliant display of attacking football beat the Japanese.

Joining them would either be the Danes or the Japanese and both will have to fight in out in their last match against each other!

The World Cup can be cruel. But the World Cup also demands a team to get their strategies right before the start. Many have fallen wayside after a brilliant pre tournament warm up. Cameroon. The darlings of the World Cup.

The team best defined as the most creative attacking team amongst all African nations. South Africa, Algeria, Ghana , Nigeria and Ivory Coast pales in comparison.

In their first match, Cameroon played to a loss to Japan. Lacking creativity all of a sudden with Samuel Eto playing deep. A mistake. A 1 nil loss.

Their secon match against the Danes were hopeful. The Danes did not play well against the Dutch. They lost. Ther were worse than Cameroon. Samuel Eto played his postion at last. But then, the great Danes woke up. They also played their best.

What ensued was a spectacle of end to end football. Counter attacks launched. A 1-1 score at one point only for Dennis Romendahl to thrust the killing blow from a brilliant team play.

Cameroon will be remembered as the FIRST NATION out of the first World Cup in Africa. They will also be remembered going out at their playing best. They tried and played. But they were not the best that day. Denmark was.

Rise of Asia!

2010-06-15T12:30:00.004+08:00

This World Cup has seen Asia making a strong mark on the World Football scene!

Even she has both South Korean and South African colours!

First we had the sublime demolition of Greece by South Korea (2-0)

Last night we had Honda (not the car) making sure Japan's critics shut up (1-0 win over Cameroon)

Now, would North Korea be the next Asian team to create an upset? Would Brazil fall to North Korea? We can dream. But dreams can come true. Just a matter when!

World Cup sensations

2010-06-14T10:59:00.006+08:00

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa opened successfully. There were many exciting games but the most boring one so far went to Uruguay Vs France which finished 0-0. There were great attacking and technical displays and the most exciting was the England Vs USA one. Both gave end to end action. In the end the 1-1 scoreline paid tribute to an exiting game.

However, Robert Green became the poor player who had to be a victim of the new Jabulani Ball. The ball spun after a hard kick from Clint Dempsy of USA and left Robert Green embarassed. But I do not blame the keeper. The ball was a culprit too. But yeah...that adds to the fun!

SO South Africa.....I think will see the best in attacking and technical breakthroughs.

After some player from South Africa scored the first World Cup 2010 goal, a Siphiwe Tshabalala, a man from Soweto; South AFrica rejoiced. The sweet shot was thunderous!

And then again, we have the eccentric Diego Armando Maradona. He is the first coach in this world cup to play with all central defenders.

Imagine, his first team vs Nigeria he played with a 3-6- 1 formation with Heinze, Samuel and Dimechelis as the defenders; Angel, Veron, Mascherano, Guiterrez, Tevez and Messi completing the midfield and Higuain at the main strike pose. Tevez and Messi playing rovers made the system click like a 3-4-3 and 3-6-1!

Watch out for more crazies from this man!

ZAKUMI IN SUBANG PARADE!

2010-06-04T22:23:00.003+08:00

Guess who is in Subang Parade from 4th till 6th June 2010? Courtesy of The South African Embassy and Subang Parade!

ZAKUMI!!!!!! Viva La World Cup! La Copa Mundial!!!!

And I still think England will lose to USA on June 12th!

BOYCOTT BHP!

2010-06-04T21:49:00.004+08:00

FOR A CRIME COMMITTED AGAINST HUMANITY

REMEMBER BHP.

BOYCOTT THEM. THE NON CHALANT ATTITUDE OF THEIR STAFF AT THE TAMAN PERTAMA CHERAS CAUSED A GOOD SAMARITAN THE CHANCE TO SAVE A LIFE. JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE TRYING TO BE CAREFUL OF THIEVES AND SUCH. THEY DID NOT PROVIDE THE USE OF THE FIRE EXTINGUISHER!

OUR PRAYERS GO TO FLORINA AK JOSEPH, 27 FROM SARAWAK. BHP BELONGS TO BOUSTEAD. LET ALL REMEMBER THAT BHP MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILTY!

FROM ME TO BHP...FUCK YOU!

1st Anniversary

2010-05-25T16:02:00.003+08:00

Our First Anniversary.....

Went to Signature GSC and caught Robin Hood!

Then off to Kampachi for a cool dinner!

Yum yum....and here's to a wonderful first anniversary!

IP MAN 2..Best Kung Fu, STILL!

2010-05-08T21:42:00.002+08:00

After a week trying to get tickets, I finally got to get tickets at GSC in IOI Mall, Puchong.

The storyline was not as solid as before but still evokes simlar feelings throughout just as the first. The fight scenes are good and more styles can be seen.

Two Thumbs Up!!!! I think I am going to watch it again!

IRON MAN 2..AND THE STAR IS......

2010-05-06T15:47:00.002+08:00

As hard as one would want to deny..it has to be Scarlett Johanssen!!!

Just take a look at her sexy display!

And the really cool baddie but conquered too easily is whiplash!

And of course....Iron Man 2 and Tony Stark is forgotten as with war machine....

Overwhelmed by SCARLETT!!!! So the movie was a so so and the only reason a guy would want to see the movie is to watch Scarlett Johanssen!

STUPID STUPID !!

2010-05-03T11:03:00.004+08:00

I HAVE JUST HAD ENOUGH OF RAFA BENITEZ! HE CAN GO JOIN JUVENTUS FOR ALL I CARE. STUPID. HE IS MAKING LIVERPOOL THE LAUGHING STOCK OF EPL!

AS FOR GERARD, I HOPE CAPELLO LEAVES HIM BEHIND THE ENGLAND SQUAD TO THE WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA AS HE IS TOTALLY USELESS AND HIS BACKPASS SAYS IT ALL. PERHAPS HIS REAR NEEDS SOME SCRATCHING! STUPID!!!!!!

FOR ME, UNLESS RAFA IS GONE, LIVERPOOL WILL WALK ALONE!!!! STUPID STUPID!!!

How To Train Your Dragon

2010-04-23T12:23:00.003+08:00

Normally, I would refrain from watching cartoons on the silver screen as I would wait for the DVD to come out. This time, after failing to get Clash Of the Titans tickets, I watched "How to Train your Dragon"

Never knew a dragon has so many shapes and sizes and this supposedly cool dragon, Night Fury looked like a tadpole or some garoupa fish! Anyways, the movie was fun!

Shutter Island

2010-04-12T14:44:00.005+08:00

It has been a weekend of thinking for me. I was suppoed to be in Bangkok from Friday and back Monday but had to postpone it due to travel advisory. My friends went nevertheless and for the 2 days, nothing happened till the shooting came. They are ok but there are a few who were kiled and hundreds injured in the clash of the Red supporters (Thaksin) and the Thai army

Instaed, I spent time to catch Shutter Island. This movie is directed by Martin Scorcese and with Leonardo De Caprio taking the lead role.

The trailer suggested some horror flick but boy! was I blown away with the story line and the scripted plot. This is another brilliant one after "Book of Eli". (corrected...director not M Night Shyamalan)

I would suggest all to catch this and decide if paranoia is indeed a great weapon. Brilliant!

Another shocking revelation....

2010-03-31T17:46:00.004+08:00

Today before the day before April fool......we hear a leader, a deputy saying he is Malaysian second but his race is first...I am confused. Look at the Quaker below...even this noble beast is 1 Malaysia.

PERHAPS.... this confusion is because some do not understand that this land is

by us for the future ? Something is wrong...something is not right..... Perhaps this fellow needs to figure out himself.....sudah babo like Sarawakians would say.

Shocking! I must say!

2010-03-22T16:51:00.004+08:00

Normally, when one goes to a reputable supermarket, we will be assured of freshness. On 10th March 2010, I went to AEON Melaka and strolled into Jusco and had a shocking encounter!

Yes it is on 50% discount but why is the meat so dark?

Ehy is the fat on the beef turning dark and pale?

And how could one even put such seafood for sale when it looks rotten? Even at 50% discount!

Now I found this at Jusco Aeon Melaka!

Someone better fix this!

Register NOW!!!!!!

2010-03-22T15:49:00.003+08:00

Most of us forget one impotant thing when we turn 21. It is time to start thinking and then planning and then getting our arse from the chair and register ourselves as voters.

So those who have got a new driving license, celebrated that all important birthday and stat life as an adult, remember to add this in....REGISTER AS A VOTER!

Make that change!

The Book Of Eli

2010-03-22T14:49:00.003+08:00

After a long time, I decided to start my pilgrimage into movies again. This movie by Denzel Washington was brilliant. It has twists similar to M Night Syamalan.

Faith need not have sight. Faith has no definition. Faith bears power stronger than anything in this material world.

Watch this!

Checking out Aseana Bar and Cafe

2010-03-19T16:15:00.008+08:00

A month ago, whilst walking around Suria KLCC I found this interesting place called Aseana Bar and Cafe. The decor was very simplistic and I cannot put my finger on what the decor is supposed to make me feel. The seatings are white painted wooden coffe shop chairs whilst the table is of wood alike look.

Anyways, this was what we partook. A juice and a lime and asam boi mix.

In the foreground is the Vietnamese vegetarian spring roll with sweet chilli sauce. In the back there is asome banana fritters ala Bali.

These bananas came with brown sugar coatings and some shredded coconut.

The springrolls were crispy though.

Lastly, this is their claim to fame, the keropok lekor. My wife had them and commented taht it was not bad but those found in Pahang, terengganu and Kelantan were far superior.

Now the damage for all the above came to about RM60++!!!! Now, if I were gouing to a stall, I would probably have the same within RM10!!!!!!!

GOSH!!!!!

Cooking again!

2010-03-19T12:00:00.004+08:00

It's been a long time since I went to the kitchen to cook...and I chose a special day to cook something up. I have been a fan of Asia Food Channel and had been itching to try to cook salmon.

So, off I went on 25th February 2010 to Cold Storage and got a good sized Salmon fillet costing about RM28.

This was the end result. Pan Fried Salmon with Dill and Salad Sauce. Wholemeal bread, tomatoes and corn flakes added some variety to taste.

The charred bits added authencity...I think. Hahahhahahahha.

Well, at least my wife likes it!!!!!

Can this miracle and history repeat itself?

2010-03-14T20:01:00.003+08:00

In 1995, against a backdrop of adversity and a time for new government, led by the iconic Nelson Mandela and a man called Francois PIENAAR, one a leader of a new South African Rainbow nation and another, the captain of the Ruby team, Springboks....brought glory to South Africa. This is the year whene South Africa became an example of hope. Nelson Mandela and Francois PIENAAR as South Africa won the Rugby World Cup.

15 years on, a man called Steven PIENAAR would lead the South African Bafana Bafana into the World Cup Football. Would this be another reason to celebrate? Steven is a very skillful player and a captain of South Africa. We wait and see as June awaits.

Would he be the next LEGEND?

Best Burger So Far!

2010-03-10T17:07:00.004+08:00

Carl's Junior ranks as the tastiest and the meat is so succulent, it melts. Not like the dry type of McDonald's, nor the sqaushed Wendy's, it is similar to Burger King but so much bigger and juicier!

Their shakes and their onion rings and fries are just too fresh!

Absolutely the best of the best crisscut fries, onion rings, fries and of course, the largest burger ever in a fast food joint!!!!

Better head on to Carl's Junior!

Nautius Maximus

2010-03-04T18:27:00.002+08:00

The other day, as usual, we let Max off the leash. As we came out to leash him back...he was pretty friendly.

But wait! What is this......! Look at our doormat..it now has the evidence of Max's artist impression of a chomped mat!

And look at his leash! He chewed it up!

Gosh.....Nautius Maximus is living up to his name!

FAT MAX

2010-03-01T12:50:00.002+08:00

Max the beagle.....Yup...we adopted him on 19th September 2009 when he weighed at 10kg. Now he weighs 15.3kg!
We removed his cone since January and he is getting used to it. Had to change his food from lamb and rice (Science Plan) to a fish and rice/potato based one (EKANUBA) as he was getting bored.

Look at the fella now! Is he not cute?

Well...he looks happy now!

Chap Goh Meh

2010-02-28T19:13:00.002+08:00

It is the 15th day of Chinese New Year. Let us hope the end of the festivities mark the beginning of a greater hope for the nation of Malaysia. This year, the solemn mood is extraordinary as the economy and the socio-political problems that Malayisa face is getting on our nerves. Perhaps it is time the rakyat take back the country from those who aim at driving a divisive wedge on us all!

Now...let me see, what to eat tonight?????

WHAT KUCHING NEEDS

2010-02-23T14:31:00.003+08:00

Kuching is a wonderful place. A place where I was born and its beautiful riverine city and its slower pace makes this a beautiful place. In view of the traffic which will choke Kuching soon like all cities in the world, Sarawak and Kuching in particular should take a look at Singapore. Singapore's city planning is wonderful. Its parks, tree and green line their pedestrian walkways and public transportation are just great.

Of course, we have in Kuching a unique transportation. The humble penambang, a boat, a sampan just like the small dhows in Dubai.

This must be retained and together with some sightseeing cruises up and down the river, would make a great tourist product.

However, what we really need is better transport for the public. Yes, there may not be a demand now but it is better to build the facilities and plan now. We need better bus routes and stops. We also need better buses. Green buses.

We also need a skytrain. We can start building the routes now. It takes so little space and can be a great way to transport people within the city as well as to the major arteries in Petra Jaya via Satok Bridge, The Barrage Bridge and the Tolled bridge.

We need the state to look at this now before it is too late.

FEASTING TIME

2010-02-17T08:54:00.003+08:00

Here's the feast for the eve of Chinese New Year, 13th February 2010. There's a dish not in the picture which was the soup...

Luckily no yee sang.....I had 4 already and I do not think I can do a five....

mmmmmmm........look at the pork!!!!

The serious look before serious eating....

And on this side...smiley cousin Linda, uncle and auntie

Yum yum time...

IT'S A VERY HOT CHINESE NEW YEAR

2010-02-17T08:30:00.002+08:00

This year, we drove back to Kuantan on a Thursday, 11th February 2010. The drive was smooth fro Gombak's toll gates all the way to Gambang's toll gates near Kuantan. The weather was very hot and this Chinese New Year proves to be a dry one.

My father in law had a table booked as part of the annual dinner for the tyre business.

And that's my wifey with popo.

The yees sang that was to come would be my fourth yee sang this year.

In any case, it is time to lift up one's glass and exclaim...YUM SENG!!!!

Now...where's my glass.....?

LEAPING TIGER, HIDDEN OX

2010-02-13T16:58:00.002+08:00

It's 13th February 2010, on the eve of the Year of The Metal Tiger. Dinner is being prepared. Mahkong table being laid out. Hopefully the year of The Tiger brings forth the changes required.

GONG XI FA CAI!!!!

1 February 2010

2010-02-01T12:26:00.004+08:00

It's Chinese New Year season. Lent will also start on 17th February 2010. I have seen some cool Chinese New Year Decorations and will put these up soon.

2010 has not been starting well and hopefully the tail end of the Ox year and the entering of the Tiger would help create some positives in the current social and economic climate.

AVATAR

2010-01-15T22:55:00.004+08:00

This movie was brilliant. I thought that James Cameron did a good job with this. The movie had so many breathtaking images as well as a thought provoking issue of how we treat the environment. It reminds us of our diconnection with the life our environment is and how we negelect and exploit for these in the name of necessay development. This made me wake up to the realities of corrupted governments and people.

BLACK DAY FOR MALAYSIA

2010-01-10T19:57:00.004+08:00

It is a Black weekend for Malaysia whence the arson attempts and vadalism attacks on 7 churches till now have been committed by idiots.

8 January 2010 is a Black Day. Malaysians of all should unite and move forward against incompetent leaders who were elected to keep the peace but failed. Leaders who fail must be replaced.

Let this be a uniting factor. If we love our Country, then the beginning of the end of those whose incompetence have brought this upon us must begin.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!!!!!

2010-01-01T15:06:00.006+08:00

2010 is finally here! Hoped I got your attention! Found the naughty picture on the net after seeing one of my Facebook friend having one. Hahahahhahahhahahahaha..

Anyways, just woke up. And today starts a new day for me. I have made some resolutions, which i hope to keep.

In short, Live The Dream and Maketh It A Reality.

So I am gona start with my preparations for tonight's gathering with my friends.

2009 was a sweet year for me. many happy memories. 2010 would define me.

Chillout at a Funky Place!

2009-12-29T09:24:00.004+08:00

Once awhile you would have a hand in getting some funky place in your job. This is one of them, courtesy of Selisa Usat. That's her with the V sign with the main people at Chillout Restaurant and Bar. Good job....and one for the road! Thanks Selisa and wish you the best in Kuching!

The open air ambaince is great and the chairs were good for laid back dining as well as near enough to the LCD TVs to catch football!

The menu looked cool too.

That's the tapas bar and there is a barber's chair at the middle! Next time, I got to try that chair!

If you need to use the toilet, I must say the toilets are clean and well ventilated.

Here comes the yummy food. We ordered this "Pattaya BBQ set" and it was spicy!

The tandoori chicken was great! Juicy and so good we ordered a full chicken for the 4 of us!

This is a lamb dish. Could not remember but the presentation was good and the food was good too.

This is the Chillout Calamari! Great beer food!

The mussel croquette was bit dry and could not taste the mussels. The sauce was overwhelmingly creamy. This tapas was not too good.

The nasi goreng kampung was the best! Loved the full bodied nasi goreng and it came with 2 BBQ wings!

Yummy....at least now I have an alternate place other than Swensen's and TGIF for social gatherings in Subang Parade!

WHY I LOVE BANGKOK!

2009-12-24T14:17:00.005+08:00

These pictures will tell you why I like Bangkok!

Damn cool airport!
Best boutique style hotel "On 8" just beside Nana BTS (Train station)

Funky advert placements! Here's one promoting healthy chickens!

Cool shopping centres and decorations.

The famed BTS Skywalk that links most stations to shopping centres! In the shade and very convenient!

Best Food Court Food!

Great Christmas ambiance!

Traffic jams!

And a world of more shopping!

And cool FOOD COURTS!..Here's one at Central World Food Hall!

Christmas Time!!!

2009-12-24T12:29:00.004+08:00

Meet the cool stage at Subang Parade!

This is SubangParade's Chritsmas stage area being set up recently. All about large presents!!!

An a tall Christmas tree at the Guest Services counter

This is in Bangkok!

This is in MidValley

And this is in The Gardens!!!

I love Christmas!!!! Merry Christmas everyone!!!!

WORLD CUP 2010 DRAW AND MY PREDICTION!

2009-12-15T17:47:00.003+08:00

The world cup 2010 draw has some really interesting groupings and a tough one on all the African teams. Nevertheless, here's my thoughts on the world cup draw.

GROUP A :

SOUTH AFRICA, MEXICO, URUGUAY, FRANCE

GROUP B :

ARGENTINA, NIGERIA, SOUTH KOREA, GREECE

GROUP C :

ENGLAND, USA, ALGERIA, SLOVENIA

GROUP D :

GERMANY, AUSTRALIA, SERBIA, GHANA

GROUP E :

NETHERLANDS, DENMARK, JAPAN, CAMEROON

GROUP F :

ITALY, PARAGUAY, NEW ZEALAND, SLOVAKIA

GROUP G :

BRAZIL, NORTH KOREA, IVORY COAST, PORTUGAL

GROUP H :

SPAIN, SWITZERLAND, HONDURAS, CHILE

2ND ROUND :

SOUTH AFRICA VS SOUTH KOREA

ENGLAND VS GHANA

NETHERLANDS VS ITALY

BRAZIL VS CHILE

MEXICO VS ARGENTINA

GERMANY VS USA

PARAGUAY VS CAMEROON

SPAIN VS PORTUGAL

QUARTER FINALS:

SOUTH KOREA VS GHANA

NETHERLANDS VS BRAZIL

ARGENTINA VS GERMANY

CAMEROON VS SPAIN

SEMI FINALS:

GHANA VS BRAZIL

ARGENTINA VS CAMEROON

FINAL:

BRAZIL VS ARGENTINA

WINNER?

ARGENTINA!!!!

FIFA WORLD CUP BALL 2010

2009-12-15T17:26:00.005+08:00

HERE'S JABULANI!!!!! YUP, THIS UNIQUE BALL WILL BE USED IN THE WORLD CUP 2010!

In case one forgot, here is a pic taken from the internet as well of the previous balls from the previous world cups.

The last World Cup in 2006 saw a new ball, Teamgeist which was made of 14 panels instead of the traditional 32 panels.

Mahkota Parade Refurbishment

2009-11-26T00:15:00.005+08:00

I have working on this refurbishment ever since March 2009 and phase 1 was just completed a few weeks ago at the end of October 2009. It was and is very tiring with constant trips to and from Melaka and Subang Jaya

This is the roof waterproofing membrane by Swissproof. A SIKA Sarnafil material was used

These are pictures of the basemnet carpark's new SIKA epoxy flooring at the basement

This is the new back for the public telephones

An overall view of the interior

And this picture above show me and the team!!!!

St Angel

2009-11-12T08:45:00.002+08:00

Yup, after the scary doctor at theAnimal Medical Centre, we decided to go to another vet....St Angel in Puchong (just behind Tesco)

Dr Ding was very informative. He suspected Max to have some fungus and he did tests and was able to inform shortly unlike Dr Siva of Animal Medical Centre who gave us nothing and seemed too busy even to answer questions like he is in a world of his own. Dr Ding was refreshing.

Max got his shot and also a bath....more to come...

Oh ya, when we got Max, he was 12 kg. Then dropped to 10kg at the Animal Medical Centre. Then when we are at St Angel, he went up 12.4 kg. Fat Max

Deepavali decoration at Subang Parade

2009-11-12T07:48:00.004+08:00

This has been in my computer for quite awhile and I thought I better upload this as this year's kolam at Subang Parade was very beautiful.

This one of 2 peacocks were done at main entrance 2 near Uncle Lim's

The one above was done at main entrance 1 near TGI Friday's.

I can't wait for Christmas!!!!

LIVERPOOL 2, MANCHESTER UNITED O

2009-10-26T09:12:00.002+08:00

Best game ever without Steven Gerrard. I thought Liverpool played brilliantly! Yossi Benayoun, Glenn Johnson, Lucas, Aurellio and Mascherano were the best as they tore Manchester United apart!

Torres goal was a good one and Ngog's one was even sweeter! Yes. Manchester United has lost! Now someone better stop Chelsea!

RAFA BENITEZ....YOU SUCK

2009-10-22T00:55:00.002+08:00

YOU ARE KILLING LIVERPOOL!!! DO TAKE HEART AND RESIGN YOURSELF. LIVERPOOL NEEDS TO START AGAIN AND NOT WITH YOU! THE LYON LOSS IS A HUGE SLAP AT ANFIELD!

MAX...Progress

2009-10-12T14:40:00.002+08:00

This is what MAX eats....Lamb and Rice from Science Plan!!!! The stuff even smells good to me!

It looks like biscuits and we give MAX once a day every morning one full cup and a third.

A few weeks ago, on 19th September 2009, we got MAX. We went for his checkup again on 26th September 2009.

Here's MAX going to the Animal Medical Centre for his checkup.

Here we are in the car. The trip was great as MAX slept in the car. The only problem was that the inhumane dumb doctor said if MAX did not recover from his scratching, he wants us to put him to sleep!!!! What an idiot!

We brought him back for his weekly checkup and we gave him a brief of what we did. We told hime we bathed him using the shampoo he gave and MAX got to scratch more. Instead he asked us to "do the right thing" after 3 weeeks and put MAX to sleep! What the heck! We have not gone for the next few scheduled check ups and MAX is doing even better after that!

We will bring MAX to St Angels this weekend for his check up instead of the Animal Medical Centre at Jalan Tun Razak. Somehow, anything with that name stinks!

Introducing MAX

2009-09-24T00:02:00.003+08:00

On 19 September 2009, MAX came into our lives.

And here's MAX!

MAX is a beagle. He was abandoned and left to fend for himself in a jungle. Someone brought him to the animal hospital and he was up for adoption. The owner did not want him.

MAX sat through the road trip from Hospital to our home quietly.

Here he is getting ready for his bath.

Yeah...MAX the Beagle.

THE BEST EPL GAME SO FAR

2009-09-23T22:11:00.002+08:00

This had to be the best match. Though I am no supporter of Manchester whether City or United, I thought the game was brilliant!

I am however, a fan of Michael Owen! I hope Fergie plays hime more! And To Manchester City...you deserve the 4-3 loss!

England Qualifies!

2009-09-10T04:52:00.004+08:00

Eduardo scored 1 for Croatia

Rooney scored 1

Lampard scored 2, Gerard scored 2

ENGLAND IS GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA AFTER BEATING CROATIA 5-1!!!!!

World Cup 2010...the countdown

2009-09-09T22:47:00.004+08:00

AND THE BATTLE BEGINS!!!!!!

ENGLAND

CROATIA

Yeah....England will meet Croatia in a few hours' time. If England win, they will qualify! As of todate, those who have qualified are Holland, South Africa, Ghana, Brazil, South Korea, North Korea, Australia and Japan. Nah...the pictures above are not the players. That was to entice you to read on. I hope the winner is: ...........Let us wait and see....

Beautiful creations of confectionery Part 2

2009-08-27T07:10:00.002+08:00

These are the completion of the series of photos taken from FHM 2009. Too beautiful to eat!

A cool kampung house

A mystical dragon

Yummy Einstein surrounded by berries

And the master piece! Look at the chocolate sculpture!

This is a cool wedding cake.

Beautiful Confectionery Part 1

2009-08-27T06:54:00.008+08:00

FHM 2009 is the 10th Malaysian International Exhibition of Food, Drinks, Hotel, Reataurant and Food Service Equipment, Supplies and Services and Related Technology. Just look at the pictures below which were taken by my wife.

Sugar bag?

Looks so good you can frame this.

A kitchen scene.....what an art!

This is soooooo.......yummylicious! But how to eat...you can look at this all day!

And this is my sweetheart!!