Another Day... Another Story...

Turtle Laying Eggs at Redang

2009-03-09T22:58:00.002+08:00

I went into Redang a few days back. I had to go in on official work. We went to check out the renovation that has been going on with the resort, as well as understand more on how the operations run on the island.

Although I was supposed to be there for work, it was quite a relaxing 3D/2N I was there. I had to setup up their broadband as well as WIFI. I too had to capture photos, and update their website with new photos.

On the 3rd day, at about 5:45AM, uncle woke me up. He pointed from balcony at a little object that seems to be moving across the sand. At that time, it was really dark, way before dawn, but I could make out what it was... A turtle!!!

So we rushed down to get a closer look. Since we didn't want to startle it, we just quietly follow the turtle. I wasn't too sure what she was doing, but hoping to see her lay some eggs :)

Anyway after following the turtle for close to 2 hours plus, she finally settled on a spot to lay her eggs. This was after like loads of people following the poor turtle and blinding her with their bright flash from the cameras. Did you know, every 3-5 steps, the turtle had to stop to catch her breath. I estimated that she came to shore at about 3-4AM and was in search for her spot to lay her eggs since then.

After digging and laying her eggs for almost an hour, she was done. She had laid about 120 eggs this trip. The eggs were carefully collected before she covered up the giant hole she had dug. It was kept by a resort for safe keeping before handing it over to the Marine Park personnel.

Did you know that, many curious people actually eat these turtle eggs? It is like a consider local delicacy...

Anyway I would like to take this opportunity to tell everyone to Say “NO!” to turtle and terrapin eggs. The cause has been started by Prof Chan, a world renowned turtle researcher and conservationist. You can read about her cause here. Why don't you just head straight here to sign her petition and say "NO" to turtle eggs.

OK, back to my turtle event. So the turtle had laid her eggs and was getting ready to head back. She spent close to 20 minutes trying to cover where she had laid her eggs. When she was done, she headed straight to the sea. It was a slow long and tedious walk back. Every couple of steps, the turtle would stop, to catch her breath before moving again.

By about 8:45 the turtle had reached the water and was on her way back to her natural habitat, the sea! Once she reached the shore line, you could see this once, slow and clumsy turtle move swiftly in the water.

Hope to see you again, Ms Turtle!!

Where in the World is Eric Tan?

2009-03-03T20:29:00.001+08:00

It has been about 3 weeks since I relocated to this small east coast town, KT... Kuala Terengganu. I have decided to follow my Darling back to her home town to help run their family owned business.

They run a resort at Redang Island, called Redang Pelangi Resort. Click here for more details.

So, my job includes doing everything in the office from reservation, logistics, purchasing to any and everything possible. I am suppose to learn how to select and purchase fresh fishes from the market.

Anyway, more about my job later....

To those who has never been to this small town...

Terengganu is situated in East Coast of West Malaysia.
Takes about 5.5-6 hours by Car from KL. Takes about 1 hour by Plane from KL
Famous for their Oil Ridges off the Coast of Malaysia.
Famous for Turtle laying eggs on the beach ...used to be famous... anyone read in the papers they sighted a turtle recently? No? ... :(
Famous for Pulau Redang and Pulau Perhentian
Friday is their day off (like our Sunday)

China (25 - 27 Oct) - Part 2

2008-12-08T21:31:00.000+08:00

Alright, this is my 4 day overseas. Spent 4 days in HK, and now to Guong Zhou for another fair. When we first arrived at one corner of the convention center, I took the photo above. It looks pretty harmless from the side.

As we walked passed it from the outside, I could see that it had very high ceiling. And all every side of the convention center was glass. As if it was a giant aquariam!! If I remember correction, it has 4 floors for every hall.

Ok, so after registration, we headed in. It had metal detectors and x-ray machines. Same rules applied here, no water or liquid into the building. The queue was long, and we spent at least 10 mins waiting to get in.

After we got in, we got our directory map and headed to visit our existing supplier.... Then is when I realised how big the place is.... Forget what I told you about the HK fair. This is anohter class of its own!!

This photo was taken on the mid point of the first two hall I was at. I just walked through Hall A. The half was Hall B. The photo above showed Hall C, which was across the street.

Yes Hall C, is not small. It's huge!! But wait till I show you the pictures of Hall A!! As you can see from both the photos, Hall C has got 3 sections!

The photo above shows Hall B, which consist of another 3 sections. And trust me, it really looks as big as you think it is!

Alright, this is the main section, Hall A, which consist of 5 sections. Yes combining Hall A, B and C, it is seriously a big area. Can't remember the floor area of the convention center, but when I do find out, I will let you guys know.

Just imagine spending 2 whole days here, walking through every aisle, looking at every company that had something to exhibit. You know what?... while I was there, we didn't even walkthrough 30% of the area. We had just visited the companies that were related to what we sold. And that took up the 2 whole days I was there.

This is a photo of the Car Park, where our bus was waiting for us. Yes it looks more like a bus station, like the one we had in Pudu!! But this is only 1 of the many Car Park!! Just imagine how many people were visiting the week long event?!!

A close up of one of the section.

Did you know while we were at this Expo, there was another one running just next to the Convention hall we were at. Yes, there is another buidling next to Hall C, which had another expo running. It showcased different companies and different items, but hell, there was so many expos running at the same time, in the same area.

I was overwhelmed. The place is huge. There were thousands of companies showcasing their products. Most of these companies only targets US/European customers as I noticed non of their items would be suitable for the Asian market. Then again, with the ever strong USD and Euros, who wouldn't want to target them?

Dude Carries 22 Bricks on his head...

2008-12-04T18:01:00.000+08:00

How To Stack 20 Bricks on Your Head

You have to check out the movie clip. This dude carried 22 bricked on his head.... Amazing but true...

Hong Kong (20 - 24 Oct) - Part 1

2008-10-23T20:31:00.000+08:00

I woke up extra early today. Had to reach Sentral before 7am to check in, before catching the KLIA express to the airport. First time checking in from Sentral Station. The queue was short, and it was quick. Right after the check in, we caught the KLIA express to KLIA airport. The ride was smooth and quick all the way to the airport! Duhhh... its a train, of coure there isn't any traffic.

Once we arrived at KLIA, it we didn't need to check in anymore, so we were free to roam around the airport. As usual, I took out my Laptop to serve the net. In KLIA, free WIFI is provided throughout the airport.

The flight to HK wasn't that long, just a little over 4 hours. Did you know that, this is the first time I flew out SEA since I got back from Australia 3.5 years ago? The food as usual, wasn't fantastic, come on, it is the airline food. But as a consolation prize, they gave me a Mini Magnum Ice cream!! Haha, like a little boy, I had my ice cream!

OK, we got to HK. First time to the new Airport. It was BIG... really big... We caught the train from the Airport directly into the City. The ride was sweet, having a look at the country side. HK is a port city, seeing their port on the way to the city really showed the SIZED of their Ports. HUGE.... really big, with like endless Containers being moved about.

The 2nd and 3rd day was spent at the Mega Show Part 1. It is held at the HK Convention & Exhibition Centre. It was a huge expo, with people coming from all over the world to see and source for suppliers. We have suppliers from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries.

There are so many things to see that, if you were to collect a phamplet from each booth, you would probably need a fork lift to carry all the stuff you get. Far out, there are so many suppliers that they had to break the expo into TWO parts!! It is broken up by category, so I won't be attending Part 2, which happens next week.

My boss told me that, the expo is not as full as it used to be. Looks like times are really heading to tougher times... All we did over the 2 days is to visit all her current suppliers. Spend most of our times, building relationship with the suppliers. Some of these people, we have been dealing for over 10 years.

Did you know that, things purchased at HUGE quantity are really cheap? Some of the items were quoted in CENTS... cents!!!! I saw so many interesting things that, I wouldn't dare to list them here. But, if you really wanted to start a retail business, visiting one of these expos will give you heap of ideas what to open.

I have seen so many designer clocks and mirrors that, I reckon I could open just a shop selling solely Wall Clocks or Mirrors!! Anyone wants to open one with me?

Redang Trip over Raya Holidays

2008-10-08T12:02:00.004+08:00

It is the Raya Holidays, 1 Oct 2008. We decided to visit Redang one last time before the Resort closes for the monsoon season. We had a convoy of people on this road trip. We decided to head off, on the eve of Raya, making the 6.5 hours. Traffic was decent. It was an all nighter. I as the Navigator couldn't keep my eyes opened an hour into the drive, and had to be demoted to the back, where I could get some beauty sleep. Fortunately the traffic was good, and by about 6am we were at Kuala Terengganu.

Soon we headed into the island on the speed boat. Due to the fact that most of us didn't have any good sleep the night before, most of us headed to sleep once we arrived.

Later that afternoon, I managed to join the divers for a shore dive. It was a simple dive round the corner. Lucky me as I did manage to see a Sea Turtle on this dive. Of course the were many other cool fishes, but to me, all of them look the same.... fishes... fishes... fishes...

As the night approached, it was the usual routine. Alcohol, party, karaoke, party, disco and party. Tonight was no exception. I guess, no words can describe what we were up to, but to invite those who want to experience it for themselves to join us on our next trip! Mind you, I think they finished 6 bottles of alcohol that night!

On Thursday, I manage to do a Boat Dive. As I was not a certified diver, I had to tag along with Ah Shir, my diving instructor. My 2nd boat dive was much better than the previous one I had on my last trip. I was more confident and was able to enjoy the dive more. There were some photos and videos of this dive, but I am unable to post them here today. Maybe shortly, you'll be able to see them on youTube (hopefully).

On Friday, I visited the Marine Park for a snorkeling session. It was my time to the Marine Park, and I highly recommend it for all non divers. It is beautiful and filled with fishes. I was a little upset with the condition of the corals around the area, with most of it damaged due to humans kicking on them while snorkeling.

The photo above is the only decent photo that I managed to capture while I was snorkeling around the Marine Park. Most of the other photos had the fishes back to me, showing their tails, not to mentioned being too far away from the camera. The photo above was captured with the fishes being really closed to me, as if they were smiling and posing for the shot!

We also managed to see some newborn turtles while we were at the Marine park. Redang has some reserved lands, and also a turtle sanctuary. Did you know that the gender of the turtles are determined by the temperature of the surroundings? Fact of Fiction?

Some of the usual suspects on my trip to Redang. As usual, every night it was an adventure. With alcohol in the mix, and no cars to drive home, everybody could intoxicate themselves and not feel guilty about it. Come to think of it, most of them can't remember how they got (walked) home! :p

The following are some amateur photos captured by Elaine while diving. It gives us an insight to what is available in the sea, and why we should preserve our environment. The photos looks extra blue, due to all the red light wave being absorbed by the water.

To those who have never dived, I would recommend that you attend a Discovery Dive course. You'll not regret it... I have NOT!!!

Jolly Wolf by Nici

2008-09-20T22:00:00.001+08:00

If you asked me to choose one soft toy from Nici that represents me, I would say that it would be Jolly Wolf! This little bugger is the cutest in the Jolly series if you asked me. The one that you are seeing in the photo was specially purchase for one of our Nici fan. My boss had to search for it from Nici Hong Kong and hand carry it back.

So yes, this is probably the only one available in Malaysia. It is way cool, a WOLF in Sheeps clothing.... wah.... tell me another character that would better describe me... hahaha... The little Wolf is so cute, specially with its big wolf ears and big bushy tail...

If you want to collect any soft toys from Nici, I would recommend you get started with the Jolly series. To date, it has over 9 collection that have been produced and sold. That is alot of collections if you asked me. There were a few that can't be found anymore, like the one you see above, but it is the sheep wearing a pullover... that is equally cute. Very rare and hard to find, since it is NO longer produced... thinking about it, maybe I should go and search for one!! Can still be found in our Nici shop... hahaha

PS: This is the dude that bought the Jolly Wolf. Check out his Jolly Mäh collection here.

Lifesized Ferrari F1 built from Lego @ 1 Utama

2008-09-18T21:48:00.000+08:00

This will be a short post. Just wanted you guys to see the life size F1 car that they built out of Lego pieces. It is really cool. I came across this many months ago, and just downloaded the photos from my phone, thus the late post. I really thought it was cool, specially looking at the actual Lego set that it was based on (photo below).

Lego F1 Ferrari 8386 Set

It is a really cool display if you asked me. But it ain't easy building it. Took 14 people and 800 hours to build it... OMG, what were they thinking??!! Not to mentioned the 146k pieces required....

Ramly Burger @ Tari Cafe, Penang

2008-09-15T22:12:00.006+08:00

How many of you have NEVER had a Ramly Burger before? I guess NOT many right? How many of you would say that the Ramly Burger is better than Burger King or McDonalds?

Well this post is dedicated to those who had never had a Ramly Burger before!

Ramly Burger is actually a Malaysian brand. It is a brand that makes burger patties. Normally you can locate a Ramly Burger stall outside 7-11 shops all around KL. These stalls normally start work in the evening and work till like 1am in the morning, targeting people who visits the 7-11 to buy cigarettes or drinks late at night.

Pictured above are the buns and burger patty being cooked on a hot plate. I would like to say that, no 2 burger stall cooks it the same way. Some would add some L & P sauce, while others would put some Maggi Seasoning sauce.

Picture above we can see the burger buns being prepared. Some add BBQ sauce, while some would add mayo. Some put lettuce, while some put cabbage. There is not ONE correct way of cooking, thus making all the different stalls different. Of course, some are better than others, but generally, all of them are unique yet interesting.

Here we have the finished Ramly Burger . We had ordered the special which comes with an egg wrapped around the burger patty. Normally eating the burger is NOT an easy task. Loads of sauce, or very would be oozing out of every possible corner... :p

Pictured here is the Hot Dog special. As you can see, it is a mouth full. You can even see the Egg wrapped around the sausage.

If you have NEVER had a Ramly Burger , please head to a 7-11 tonight and purchase your first Ramly Burger . You'll never regret trying it. And to answer the first few question above, yes I reckon the Ramly Burger beats any McDonalds burger!

View Larger Map

Free Wifi in Kuching, Malaysia

2008-09-10T21:29:00.002+08:00

Kuching International Airport

Marrybrown Restaurant
Security Key - "0123401234"

Harbour View Hotel

Security Key - "80f74c1494"

Company Trip: The Treasure Hunt @ Redang (Answers)

2008-09-09T23:51:00.005+08:00

If you guys, have NOT read my first post about the Treasure Hunt, please read it first, before reading the answer. The first post can be found here.

When I designed the Treasure Hunt, I wanted them to do a little exploration of the Redang beach that we were staying on. They needed to walk around to find the answers. So to ensure that they had to travel to the furthers resort from where they were staying, I forced them to visit Redang Reef Resort (Question 1) and to obtain a Flyer.

And to ensure that, not only 1 person was running around taking photos, I made them take some GROUP photos, where all members were required to be in there (Question 8, 9, 10). This actually forced everyone to participate.

And for the bonus Question 10, I had to force them to RUN back to the start point, if they wanted to obtain the bonus points. Only one team, manage to get points for Question 10. And in the end, they were also the winning team. I guess their strategy to run back for the Bonus 20 points were all worth the efford.

Overall the Treasure Hunt was a success. Everyone participate in it. Everybody had great fun running around locating the answers. When I say everyone, it includes even the Boss, who was forced to run along with her team members! Of the 5 teams that participated, everyteam was very spotting and manage to get at least 8 of the 10 questions correct. Not too hard if you asked me, but the key was getting it done quickly!!

The following are the answers for the Treasure Hunt.

Business Card/Flyer/Brochure from Redang Reef Resort (10 Points)
*To be uploaded soon*
Photo of the Ramly Burger Stand (10 Points)
Photos of Walls Ice Cream Fridge AND Nestle Ice Cream Fridge (10 Points)
Photo of the Batik Shop (10 Points)
Photo of the Banner "International Year of Reef 2008" (10 Points)
Photo of PADI logo OR SDI logo (10 Points)
Photos of BOTH Tattoo Shop (10 Points)
Group photo at "Laguna Redang Resort" sign board (10 Points)
Group photo outside "More More Tea Inn" (20 Points)
Group photo at Redang Pelangi Canteen @ 6:20 time. Photo of clock too!! (20 Points)

Tan Siak Hiong 70th Birthday - 7 Sept 2008 @ Evergreen Hotel

2008-09-09T23:26:00.004+08:00

I was at my uncle's 70th birthday over weekend in Penang. At first I thought it would be a small gathering of family members. Ended up, we had like 10 tables and about a hundred friends. Some relatives came as far as from Melbourne and Sydney to attend this dinner.

My parents

Family members that attended the dinner

Overall, it was a great dinner and gathering for family members. There were some relatives that I had not met for years. I had a great time that night, catching up with the family members.

To view the photos taken that night, please proceed to the web album.

Top 3 reasons to buy a Honda City

2008-09-09T22:45:00.006+08:00

When I first came back to Malaysia, I was given a budget to buy a car. From the price range, all that was available to me was the Honda City or the previous Toyota Vios.

In my opinion, the Honda City won hands down. The following are a few reasons why it was better...

More spacious interior
Bigger boot space
Foldable seats, extending from the boot to the cabin
Nicer Interior

Everybody also knows that I bought the car for practical reasons... But I cannot deny the fact that the previous Toyota Vios did have a few good points

It is a much nicer looking car
It seems to have a more powerful and responsive engine
a 5 speed gear box, NOT a CVT like the Honda

But after driving the car for 3.5 yers, I would like to give you the top 3 reasons why I really love my Car, and would hard sell it to anyone out there.

Excellent Fuel Consumption
Recently, since the latest fuel hike, I have been driving like a real "Pussy". Prior to the price hike, I could probably do 500km per tank of fuel. Not consistently, but close to 500kms. But after the recent hike, with my new "Pussy" driving style, I could easily hit 550kms easily, and at times 600km+. Mind you, achieving these millage didn't mean driving on Highway from Penang to KL, travelling at 80km/h. These are my everyday drive to work, to Midvalley places. And when I am on the Highway, I couldn't even get these millage... why?... because, I speed!!! hahaha.. Below are 3 photos of my car hitting 600km+. Mind you, my petrol tank is only a 42 litre tank!! I reckon I am doing about 15kms per litre of fuel... Ohh, and I am driving the VTEC model... I wonder how much can the I-DSL model get?? ...
Spacious Interior
This car has got a spacious interior. When you ask people about the Honda City, people always that tell me that they hate it, because of the funny shape. It has got a huge center, and a short front and back. Some people said that it looked like a frog or something. But have you sat in the City. It is pretty spacious in there, even with the front seat pushed all the way to the back. Try that in the previous Toyota Vios. Have you seen the new Vios? I reckon the shape is a little like the City, big center with short front and back... hehehe

Behold, 72 pairs of shoes into the interior of my car!! A feat I thought was impossible to do. My GF, claims that, it is her packing skill, not the spacious interior!!
Huge Boot
Have you even seen the boot of a Honda City. I reckon I could easily fit 3-4 golf bags in boot alone. Yes I have a 500 liter boot space. That is even bigger than the previous Honda Accord's boot!! Behold the amount of stuff I managed to put into my car...

Obviously, just bags of clothing in the trunk can't justify the 500 litre space. But trust me, it is one huge ass boot. If it can't fit in a City's boot, it won't fit into any other car's boot! :P

So, if anybody wants to buy a practical car, please go out and get a Honda City. Highly recommended. Hell, if you want to go on a test drive, please do not hesitate to contact me... hahaha. Yes I am a proud owner of a Honda City!

Lego Sale (Part 2)

2008-09-08T18:19:00.005+08:00

If you have NOT read the first Lego Warehouse Sale post, please read here first.

Ok, the next set that I bought was the following set. The Technic Off Road Truck 8273 set. I bought it for about RM100, but today I saw the same set selling for about RM250!! Keke, I bought 2 of these. In fact, the box may seem small, but it sure seems to be full because the box is really heavy. Normally, Lego box are huge, but there are hardly any parts in the box...

The Technic Off Road Truck 8273 set

The following sets, I actually bought 3 units. The Lego Castle Skeleton Tower 7093 set. I was given away to Ah Shir's daugher. One is for my darling, and the last is for me... hopefully can sell to cover my new hobby... hahaha...

My darling actually built Skeleton Tower shortly after. Her mom, and cousin helped her built it. Boy, I have never seen 3 adults enjoy playing with Lego that much. The set looks fantastic, much better than any photos I have seen on the net. You'll have to see the real set to appreciate it.

The Lego Castle Skeleton Tower 7093 set

The next set that I bought was something really unexpected. While at the Warehouse Sale, I talked to some Lego collector, and he recommended this set. The Lego Bionicle Special Edition Boxed #10204 Vezon & Kardas Set. I never really like this series, but the guy convinced my by saying that, the finished item is over a foot tall. He said it looked really nice thus comes highly recommended. We'll see... when I do finally come around to build the item.

The Lego Bionicle Special Edition Boxed #10204 Vezon & Kardas Set

These are the sets that I bought from the Lego Warehouse sale. Please note that I still have the Bulldozer and Star Destroyer not shown in the photo above. And I also acquired at least 5 more sets after this photo was taken... Yes... Eric has gone Lego MAD!!

Lego Sale!!

2008-09-08T17:59:00.009+08:00

Yes, I you have noticed, I have been purchasing loads of Lego lately. LOADssss!!

I just went crazy, at the recent Toys R Us KLCC Lego sale. Between my and my darling, we purchased like RM1.5k worth of Lego stuff. Yes yes... it is my fault... I have expensive taste...

In fact, I purchased 3 of the following Bulldozer 8275 Sets. I think there was a pricing error, thus the new super low price. I had already sold one on eBay, and waiting for th sell the 2nd one. Of course I am keeping one of it for myself :) Ohh BTW, my darling bought for me the set as a present, so thanks Darling!

Lego Bulldozer 8275 Set

The next sale I went was the Toys R Us Warehouse sale. Over here, I bought even more Lego toys!! I remembered that, my GF wanted the following Lego boat, but I told her since the discount was so little, "Don't buy... we wait for them to slash!!" Next thing I knew, the unit was sold out... So when I saw it at the Warehouse sale, I just purchased it without hesitating. I can't let it slip out of my fingers again... later darling angry....

Lego Fireboat 7906 set

Of course while I was there, I picked up more sets. My first time purchasing the Exo-Force series. I had previously seen them in the KLCC sale, but someone the item didn't appeal to me. But due to the low price, I purchase some of the units, just to realised that the actual Lego toy looks so much better than the picture on the box. Behold, my Exo-Force sets... Please check my future post for more Exo-Force toys that I purchase off eBay a few days ago!!

Exo-Force 8106 (Aero Booster) , 8100 & 8102 Sets

The next set that I bought was the Lego Star Wars 6211 Imperial Star Destroyer. This is a huge set. Very worth it. I reckon it was on a more than 50% offer. I had one of the only few sets available I reckon there was only like 8 at the sale. I will post more another post solely on the Star Destroyer unit.

I had also purchased a Star Wars AT-ST unit. If you watched the movie, it is the robot where there were fighting and the Ewoks were climbing all over it, and chucking coconuts on it. It is the entry level set. If you wished, you are welcomed to buy for me the AT-ST in a Ultimate Collectors Edition. Check here for details.

Lego Star Wars AT-ST 7657 Set

Ok, I have more purchased, but unable to complete the post today. Read more of it in the following post.

Hippo Goes Diving... again

2008-08-28T16:46:00.001+08:00

PROOF that I went diving over the weekend!! It was the company trip to Redang, and also did snorkeling while I was there. As you knew from my previous Diving post, I am NOT a swimmer. I CANT swim. Little did I realise that, quite a few people cannot swim too.

There were some that could swim very well in swimming pools, but not in the Sea. They claimed that, they feel the fear of having no edge to hold on, or no floor to stand on. Even with a life jacket on, these people just refuse to jump into the Ocean.

One girl was holding on to me for her life... I was like.... "ehhh, I also cannot swim one you know, I cannot save you...". But when you hold their hands and lead them in the water, they feel so safe!! Yeah right, as if just leading you in the water, you can float :) Of course, the most important thing is the Life Jacket. Make sure you wear it correctly!

When I was in Redang, I manage to dive twice. Once was a shore dive. It simple dive, to remind me on what I might have forgotten since I last dived. The 2nd dive was more interesting.... My first Sea dive!!

By the way, I am NOT certified yet, but the Instructor said it was OK to join them. Just as long as I stick close to him. Thanks Ah Shir!! The first Sea dive was kinda of scary. The first thing I had to do is to jump into the water... everything when you do for the first time is SCARY, since you don't know what to expect.

Make sure the BCD is inflated before you jump in. If not, you'll sink like a rock. Once in the water, it was not that bad. Just that, for once, I CANT see the bottom!! Probably 30 meters to the bottom. It was also the Jelly Fish season, so I have been warned!! A few people got stung in the previous dive...

So once we submerge, I could see loads of Jelly Fish swimming around. For the first few minutes, all I was doing was trying to avoid them. Little did I know, one of them snuck up to me and stung my leg. It was a burning sensation and a big pinch. Not as Pain as people tell me. But yah, it was shocking...

In my head, I had a choice, surface and swim back to the boat and end my 5 minutes of dive, or... take it like a man and go on... So I went on... At first I was scared that my leg would cramp up causing me to be NOT able to swim. But after a few minutes, I realised that it wasn't that bad. I would classify the Jelly Fish sting like a burning sensation, like when you get scalded by hot water.

The rest of the dive was interesting. I saw fishes... corals... and more fishes... and yes, I did manage to see a Black Tip Shark. This is my freaking 3rd time seeing this type of shark. There are probably more interesting fishes out there, but because I cannot identify them, I'll just classify them as fishes. I did also manage to see some Clown Fish while I was down there. Of course I know what a Clown fish is, Nemo made it famous....

Amelia and Me

Company Trip: The Treasure Hunt @ Redang

2008-08-26T12:12:00.002+08:00

As the main and only organiser for the Company trip, I guess it would also be my job to ensure that; everyone was well taken off, well fed and had a great time. Of course, in any company trip, we would have to have some Telematch or Games.

Taking the idea from my Darling, I decided to swap at the Telematch to a Treasure Hunt instead.

The following are the questions that I had prepared for the Treasure Hunt.

Business Card/Flyer/Brochure from Redang Reef Resort (10 Points)
Photo of the Ramly Burger Stand (10 Points)
Photos of Walls Ice Cream Fridge AND Nestle Ice Cream Fridge (10 Points)
Photo of the Batik Shop (10 Points)
Photo of the Banner "International Year of Reef 2008" (10 Points)
Photo of PADI logo OR SDI logo (10 Points)
Photos of BOTH Tattoo Shop (10 Points)
Group photo at "Laguna Redang Resort" sign board (10 Points)
Group photo outside "More More Tea Inn" (20 Points)
Group photo at Redang Pelangi Canteen @ x:xx time. Photo of clock too!! (20 Points)

Teams that returnd first, would be awarded bonus placing points. The placing points are as follows

First Team in : 30 points
Second Team in : 25 points
Third Team in : 20 points
Fourth Team in : 15 points
Fifth Team in : 10 points

Teams were given 1 hour for the whole event.

For Question 10: I had allocated the time of 6:20 PM for them to be back to capture the photo. It was 20 mins into the hunt, and the team had to decide whether to return back to the start point for the 20 bonus points.

I will post the answers as well as the winning team and scores in my next post.

My New Toy: GPS Unit (Garmin Nuvi 200)

2008-08-20T11:48:00.000+08:00

I just received my new Garmin Nuvi 200 GPS unit. It is the entry level unit, but suitable for the most basic use. For those not too good with direction, this unit will help you get out of sticky situation. It may not be the best, but suitable for the most of us mortals.

Since getting the unit, I have been bookmarking all the places that I have been. Adding them as Point of Interests (POI).

In the future, all posts will include GPS coordinates, allowing you to know better where I was, or where to go to locate the food.

Thanks for Mr Khoo for giving me the GPS. :D

First Month on the JOB

2008-08-04T10:08:00.003+08:00

It has been a month since I joined my new company. Waking up early everyday, working hard, as well as learning the ropes is no easy task. Sleep depravation paired up with a stressful environment will ensure that your hair turns white quicker than you wished :p

In the past month, I was in Penang twice! I met almost all our key customers and have been given the opportunity to take over most of the responsibility from my Boss. I have been chairing meetings, organising our Sales meetings. Been trying to motivate them, as well as give them encouragement.

Over the 22-24 August, we would be having a Company Trip to Redang. At least, for 3 days, I would get to relax a little. Of course I would still need to organise the trip as well as do some Team Building or Telematch activities.

Will be travelling back to Penang/Kedah mid month. We have to setup a new Store at Parkson Sungai Petani. So I should be there for about 2 days running some errands.

Lego Sale! Buy Buy!!

2008-08-02T10:18:00.002+08:00

About 3 weeks ago, I visited the newly opened Toy R Us at KLCC. They had loads of Lego items on sale. Some of the items had up to 50% off. For those who collects Lego, anything more than 10% off, is an item that you could consider, as the items generally are never given more than 10% discount.

So I told my darling, about it. To my surprise, she too collects Lego when she was a kid. So, late one evening on a working day, we headed down to KLCC for our Lego buyout!! When we arrived, we went crazy picking up the items. 20%-30% off items were being picked by us. All the 50% off items have sold out over the weekend, so that only leaves us with what is there.

I spotted some items that I believed were priced wronly. I picked up a few hoping to sell them on eBay, and maybe it would subsidise our shopping spree.

That evening itself, we spent over a thousand ringgit buying Lego items!! Of course, the sets that we bought to be resold on ebay was also closed to a thousand already. I had recently sold one of the sets, making a hundred plus. It may not sound much, but it would definately subsidize our new hobby.

So, for the last 3 weeks, I have been visiting every toy department of every departmental stores as well as Toy R Us around. I have been looking for older more unique Lego items. We are not hunting for the Lego Aquaraider series. My GF wants to collect the series and put them in an Aquarium in Redang..... How cute!!

Lego anyone?

Tribute to Tetris

2008-07-10T21:42:00.004+08:00

One of my most played games when I was a kid was Tetris. I used to play it on the monochrome Gameboy. I also spend many hours in the Arcade playing the arcade version of Tetris.

Fast forward to 20 years later, and I am still playing Tetris. I am currently playing LOTS of Tetris on my DS. In the evenings, you can see me roaming the internet, in search of victims, defeating these unsuspecting people, helping me increase my Wins as well as Ratings.... muhahahahah

Then again, the internet are filled with Sharks, waiting for Ikan Bilis like me, to swim by for a free kill. There are loads of Pros out there. When I say pro, I am serious about that. These people are a few level higher than the best players you have seen.

Those who wish to Challenge me can add me to your Friend Code. My Tetris DS friend Code is 843551 676313

Does anyone out there know why the game is called Tetris?

Answer:
Tetra means 4 side, thus every piece in Tetris actually consist of 4 segments. And the creator actually loved Tennis, so combined Tetra and Tennis, and you get Tetris!

NRC 3rd Place - SMKTC

2008-07-04T11:50:00.005+08:00

Congratulation to the boys from SMK Taman Connaught for their 3rd place win at the State levels, beating over 50 teams. If not for their dispute, I am very sure the kids would have won 1st place.

And the winning team is...

Daniel Boey
Jonathan Lee
Calvin Boey

We all know who the true Champions are!!

You can read more about their adventures here.

Ohh did I mentioned, these are the kids that I have been teaching Lego to over the past few months.

First day at my new 9 to 5 job ...

2008-07-02T09:39:00.004+08:00

Well yesterday was my first day at a FULL Time 9 to 5 job. Yes, I have joined the darkside and is no longer self-employed, but an employee.

No more waking up at whatever time I want. No more taking a few days off to go to Penang or Singapore as I wish. No more total freedom... no more "I don't feel like doing anything today" ...

Not only have I joined the 90% of the employees around, my job requires me to work 5.5 days week. Now that really sucks... anyway, no choice, it is part of the job scope, so I will have to slave away.

So why did I accepted the offer? Well, first of all, it was an pretty good offer. I am working as the Marketing/Sales Manager at Win Malaysia Sdn Bhd. We are the sole distributor of Russ and Nici products as well as many other soft (plush toys) and hard gifts (photo frames, mugs, etc).

My job scope includes everything needed to run the place. Basically I am given all the responsibility of what my boss would do. From chairing meetings, to managing staff, to outstation trips to cover our 60+ consignments stores, to travelling overseas to source for products...

Well, it has only been 1 day since I started work. I guess, I would at least need to give myself 3-6 months before I know whether is this the right job for me. As usual, I like the challenge, I like the unknown, I like the scale of their business. It is no more a 1 man show, we have corporate customers like Jusco, Parkson, Isetan, Metrojaya, and other franchise holder like Memory Lane, Lovely Lace and others.

Alright back to work...

I am officially 3 Decades old

2008-06-24T09:49:00.002+08:00

I am officially 30 years old...

The big THREE ZERO...

3 Decades...

3/10 of a Century...

So what have I achieve in the last 30 years? NOTHING...

I guess I will have to work harder for the next 5 years to make up for what I had NOT done yet :)

I had a few gatherings to mark the BIG birthday. I will blogging more about it shortly...

Genie in a Bottle?

2008-06-23T16:42:00.003+08:00

It was my Birthday. Being such a demanding boyfriend, I gave my Darling a list of things that I want, or in her case a list of things that I don't want...

I specifically mentioned to her that, if she would to buy me anything, it had to practical, something that I needed, NOT wanted!! :)

Then I went along and suggested all the expensive presents, that I seriously wanted (please note the word used is NOT needed)

a new Camera lens (~4k)
a new LCD TV (~2 to 4k) *not that I need it, I don't watch TV to begin with :)
a new Flash for my camera (~1.5k)

I could see that I was really stressing my Darling out a few days before my big day... hehe... sorry if I did, but honestly, even if you did not get me ANYTHING, I will still be happy.

I have been living a life of, expect NOTHING... In the event I get SOMETHING, I always treat it as a bonus :p

So back to the topic, my Darling is stressed out... I gave her a list of things that I know is expensive and difficult to purchase. Basically, I didn't want her to buy me anything :p, so I gave her an impossible "Wants List".

As she would normally put it, "My Love is Priceless"... which I totally agree... Could I really sell her love for some Monetary value? So, on my Birthday, my Darling, gave me a Priceless item, a "Genie in a Bottle"... At least that is what she claimed it to be... Hehehe, I told her "ehh, its a Genie in a Vase la".... hehehe just kidding Darling...

According to her, there are 3 Wishes (gifts) in there. Each one is tied to the end of some fishing line. And supposedly in each Wish, she has already written what it was suppose to be... which I have STILL not opened yet...

It is so much fun to guess what is in there. Each Wish has a different length, so she knows exactly what is what. So, what is it? She refuses to even give me a hint...

My guesses includes the following...

A gateway for 2? to Bali... Sinpadan Diving Trip?
A new 60" HD LCD Screen... again I don't need one, but I reckon it would be way COOL to own one anyway :)
Slave for a day?
My Camera lens as requested?

You see, the present itself is better than anything anyone could have Wished for... hehe, no Pun intended.

It is truly a priceless gift. It is fun, it is mysterious, it keeps me guessing what is in there. Of course, she told me that, I could at anytime peep what is in there...

But what is the point, once you have opened it, it won't be a surprise anymore. Once I know what is in there, I know that there is NO chance in the world I am getting my 60" LCD...

Why I find it so special is that, I know there is 3 Wishes in there... It could be something, anything... whether tangible or not... it could be something FUN... so what is it?

Well, it has been sitting in my table for 2 weeks now. I constantly discuss with my Darling, what it possibly be... I always hint to her what I think it could be... Always she gives me the *grin*.

Her answer is always "If you want to know, opened it!!"

I guess, its way MORE fun to NOT opened the Wishes. I have decided to as long as I possibly can, keep it that way.

At least this way, I can still hope for my 60" LCD TV, or my 4k Camera Lens. And yes, I love it when my Darling grins at me... every time I start guessing what could possibly be in there...

Thank you Darling, for the most unique and special present ever!

30th Birthday Dinner at My Elephant

2008-06-22T15:53:00.001+08:00

It was suppose to be a Surprise Party. At least that was the plan... But I knew it all along... :p

Throughout the day, I was feeling lazy, and was trying to convince my Darling of changing our dinner plans, but somehow, her excuses keep piling up... hmm... well if there was going to be a Surprise, I better make sure I look "surprised"...

Anyway as we were driving up to the parking lot, I saw Kenneth with his baby girl Miria as well as Julian. OK, the show is over, I don't have to pretend to look surprise anymore... phewwww...

I would like to thank my Darling, for organising for me the Birthday Dinner. I had a really good time. The place we had dinner at was called My Elephant, a Thai restaurant. The ambience was perfect for the occasion. The food was fantastic and not at all expensive. Will blog more about their food in the future posts.

The usual suspects that attended the celebration of turning 3 decades old included all my Melbourne buddies. Friends who I had spent all my university days with. Doing notorious stuff, and an endless list of things only we could laugh about thinking how silly we once were. Thinking it was just yesterday we were still in Melbourne, enjoying our youths, partying away, sleeping in and skipping classes, playing through the night computer games... AHHH those were the days... worry free days...

It seems like just yesterday that I was on my way to Melbourne to study... But 13 years had passed... most of my Melbourne friends (in the pictures) I have known over the last 12 years. And yes, boy did we have a long list of notorious things that we once did...

I would like to Thank everyone who could attend the small gathering. I had a really good time, and really appreciate all those great memories that only my uni friends, my friends, my buddies, could have shared with me. Thanks to Kelvin and Yee Li for their present too.

It was a great 30 years to start with, but I am sure it is only the beginning of the journey.

Surprise!!! Happy Birthday...

2008-06-21T17:36:00.004+08:00

It was a Saturday night. We had just finished dinner with my Parents. GF claims that she had some Melbourne friends who are around town and would like meet up...

So I went along, being a good BF, not complaining... no suspecting anything...

We met at the Carot Cafe at Pavilion.

When we first walked in, I was like, hey that looks like Leong... no way, what a coincidence, Kevin is also around. What is the likely hood that my Darling's friends could meet at the same place...

Then again, that was I first assumed, a few seconds later I realised that it was a surprise Birthday gathering for me!!

Kevin and Kenneth has been my longest buddies. We have known each other for almost 20 years now. We grew up in the same street, Puncak Desa, terrorising the neighbourhood :)

If you want to hear notorious stories, 3 of us has MANY to share. Too many funny stories, only what a 15 year old would do at that time. We too share the days that we were playing Ping Pong, Badminton, Roller Blade, Roller Hockey and Basketball. Just thinking back, it wasn't too long ago we could play and run around for hours and not feel tired. Today... just walking up the stairs makes me tired...

With our busy schedules, all of us find it hard to meet up. But seeing my childhood friends really remind me of the good old days. In a blink of an eye, and 30 years have passed, I wonder what would the journey ahead be.

I would like to Thank every who could attend our small gathering. I would especially like to thank Kevin and Kenneth for their present.

No more surprises OK?... My heart can't take any more surprises :p

Food Foundry

2008-06-13T11:20:00.004+08:00

Food Foundry was recommended by loads of other blogs. My GF and her friends decided to meet up at this place drinks one night. It was a little dificult to locate, as it was situated at the ground floor of a very old flat. Please check the following map, for a better location of the place.

On with the food. Since we had like 8 people, I was able to taste and nibble most of the items on the menu. We started by ordering some Saute mushrooms and some entree prawn dish. Both taste not too bad, but the serving was all too small.

We too had tried the Tom Yum soup, which taste pretty decent. They were pretty generous with the seafood, so its a dish worth ordering. As for main, we tried quite a dish. The menu had mainly Western food, from Steaks to Fish & Chips to Pastas. Overall the pastas were pretty decent.

One of the friend ordered a grilled fish. The grilled fishordered was very ordinary, nothing fantastic. However the mash potatoes were pretty good... but as the serving was small, there werent much to go around. Note to self: Get them to provide more potatoes instead of fish since it taste way better anyway :)

Next I'll review all the pastas we had for the night. One of the friend ordered an olive oil based with seafood and chilli. It was quite good, and one of the better dish for the night.

We had a tomato based seafood spagetthi which was ok. I am not really of a tomato based pasta person, so I can't give any better views than it was "alright". The Mushroom Spagetthi that I ordered was okay. Not too creamy, but a little on the tasteless side of things. A little salt did help it. One of the friends ordered a Clam based pasta. It was quite good, as it was not entirely olive oil or cream based, but more of a stir fried with some clams. It was pretty good as it was not like the rest of the olive oil based (too oily and dry) or the cream based (too rich at times). A simple yet tasty dish.

Overall the food at Food Foundry was NOT fantastic. My expectations was over the top when I arrived as most of the reviews gave it a thumbs up. WRONG!! Overall the ambience of the place was pretty good, given that it was situated under some very old flats. The pricing of the items, was not that expensive, but then again, the dishes was pretty small.

But all those are not important as the food should taste good right? Well, honestly for the pasta that I had, there are better places to visit. So overall I will give this place a 2.5 of 5 stars a very average place.

Scrabble - My First Bingo!!

2008-06-08T20:45:00.001+08:00

So who here plays Scrabble?

I am not really a serious Scrabble player... anybody who knows me would know that I have pretty bad vocabulary let alone spelling skills.

But my brother and my GF... they are serious players...
You know that they are seasoned players when they have memorized all the 2 Character words!!

Anyway it was Sunday evening. I suggested a Scrabble game with my Bro and my GF. A little family bonding wouldn't hurt anyone.

I didn't hope to win, but I knew that my Bro and my GF would have enjoyed the game.

As usual, as an absolute amature I made very simple words with little or no strategy. Always creating opportunity for the next player to score on those "Triple Word Score"...

But yesterday, I made my very first Bingo word. Bingo word means that you use up all 7 character to make a word. So what is so special about a Bingo word? Well, for starters it gives you an additional bonus score of 50 points!

And my very Bingo word, without the help of a dictionary is ..... drum rolls please...

VENTURE

Haha, I am so proud of myself. Trust me, it ain't easy making a Bingo word. And yes, LUCK has everything to do with it...

I think, that Venture word gave me like 75 points, not too bad if you asked me.

The game ended with my GF winning, but all of us did very well. The 3 of us had scores of just above 200 points, which is not too bad...

Come to think of it, if I didnt get the Bingo word, I would only have like 130 points... :(

DS Fever is all over town...

2008-06-06T00:17:00.000+08:00

Today, another 2 people caught the DS fever. My GF's colleague ordered 2 NDS. One for herself, and another for her BF. As she forsees... they would eventually need to have 2 NDS...

Yesterday another friend purchased a DS from Sungai Wang after seeing us constantly playing with our DS. Looks like peer presure is not helping these people... the funniest thing is, all these people are like 20 something, not the fourteen year olds... strange isn't ...

So tonight, I will be compiling a list of TOP MULTIPLAYER games that all DS owners must have

The following TOP 10 Multiplayer games (in my opinion) in no particular order

Tetris DS - 10 Players

Meteos - 4 Players

Mario Kart DS - 8 Players

Big Brain Academy - 8 Players

Mario Party DS - 4 Players

Bomberman Land Touch 2 - 8 Players

Worms Open Warfare 2 - 4 Players

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games - 4 Players

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 - 4 Players

Super Monkey Ball - 4 Players

Chai goes Shoes...

2008-06-04T00:07:00.004+08:00

Chai Boutique is expanding.

Yes it is!

We have secured the unit next to ours for our expansion plans.

Yes, you heard it here... we will be doing SHOES!! Ladies shoes...

Renovation of the place have already been completed by the last tenant, but we are installing furniture and fittings to cater for the new shoe business.

A name of the Shop have also been selected and we are finalising our Brand and Logo.

Expected opening date?

JULY!!

Will update you guys with photos of the new place when I visit it in about a weeks time.

What's your Colour?

2008-05-29T17:48:00.004+08:00

This is the funny thing. Over the weekend when we ordered our DS, the question always pops up...

What colour DS you want?

Everybody has their preferred coloured. Not like it has any gaming advantage or any performance gain, but the colour is purely for cosmetic purposes. At least that is what I thought.

My GF is a big fan of the Crismson Black, while I am a fan of the Cobalt Black... damn... then again, my Crystal White, is fine, probably a little tarnished from my extensive use.

I realised that everybody got a colour, something that the other guy doesn't have. Well I guess, it is to easily differentiate between the different units, since we have so many lying around the house.

Julian got the Crimson Black, which is like super SEXY!

Cobalt Black

Crimson Black

After getting their DS, everybody had gotten their own accessories. Some had a Clear Protective Casing, while others had a Leather Style Pouch.

Nintendo DS - Have you DSed lately?

2008-05-27T17:27:00.003+08:00

Nintendo DS (DS) fever has just strucked town. Over the weekend, I had helped my friends purchase 6 units of DS. Yes, no KIDDING, its SIX units!!

For those who have got no idea what a DS is, please read the following article on the DS an DS lite at wikipedia.

I am sure, you have seen some of your friends carrying it around and playing with it. It is similar to the PSP, but it is a little smaller. The games made for the DS is a little more kiddy and simple. The graphics aint fantastic, but it has a touch screen. The game play using the touch screen, creates a whole new opportunity of gameplay.

So why so many units? Well it started with me playing with my DS. My GF hijacked it when she went to India & Singapore. In that two weeks, she has grown to the DS. Playing loads of games in there, including Zelda the Phantom Hourglass.

I offered to get her a DS on her birthday, but she swore that we'll be able to share a DS between the 2 of us... yeah right... not since we got the game Professor Layton and the Curious Village.

A 2nd hand DS was recently put up for sale by a friend, so I purchased it for my GF. It was quite a bargain, and not to mention that the condition was good.

So now, in the house where my GF stayed, we had like 4 DS. The cousins (which I will refer to the Kids) are not exactly 12 year olds. They are college students... more like gamers.

Anyway, 2 units were ordered for them, while another one was purchased for a friends daughter (she requested for it!) and for a cousin's birthday over the weekend. Ever since the young cousin got his DS, it has been the hottest item between the younger cousins.

And then out of the blue, Julian called me, asking me to help him get a DS. After a few minutes, I managed to convince him to get another one for Kellee... so that they won't have to fight over it... :)

I received and delivered the units to Julian taking up the total units to 6 units purchased over the weekend.

Just in the house, with the Kids, between the 5 of us, we have 6 DS!!

So when are we going to have a DS party? I know Julian and Kellee has one?

Have you got one too? Lets DS then!!!

The Hippo Goes Diving

2008-05-19T20:54:00.001+08:00

Everybody knows that I can't swim... Seriously, I can't swim...

But when I was at Redang last weekend, I decided to attend the Open Water Diving course. There were two friends who were already attending the course, so I decided to join them. In my mind, if I panic or get scared of the Diving course, I would just bail out... naturally... as my GF would call me a Chicken!

So why am I a Hippo? Well, because Hippos likes to soak in a pool, relax and not really swim... sounds like me... :)

Well, before we headed for the waters, there lots of safety and equipment briefing. After a couple of hours... finally... we suit up and headed for the waters... the swimming pool actually, as the sea were too rough.

When in the water, we practised a few simple stuff like how to clear water from your diving mask or how to locate your regulator in the event it drops out of your mouth. We also learnt how to use the Buoyancy Device Control (BCD), it is actually like a life jacket, that controls your buoyancy while you are under water.

The trip to the pool was fun. Constantly we are reminded to breath and never hold your breath. We were just practising finning (swimming) around the pool.

Before we finished for the afternoon, we had another task. He requested that we practised removing and replacing the mask under water. Yes it to practise the event our mask is accidently knocked off under water. Boy, was it hard. More than anything, it was the fear of removing the mask underwater, let alone that we had to pass the mask to a friend for like a few minutes... after a few tries, I gave up. I couldn't not overcome the fear...

Early the next morning we had another session. After some technical briefing and safety talk, we head to the pool again, as the sea was a little rough. Today we practised more finning. New techniques that we practised was to remove and replace our BCD while in the water, as well as remove and replace our weight belt.

Remove and replace the BCD while above the water was a little harder than expected. Not to mention, literally, I was trying to grab and wear my life jacket!! It was a little difficult, as the Air Tank which weighs about 15kg wasn't easy to just put on...

We also practised how to control our BCD and how to control our breathing. By having more air in your lungs, you'll float, while by emptying your lungs, you'll sink more. It seems easy... breath in... float... empty your lungs... sink.... How hard can it be??

Before we ended for morning, we were required to practise remove and replace the mask!!! What? serious?? Must we???

OK OK... relax Eric... relax... after a few attempts and NOT panicking, I manage to remove and replace the mask. I think, I spent almost a full minute underwater, hoping that the instructor Ah Shir would return my mask... It was scary... specially when you are not able to see anything, or do anything...

So after lunch, we were allowed to go for our first dive in the ocean. Boy was I excited... and scared at the same time. Each of us were also provided with Dive computer to know the vital stats while diving.

It was a little harder than anticipated. The sea was very different, specially with the waves constantly coming at you, not to mention, I CANT SWIM!!! No more corner of the swimming pool to hold on, or no more 6 feet depth where I can just stand up and put my head above waters. This is the real deal... no turning back... no easy way out...

After getting under water we headed for deeper waters. We were practising our breathing as well as our BCD control. We also had to practise remove and replace our BCD under water, as well as the weight belt. When we were practising this, we were at the seabed, about 5 metres underwater. Removing the BCD was a little scary, specially when you are so deep under water. But it wasn't a difficult task. Removing the weight belt, it wasn't scary but boy was it a hard task. From the moment the belt was removed, I almost immediately floated up. The belt that I had was at least 4kgs (4 weights) and it like sank right to the bottom. I had to like lift the belt, while trying not to float away!!

We had to practise more BCD control. Practise how it would be like, when we enter the waters from a boat. Practise practise practise...

I didn't not manage to complete my diving course. I didn't stay the full 4 days required to complete the course. I never planned to even attend the course, let alone complete 2 days of it. I must say that our dive instructor Jan Shir is one of the most patient person around. He was always calm and cool, always in control of the situation. If anybody wants to take their diving course, I would recommend to take 4 days off, and to complete the course at Redang with Jan Shir.

In my opinion, as a NON swimmer, diving is kinda of cool. While underwater, you feel weightless. You hear nothing except your own breathing. It is like you are in a completely new dimension. For those who have not tried diving, I would recommend going for the discovery course. It is about an hour plus, and it gives you a full on experience of diving.

Mega Hit 3 - Songs from the early 90s

2008-05-01T03:06:00.000+08:00

I really love the internet. I can find anything I want, including all the MTVs of songs that I grew up with. Mega Hit 3 is probably the tape that every teenager had at that time. How I wished the digital camera was invented back in the early 90s, boy would this blog be so much more interesting!!

Mega Hit 3 Song List

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
Paula Abdul - Rush Rush
Roxette - Joyride
Alias - More Than Words Can Say
Chesney Hawkes - The One and Only
Johnny Hates Jazz - Let Me Change Your Mind Tonight
Enigma - Sadness Part 1
Wilson Philips - You're in Love
EMF - Unbelievable
Dave Koz - Nothing But the Radio On
Tracie Spencer - This House
Guys Next Door - I've Been Waiting for You

Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby

Guys Next Door - I've Been Waiting for You

EMF - Unbelievable

Enigma - Sadness Part 1

Wilson Philips - You're in Love

Roxette - Joyride

Paula Abdul - Rush Rush

You Mean Everything To Me by Neil Sedaka

2008-04-28T20:36:00.004+08:00

Tonite at 8:34 on the LiteFM radio station (105.7 FM), my Sweet Darling, dedicated a song to me. Well, from the song selection she was given, she choose the song You Mean Everything To Me by Neil Sedaka.

Thanks Darling.
Love you too!

Now my turn to dedicate you a song.

Could it be I'm falling in Love by The Spinners

Kevin & Kenneth's Birthday

2008-04-21T02:58:00.006+08:00

It is Saturday night. We decided to meet at No Black Tie, a jazz place where live bands perform. My second here and I am still impress with the quality of the performance and the acoustic of the place. Tonight we are here to celebrate Kevin's Birthday, as well as a belated Birthday for Kenneth.

I bought for Kevin a photography book on Composition. Nothing too technical and should greatly improve his photography skills in the near future. As for Kenneth, I got him the Guy's Guide to Romance by AskMen.com. If you asked me, the book is great, like their articles at their website. It is obvious yet funny, informative yet true!

The usual suspects:

(L to R) Leong, Mun Fong, Ee Lin, Evelyn, Kevin, Kenneth & Eric

It was a very enjoyable evening, as Kevin and Kenneth are my buddies for over 20 years. We used to be neighbours. Growing up with table tennis, badminton, roller-blading, roller hockey, basketball and so many other mischiefs. So many memorable and funny moments that we could probably have a whole blog on it!! We should... (hint hint)

Evelyn & Eileen

Kevin pictured here with his specially designed Manchester United cupcakes.

Kenneth with his belated Birthday cake

One of our funny topics that we had for the evening included all the group or songs that we grew up with, in the 90s... (in no particular order)

Vanilla Ice

2 Unlimited

Ace of Base

Tommy Page (hahaha)

MC Hammer

CC Music Factory

etc etc

Who remembered Megahit 3? Anybody still have the tape? I am sure songs from that album will bring back many many memories!

I dedicated the next song to Kevin, to our younger days!!

WRECKX-N-EFFECT - RUMPSHAKER

Hokkien Mee and Fried Rice

2008-04-15T22:19:00.001+08:00

The quest for a great Hokkien Mee (Black Noodles) goes on. Today's Hokkien Mee is the famous one situated at Uptown, PJ. It is the same row as the new HSBC Bank, situated at the end of the row, the corner near police station.

It opens in the evening and only does the dinner and supper business. You won't miss it as it would have loads of tables situated outside filled with people.

Not to worry, their menu are very limited, thus the quick service of food. Within 15 mins, all the food were served.

What would it be silly, if we didn't try their famous Hokkien Mee. It is pretty good, and doesn't have a bitter aftertaste where some place have. It is very tasty, but be warned, it is cooked with loads of Pork Lard!! No wonder it taste so good!!
Next on the menu is their fried rice. Since returning from Melbourne, Australia I haven't had any decent fried rice. One of the best ones I had while in Melbourne is the King of King Friend Rice with Egg Chiffon!

Anyway, back to the task in hand. The fried rice they have is one best I have eaten in KL. Again, it is tasty, with lots of Char Siew with long beans and friend egg. The rice is not too dry and is excellent! Order their fried rice, you won't regret it!
Next we had some vegi. Their menu only had like 2 vegitables to choose from. I believe we order the Choy Thum. No idea what it is called in english. The vegi is probably lightly fried and topped with fried garlic, fried shallots and some oysters sauce. It is good, and not too oily as some other place.
The last interesting item we had for the evening is the Pork Soup. This comes highly recommended. The soup comes with some vegies, fried pork, as well as some lightly fried omelete. The egg, is very lightly fried, meaning it is very thin, almost like the egg chiffon I had from Melbourne. A unique item, and must be ordered if you are eating here.

Conclusion
Ok, the quest for good hokkien mee, was not wasted. The hokkien mee was good but not fantastic. The fried rice however was their best dish, if you asked me. Even my dad who had dinner with me agreed that the fried rice was better than the hokkien mee. The pork soup too was great.

Overall, the food was very reasonably priced. I would give the food at this place a 4 of 5 stars for their overall food quality and taste. You won't be disappointed if you ate here, as all their items was good.

Beach Bumming @ Pulau Redang

2008-04-11T00:59:00.003+08:00

Last weekend, I was at Pulau Redang. The trip was great spent the weekend with my Darling and her family. I also met two new friends, Mr Chivas Regal and Mr Jack Daniels!!

If you guys don't know where Redang is, check out the following Google Maps

View Larger Map

If you guys enjoy the beach, snorkeling or diving, then Redang is the place. From the day I arrived, I did NOTHING, but chilled out the whole day. Loads of alcohol, paired up with a beautiful resort = Unforgettable Weekend!

Anybody who knows me, would also know that I cannot swim. Yes, I can't swim. With the help of a Life Jacket, I went snorkling around the Redang Island. It was way cool, I could see loads of fishes and corals. So excited I was!!

Next I decided to try some Scuba Diving. My darling who is a hardcore diver and instructor decided to take Mr Hippo (me!) on a Discovery Diving course. After the usual briefing and all, I took to the sea. Yes, I was very afraid of the idea of swimming and the possibility of drowning!

Anyway, I did manage to do all the basic stuff and were actually swimming underwater for like 15 mins. It was way COOL. Come on, be as happy for me ok? For someone who can't swim and fear the water, I thought that it was a great achievement!!

The place that I stayed at was the Redang Pelangi Resort. The food was great, the people there were all very hospitable and I felt really at home. Most of the other resorts on the island were a little too commercialise, but somehow the Redang Pelangi Resort made me felt cosy and warm. You can check their website out here.

Banned Commericals

2008-04-09T10:34:00.007+08:00

Chili Pan Mee

2008-04-04T22:28:00.003+08:00

Chili Pan Mee at Kin Kin in the city is one of the more famous Pan Mee around. They claim they are the first one in town with their style of Pan Mee. Now, they have another branch in Cheras area. If you want to try the Pan Mee, please reach there early. They are open for breakfast till like 3pm. But if you arrive late, you may have to wait up to an hour to get your served.

Here we have a photo of the Dry Chili Pan Mee being served. It is served dried with a poach egg on top and also a bowl of soup with some pork and some vegi. From the photos you should be able to see their ikan bilis, which are a decent size and have a decent amount served.

Next you'll have to stir in your poach egg into the noodles. I am not too sure what is the correct way to eat it, but it seems to be what everybody else is doing. There isn't any gravy and just by itself, it doesn't have much taste.

The secret comes from their dried chili condiment. You wouldn't be called the famous Chili Pan mee, if you do not have these special dried chilis. These stuff looks really potent, as you may have mistaken it for an active volcano instead :) Just stir in loads of it until the Pan Mee changes to a Reddish colour.

You can add a little of these lime into your Pan Mee to give it a little sour after taste. I personally think it great, but it is up to your own personal taste. Anybody who knows me, will know that I can't really take anything spicy. By adding some lime, it also makes it a little less spicy...

Ok, now that you have stirred in the chillis, you'll get a really spicy looking reddish pan mee. After your first bite, you'll have no regret of trying this notoriously spicy pan mee. It taste different from the other pan mee. The noodles itself is not fat and thick like the usual pan mee, in fact the thickness of the pan mee and texture is very similar to the spaghetti.

Above I have a photo of the Soup Pan Mee instead. For those who prefer the wet style, please go ahead, but somehow, I felt that it is not as nice as the dry one. With the dry pan mee, you'll be able to taste the dried chili. Overall, I think it is great and unique style of Pan Mee. I will give it a 3.5 of 5 stars. Don't get me wrong, but because, I am not a Spicy food type of person, it didn't get my 4 star that I would have given.

The only regret that I may have is that..... can my tummy take all the spiciness......

Would I lie to you?

2008-04-03T12:22:00.000+08:00

I was reading this article in Clove April 2008 today. Most of its details are... as I would put it... so true...

Immediately the tune of Charles and Eddie's Would I Lie to You played in my head...

Obviously I had used the term "Would I lie to you baby?" once too often :p

I won't go along and tell you how to catch a liar, or what body gestures are a dead give away to liars. I would however say that, most of us do lie... white lies... because we can't bare to see the other person frown... or it most cases "They can't handle the truth!"

Some people argue that, by NOT telling the whole truth, you are indeed lying. I fail to see it from their point of view... as I would see it, I had censored the truth and by not providing certain details therefore I did not lie... hehe...

It is not the same as "I went to a pub with the boys" when you actually went to the strip joint!!

Let's not go too far into this topic... as it might hit too many sensitive arguments...

10 Most Common White Lies (in my opinion)

It's a real bargain
Of course I don't fancy her/him...
I won't tell anyone else - promise...
On the way...
I promise I'll call you
I sent you the email yesterday, have you not received it...
I'm having a quiet night in
No you don't look fat in that...
I never tell lies

Braised Duck Rice in PJ Old Town

2008-04-02T22:35:00.001+08:00

I hope you know where the UOB bank in PJ Old Town is. The Braised Duck Rice place is at the corner directly next to the UOB Bank. They only serve duck rice in the evenings. During lunch hours, its filled with hawker food instead.

As I have mentioned before, these place specialised in Braise Ducks. You better get here early, because on weekends, as early as 6pm you'll see people filling up the tables. You will also notice there are not 1 person chopping the ducks, but 3 person. One person is only chopping for the take away customers.

The Braised Duck is different from the usual Roast Duck that we have. There is a famous Roast Duck place at Paramount Gardens, PJ called Sunrise. But today, we would be discussing on the mouth watering Braise Duck instead.

The duck have been de-boned and sliced up to manageable bites. If you notice, the duck is covered with gravy.... hmmmmm delicious stuff. Paired up with the oily rice and the duck gravy you'll have a potent combination!! Simply out of this world delicious!! Don't take my word for it, drop by and taste it for yourself. I won't even wait till the end of this post to give it a rating, it will get 5.5 of 5 stars on the spot! :)

They have loads more side dishes. The mushrooms are great too. Then again, anything cooked and simmered in the duck gravy would turn out beautifully.
Picture above we have the Kiam Choy. It tastes good and compliments the duck rice well. Please note that is taste excellent too, but this is because it has been cooked with loads of lard.

They too have another nice side dishes, which is the duck's intestines. You'll have to get there really early to taste this, as on most days by 7pm it will all be sold out. Duck's intestines taste different from pigs small intestines. The texture is totally different, so it is a little hard to describe it. Just get there to try it!

Of course if you can't get the duck's intestines, just have the pigs small intestines instead. It is great... then again like I said earlier, anything cooked with the ducks gravy would turn out perfect :)

This place serves the Best Braised Duck Rice available. You'll have to taste it to believe me. Remember get there early so that you'll beat the crowd and save time on waiting for you food. Overall this place serves a great meal. It gets my 5 of 5 stars rating without even thinking twice.

G Spot? Does it exist?

2008-03-31T17:15:00.000+08:00

I found it!! I finally found the G Spot. Hey, wait a minute, I am referring to the G Spot bar in G Hotel in Penang.... tsk tsk, what were you thinking?

Went there for drinks and listen to some Kwai Mui doing some jazz tunes. Had really nice interior but I was not able to take photos of the inside. It would be prefect if you would like to have a social gathering with friends or book the whole place out for a party!

A Day Off...

2008-03-29T23:20:00.002+08:00

Today is one of the most productive day I have had in months. I have never gotten so much done!! I woke up, lazed around the house, and decided to have lunch with my dad. My mom is currently away in Ipoh, so'll have to be the lunch/dinner buddy.

We drove all the way to Lim Mee Yoke, at Chow Yang to have Prawn Mee. Yes I should have posted a quick food post since I was already there. But no, I had Curry Mee instead. No doubt the Prawn Mee is excellent, but I still prefer the one in TTDI, opposite KFC. A lunch without my mom, means that my dad and I could pig out. We ordered some extra Chow Kuey Teow. A little oily, but whats the point of living, if we don't enjoy what we eat. We also have some famous fried Yeow Char Kwai, which has a stall just outside the shop. Buuuurrpp.....

Eat to Live... or ... Live to Eat?

Next I asked my dad, what shall we do today? Do you want to go home, just to sleep in front of the TV? I said, "Mama is not around, do you want to go to 1U or MV?". He decided that he wanted to get some stuff from Jusco, so we headed to 1U. When we got there, we walked around. Went to the Cats & Dogs show but decided not to enter as there was a RM10 entrance fee. Instead we headed to the Pets World instead. The usual suspects were there, cats, dogs, hamsters. What I like are the new exotic animals like the ferrets and the hedgehogs.

We too spent a long time admiring the sea corals and salt water fishes. The only fish that I could recognise was Nemo :) Yes the little orange white clown fish made famous by a cartoon. The sea corals are beautiful!!

My GF however disagree with me. She believes that corals should be left at the natural habitat and by not purchasing these corals, poachers won't salvage them from the sea to sell. Good point! Looks like no fish tank and Nemo for me :(

Anyway, we just chilled out, and walked around MV before heading to Jusco. My dad needed some socks and clothings. As men, you would know that, when we do go shopping, we normally don't spend too much deciding on what we like. Like it... then buy it... just decide on the size and colour only mah... why so difficult?

Headed home after that, which was already 3 something. Wow so late already, and I have barely started to do anything yet. Nevermind, I surfed the net for a little before taking an afternoon nap. Got up at like 7pm... yawn... what a great day.

Later in the evening, I went to a BBQ dinner at a friends place. Chilled out, had a few burnt chicken wings... ehh, who said BBQ was easy?

It was a great day for me. I have never had a day where I did nothing the whole day. With no worries, and no appointments to keep, I would say that today was one of those great days I haven't had in a long time.

Ohh did I almost forgot... I watched astro till 3... before I slept...

Lego Mindstorms - Special Robotic Classes

2008-03-16T12:52:00.005+08:00

Behold, I have one of the more talented kids in my class. Today we tried to build a Bluetooth enable remote for the car, but failed to complete due to the shortage of time. It will be completed and posted here shortly.

You can read more details of the car built by the kid at my Lego Robotics blog.

We would also be trying to join the Walker competition organised by NXTLog. You can read more of the challenge at this link.

Lego Robotics Workshop

2008-03-12T07:56:00.002+08:00

Today I had my first Lego Robotics Workshop. I had butterflies in my tummy and didn't get a good nights rest. It was not like I was unprepared, but more of what to expect from the kids. With Andrew being the previous tutor, I had no idea what to expect from the kids and their level of competency in Lego building and programming.

The day started out well, with me getting along fine with the kids. Being the school holidays and under 11 years old, the kids were very playful. I guess I can't blame them, cause I was probably just like them when I was at their age.

The day went along fine. I had to constantly balance between teaching and making it fun and interesting. Spending 7 hours with them was no easy task, but the day ended great. The kids never had a dull moment. They manage to complete all their task on hand and had great fun!

Photos and details of the day can be read at my new Robotics Blog.

Banned Commercial Ads

2008-03-10T08:14:00.000+08:00

The previous Banned commercial ad that I have to remove to make room for new ones!

Lego Robotics Workshops @ Building Blocks

2008-02-28T13:15:00.004+08:00

What a month it has been. Busy busy busy. Having a blast eating over the Chinese New Year, constantly out partying and having fun fun fun! But no, it has also been a very hectic month for me. I have just acquired a new business.

I'll be giving Lego Robotics workshops to kids age between 7-14 years old. Last weekend I had my first class, and it was fun event for me. The kids, may be young, but they are really smart. Given the exposure they have with the internet, no wonder kids are growing up so much faster.

I will be organising a School Holiday Workshop in the coming March School Holidays. So I'll be really busy marketing and planning my workshops.

Mos Burger Anyone?

2008-02-02T05:25:00.000+08:00

It's late... I'm bored... so what do you do? Watch some YouTube, it is really addictive. Enjoy...

Home Sweet Home...

2008-02-01T17:38:00.000+08:00

I have been away in Singapore for the past week, visiting a friend who is very sick. Over the last week, I have learnt that in the time of crisis, you will be able to see who are your true friends. You'll be able to learn who will come to you and provide you with the support when you need them the most. The chinese calls these people the "Kui Ren".

I am very proud to say that, in my group of friends, we are like a small family, supporting each other in anyway we can. We may not be a big group, but it sure is a very tight and close group. I am very proud call these peole my close friends. Thank you!

The battle is only half done, and the journey is still long ahead. With the help of friends and family, I am sure you'll battle on.

"On the Road to Recovery"

Hokkien Mee: Singapore Style

2008-01-27T21:32:00.000+08:00

Have you guys eaten Hokkien Mee before?

Yes we have the KL Hokkien Mee which is the black noddles, or the Penang Hokkien Mee, which is commonly known as the Prawn Mee here in KL...

So what will be the Singapore Hokkien Mee be liked?

Well, think of it as a Dry style Prawn Mee... get the idea?

Well, I am sorry for not capturing any photos for this article. I was too caught up with dinner, that I totally forgot to capture a photo of the item. Promise to get a photo on my next trip down.

The Famous Singapore Hokkien Mee is situated in a food court called "Food Republic" in a building called Wisma Atria along Orchard Road. Wisma Atria is actually next to Takashimaya.

From the street level, there is an escalator that takes you up to the food court, which is at level 3 or 4. Once up there, you'll have to walk around to locate your Famous Singapore Hokkien Mee. You can't missed it, as it is the ONLY stall with a long queue, of at least 10 people queuing.
Check the google map link here...

Everywhere you walk in the food court, you'll see people eating it...

How can I describe how it taste like... hmmm...

Well think of it like the Penang Hokkien Mee. Instead of the yellow noddles, they have used a similar smooth and thinner noddles, a little like spaghetti. It is still prawn based, so it will have strong Prawn flavours. Instead of having soup in it, it is has gravy.

Think of it as, it started off with the Prawn based soup, but they simmer it long enough until it becomes a gravy. Think of all the flavours being thicken into a gravy instead of Soup!

It is the most interesting Hokkien Mee I have tasted to date. The texture of the noodles are much better than all those yellow noodles and it has a very strong and powerful flavor. A must try for the food Critics out there!

I personally enjoyed it, and would give it a 5 of 5 Star!!

Hmm... you reckon it will start appearing around Kuala Lumpur?

Checklist: Passport, Cash & Road Tax!!

2008-01-26T05:02:00.000+08:00

It is Friday night, we decided to have a road trip down to Singapore for the weekend. I told my friends, lets take the Toyota Wish instead of 2 cars. We could all chit-chat and chill out in one car instead.

Being the good guy, I told them I will pick everyone up. I started my Journey at about 7pm on a Friday evening... TRAFFIC JAM everywhere!!!

I picked up my GF at TTDI, before heading to Tropicana to pick Kelvin up. Then to Kenneth's place in Desa Park City to pick up Natalie and the last stop, Valencia for Julian and Kellee...

After 2 long hours of driving, finally everyone have been picked up, and so we headed down to Singapore...

It was a great ride down. We were speeding in hope to reach Singapore before midnight. In fact, we did make good time on the road.

When we arrived at the checkpoint, we had to insert the "Autopass" card at the Singapore checkpoint. It is something that is used for Tolls and Parking, very similar to what we called the "TouchNGo" card.

The machine notified us that, the road tax have expired. Nothing new, it happened the last time I was down in another car. They just need a person to verify that you had a new road tax since you last visited Singapore...

So we parked the car at the side, all of us chit-chatting... then Jul when out of the car to check the road tax. He came back and said with a blur look and said ...

"I think its expired la".

"Sure or not? Go check it again!"

"Ya wor... it said Dec 2007 wor"...

SHeeTz.... could it really have expired and not renewed? Opppsss... hmmm... maybe the Police officer will miss the 07?

Come on, we are in Singapore... who will miss it? Anyway, we were told that we will not be allowed to enter Singapore. We had a police office escort a few of us into Singapore waiting for a pickup, while the rest of us, had to drive and park the car somewhere in Johor, a "Cowboy" high crime rate town...

It was Kelvin, me and my darling off to a friends place in Johor to park the car. I heard so much horror story in the last 30 minutes, it sends a shiver down my spine...

As we were traveling, we discussed that our ordeal is far from over. We may be stopped by police when we are returning back to KL on Sunday...

As we were talking... I saw some blue flashing lights in front with loads of cars queuing up at a road block. There were at least 5 other cars pulled over... F$#K... double whammy on the same night?

"You gotto be kidding"

Then Kelvin mentioned "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way" which I knew was Murphy's Law...

I was like, damn the cops, end of the year, doing their usual rounds, catching those fools without road tax.... damn.. I am the FOOL tonight!!

After a little commotion in the car, and couldn't decided whether to re-distribute the wealth or not... we pulled up next to the cops. We opened the passenger window and played it cool....

Loads of Smiles from the 3 of us.... *Smile smile* *Cooooool*

"Jalan" the cops said...

You gotto be kidding, is he BLIND?

We headed off, laughing our heads off, wondering how lucky we are that night. We parked our car, before being picked up by Julian and gang in the Honda Odyssey.

We finally arrived at the accommodation at 4am... what we have planned to arrive at 12am, we did at 4am... What an adventure the last 4 hours have been... :D

Live life to the Fullest...

2008-01-23T01:56:00.000+08:00

Recently one of my friends become seriously ill.

I guess in life, nothing is certain.

One day we may be on top of the world, the next we could be really vulnerable.

Remember to live a balance life.

Appreciate what you already have. As you may feel, there are so many rich people out there with things you wished to own; there are also as many poor people in the other corner of the world, wishing they had the basic necessity that we take for granted, like clean water, ample food, air con and a car!

Remember to spend time with your family and friends.

We hope and pray that you'll get better soon.

Miracles do happen to those who believe in them...

Busy Busy Busy...

2008-01-21T19:19:00.000+08:00

Sorry for not updating my blog recently. Been really busy last couple of weeks.
There is so much I want to do this year...

I am going to hold an class for my friends explaining about how I sell stuff online, whether it is on eBay or on lowyat.net. May even open it to public. Anyone got an afternoon to listen to me tell my stories? :)

Recently I have also acquired a Lego business. We'll be having Lego classes for kids, age around 7-12 years old. Interested? I reckon even my adult friends would love to attend. Check out the following link for more details. Help me market it ok? Thanks. www.buildingblocks.com.my

I have also recently started a project job with the distributor of Russ and Nici products. Will be working on a part-time basis with them. So I will spends like 2-3 days a week with them, handling marketing and e-commerce for them. If you need any of those stuff, let me know and I'll try to get for you at a special price :P

Busy busy busy...

The Real Killer - Bacardi 151

2008-01-08T17:16:00.000+08:00

How much alcohol can you take before you go down?

Many people I know, brag about how much they can drink... 10 shots, 1/2 bottle, 1 bottle... come on... is that all you guys can drink?

Guns Don't Kill People, Bacardi 151 DO!!

So what is so special about the Bacardi 151? From the picture, it just looks like some cat's piss... Maybe it does, and it sure taste like one... haha...

OK, so why have a post, just bragging about the 151, when nobody on this side of the hemisphere have even seen, or better still taste it. It is not like we can walk into 7-11 to pick one up.

The Bacardi 151 is something that should NOT be taken lightly. It has 75.5% alcohol content. NO you didn't see it wrongly, it is that potent!!

Bacardi 151 is normally used in mixers, but because of the high alcohol content, you'll probably get more kick out of it by having shots. Most people I know, would get tipsy after 2-3 shots. I have seen some of my friends do CRAZY stuff after having one too many of the 151 shots.

To those who have NOT tasted the 151, I could only describe it as "alcohol". You know those stuff you use to clean and sterilize, it smells just like that!! It tastes and smells like alcohol, and when it goes down your throat, it burns too...

A Great Start to the New Year

2008-01-07T21:40:00.000+08:00

First Post this year... What a ride it has been for the last two weeks.

I just got back from Penang, from James & Yen's wedding just last week. Will post some photos from my Trip to Penang. And yes, I do also have some updated Chai Boutique photos to post.

Haven't manage to start my other Food Blog yet, but I have collected loads of material waiting to be posted. I guess I will post them here and move them over to the new blog next time

Too many things have been happening in the last 2 weeks. Got another Job offer, to do a Project, which I have accepted. It is on part-time basis, so I'll still be free on most days.

Will also be starting a new Lego Workshop for kids. Will keep you guys updated on the Lego Workshop in future posts.

Last of all, I have recently met someone special, thus me also MIA and paktor paktor.

Will try my very best to keep this blog up to date. When I started, I was afraid of NOT having enough material to write... I guess I was wrong, I have loads to write, but no time to pen them down.

Char Koay Teow @ Lorong Selamat, Penang

2008-01-04T17:11:00.000+08:00

I am sure everyone knows the famous Char Koay Teow at Lorong Selamat. The one where you'll have to hold empty plates when you order, stand behind at least 5 people and queue for at least 20 minutes. The one where the lady wears a goggles and Croc sandles when she cooks.

Lorong Selamat Char Koay Teow has recently move to their own shop. Previously they cook off a push cart outside a Kopitiam. Now, they have moved to their own shop, about 2 doors away from the old spot at Kafe Heng Huat. They still cook off their push cart but you'll have plenty of room to seat and no more queues. You don't have to queue anymore since they move to the new place; but doesn't mean that you don't have to wait!

Who said Penang food is cheap? The Koay Teow here ain't cheap, $RM5.50 for a standard Koay Teow with egg, or $RM7.50 if you wish to have the Special, where it has extra prawns. The prawns provided in the standard one ain't small, as you can see from the photos, but if you love your prawns, get the special instead!

The Lorong Selamat Koay Teow is one of the Best Koay Teow around. You'll not regret trying it, trust me. Time after time, whenever I am Penang, we would always visit this place. Previously we had to queue up and wait 20 mins, but your wait is over since they moved to a new place. Now you can sit in the comfort of the shop while waiting for you food.

Chai Boutique - A Month After

2008-01-04T15:34:00.000+08:00

It has been a little over a month since Chai Boutique was opened in Penang. There still isn't an official opening yet, as we have yet to decide on a nice date. We'll probably have a full blown opening ceremony after Chinese New Year. Below are more updated photos of the place. It looks and feels very cosy now, compared to when we stared in December.

When you first walk through the glass front door, you'll be greeted by 2 sexy gorgeous silver mannequin dressed in our Chai Dresses.

Right after the 2 mannequin, you'll come to our first Hall, where most of the clothing are displayed. In the photo, you see the cashier counter. I really like the antique table; it looks even better in real life.

The photo above shows the dresses on display at Chai Boutique. I believe that the left portion displays more formal dresses, suitable for dinners or even weddings.

On the right side, we have a rack of more casual tops or dresses. These are for your day to day or working clothes.

These photos shows the items that were sent for minor alterations or adjustments and waited to be collected. Customers may choose to let Chai organise the alterations on their behalf, and return to pick up the clothing at a later date.

This is our second hall. It has a seating area with comfy sofas for customers to chill out, or to read some of the latest fashion magazine while talking about the weather. We have a fridge filled with the usual soft drinks as well as water for the healtier few. Hot Coffee or Tea could also be organised on request.

This is the toilet are at the back of the Chai Boutique. It is all new, since we renovated it from the original place. Trust me, you wouldn't want to imagine how it originally looked like. Adeline has taken great efford to make the place cosy by adding potted plants and flowers.

This is our fitting room area. Not pictured is a very big 7 foot full length mirror, on the left side of the fitting hall. What you can't see is the curtains used for the fitting room. Really nice silver embroidred cloth with a layer of see-through chiffon on the outside. Nice!

In the same area, we have some shoes and accesories on display. There are also some belts on display.

James & Yen's Wedding 3-4 Jan 2008

2008-01-03T16:22:00.000+08:00

I was up in Penang again this week to attend James Saw's wedding. Since it was set on a Thursday and Friday; those who are self-employed naturally had to attend the full event.

We drove up to Penang in Kenneth's new Honda Odyssey. Kenneth, Anna, Moh Yen and me started the journey late Wednesday evening. We had to detour to Tanjung Malim, where Moh Yen had some business discussion with his customers. By the time we got to Penang, it was almost midnight already.

Early the next day, all the Heng Tais gathered at James place. We had to go to Sungai Petani to pick his wife. SP is in Kedah, or about 30kms from the bridge. Anyway, we got there in no time.

So what did the Chi Muis have installed for us today? More biscuits topped with wasabi? Some cut chilli padis? Hmmm...

The ladies started their games with some clothes pegs. They attached the pegs to the guys face... seems simple enough right? NOOOO.... after they have attached it, they ripped it off, all at one go... oOOooOOUCHhhhh!!

What could they have prepared for us? These girls seems a little nasty!! Anyway, they got a stick out, and asked us to Limbo rock under it, while eating some grapes... being one of the smallest guy around, they sent their representative... ME!!

How hard can it be right? Limbo rock under a stick, about 2 feet high... I have never been so wrong before in my life. I am as stiff as a stick, and could not even bend low enough to get under the stick, not to mention trying to hop under it. Anyway, after a few failed attempts, loads of laughter and a few fells, I managed to just cheat and crawl under it... phheewww.. some Heng Tai I was :p

The girls insisted that the Groom, too had to limbo under it... Being a tall person, it was pretty hard for him. On his first attempt, he fell... So when he tried the 2nd time, all the Heng Tais supported his back, while he moved under the stick... what are the Brothers for? :D

OK, so what was next? Negotiation for the door opening... How much did they want? They insisted on $99,999. Hmm, after a quick move, James decided to give his most prized possession, his super modified Subaru... He inserted the key into a red packet and slide it under the door. The girls, saw the tip of the packet and instantly tugged on it... within seconds the packet ripped as the keys was a little too big for under the door... The girls got a little disappointed... we insisted that they opened the door, so we could give them the packet... hehehe... and maybe PUSHING our way in when the door was opened :p

We managed to convinced the girls to open the door, but promised not to push our way in. They had the packet, saw the keys, and knew that it was a priceless gift, something that James would cherish the most... NO, no deal!!! They wanted cash, saying that there were 20 girls and the only currency they accepted is $$$

James had prepared many red packets before the event. He gathered and counted 20 packets, added a few more just in case and handed it to the girls guarding the door on the outside. They quickly ripped the first packet, checked the value, and gave the Signal... it is all good, open up....

PHhhhewwww... was that all? No killer food? Spicy mustard buns? Thanks!! Our job was done, we picked the beautiful bride... another job well done!

Tire Puncture :(

2007-12-27T17:13:00.002+08:00

Look what happened to my tire? Luckily I wasn't the one driving the car when the tire had punctured. Nevertheless, as the owner, I had to rescue my car. As the car was stopped next to a highway, it was pretty dangerous changing the tire.

Even with the car parked all the way onto the grass, and only a quarter of the car on the emergency lane, I assure you that, you'll be shocked at how close those Trucks and Lories are travelling to the emergency lane.

I parked another friend's Mivi about 10 feet behind my car, to block and give better visibility to the truck drivers. It took us about 15 min to change the tires.

Pot Luck at Eric's

2007-12-20T23:59:00.000+08:00

As you would have realised, my parents are away and wont be back for another week or so. While they are away, I could got some friends over for dinner and drinks. More like a social gathering, or at least that was the plan. As you can see from the photo above, we were all enjoying ourselves.

I cooked some Tom Yum friend rice, and some carbonara... again (as requested). Even before all the guest arrived, I had to recook more carbonara. Venice and her housemate, Yin Yin made an excellent Fruit Salad, topped up with some Nata De-Coco. Yu Jeen brought the drinks along. Mun Fong has some jelly and ice cream for dessert. Jennifer brought some chicken wings and her friend Penny brought along some chocolates and mud cake.

As you can see, after dinner, we had some party games. We played card games, and the not so fortunate was punished to drink alcohol! Not too much, between the 8 of us, and 2 hours, we only finished 1/2 bottle of the Black Label. Honestly... that is nothing to be proud off.

Had a very enjoyable evening. Had nice food,, enjoyed the party games and drinks. An enjoyable evening for the all of us. For the most of us, this is our first time meeting each other. Cheers everyone! :D

Eric Cooks Dinner... Disaster?

2007-12-16T23:00:00.000+08:00

My parents are away on a trip to visit my sister and their 3 grand children...
FREEDOM!! Yes the cat is away, and the mouse is here to stay!!

Decided to cook dinner for some of my friends. Got really ambitious and invited like a bunch of people. But since it was so last minute, only a few showed up.

Dinner was almost a disaster... Normally I would be like cooking 1 item. But NOooo... Tonight, I decided to have Soup, Salad, Mash Potatoes and Carbonara...

Normally I would get cream to cook carbonara and used the remaining cream from the Cream of Mushroom soup. Yes it is the same one from Campbells, but the secret is... some cream and fresh mushrooms... yummy

DISASTER struck... the soup tasted funny... WHY? why was it sweet? OMG... the soup is sweet, how could it be... I checked the cream, and it was sweetened... FARK... I am so screwed, I just poured the remaining cream into my bacon used for the carbonara...

I tried adding some salt into the soup, to neutralise the sweet taste... NOPE... it could not be salvaged... It just tasted weird... the soup was salty but had a sweet after taste... weird isn't it?

The disaster was far from over. I now had a huge serving of carbonara which tasted sweet. What could I do? I tried adding some salt, but soon realised that it was a complete write off... All my time preparing for my carbonara... GONE...

OK, don't panic Eric... I quickly went out to the store to purchase more bacon and cream. Yes I double checked the new cream. NO MORE SWEETENED CREAM...

The soup was GONE. There was no turning back... Into the sink it went...

The Japanese style Mash Potatoes turned out well. Had some when I was in Penang at some high class Jap restaurant. I know my business partner Adele would be impress if I made some for her!! :)

I also prepared some fresh salad. We had the freshest Lettuce and the sweetest Cherry Tomatoes. Topped up with some cucumber and Italian dressing (from the bottle), it turned out perfect... phewww...

Now, for the finale, the carbonara, my main dish... how was it? Shouldn't be too hard, as I have cooked it many times. One of my specialty dishes... "Excellent Eric!!"... A pat on my back... :)

Dinner overall was OK. I manage to return from the grave. I just had no time to prepare the Cream of Mushroom soup, even though it was from the can. Maybe next time, I would be more ambitious and prepare it from scratch. I have read the recipe... not a simple dish, but not impossible...

Yes, I do enjoy cooking. I enjoy cooking for my friends as we could all sit around and chill out after. Come on, if someone invited you for dinner, you may turn them down... but if someone is cooking for you, would you turn them down?

I am sorry, there are no photos of tonight's dinner. Promise to capture some the next time.

An Afternoon At Synn's Place

2007-12-15T21:30:00.000+08:00

It is the time of the year again. Normally every year, at about Christmas time, we would all get together at Synn's place. Yes, to some of us, she is also known as Cindy Siah. This year, it came a little early. Synn would be back only for 2 weeks, and she decided to have a lunch gathering instead. It was a great afternoon spent as we were all able to catch up with each other.

Hmm... have I really lost weight? A few people mentioned that I have lost weight... what do you think? I do eat alot nowadays, especially junk food. I am constantly consuming Mamee and Twisties... the few possible reason why I may look thinner is that I am really stress from work, or my Tshirt just look a little tight :p

Synn works in Singapore and hardly comes back to KL. We all had the opportunity to meet up with her this trip, but the gathering was cut short as she had to spend some time with her boy boy.

Yi Ling is back from Melbourne for a few weeks. Didn't get to catch up with her much. She was too busy gossiping with all her gfs.

Ai Wei looked great and congratulation to her on her new job... one that is more relaxing and gives her more time for herself. She is now a CONsultant at her new company...

Poh Yee as usual, beeing her cheery self. We may have a "date" next week... hehe... maybe accompany her to Genting on one of her stock take trips up :p ... Uncle Lim, here I come!!

Look who showed up? Hui Ni wor... surebo... I managed to take her new Blue VW Beetle for a spin. It is a cool car... but the real car that I would love to try is the Red VW Golf GTI. 200bhp I was told, and a real pocket rocket. Yes Li Lian hint hint!!

Mee Goreng @ Bangkok Lane, Penang

2007-12-15T00:17:00.000+08:00

Anybody staying in Penang, would have heard of the Mee Goreng at Bangkok Lane. It is Famous... so famous that even my mom eats there... my mom ... no kidding... well as you can see, good food does not distinguish between the age, as well as the great generation gap :)

In general, I am not a fan of Mee Goreng at all. Situated at the corner of Bangkok Lane, where my new retail Chai now resides, I had to give the Mee Goreng a try. There were not many options, but I was told that if you ordered the "chili" version, get ready to be blasted to the Moon, as it was seriously out of this world spicy. Then again, maybe its just the general Penang standard of spiciness...

I as usual, ordered "no chili" version. When the food first arrived, it looked very moist or a little on the wet site. The colour of the mee, looks as if the noodles were glowing orange... They too served the whole table at once, showing that they cooked in bulk.

"Didn't I tell them no chili? Hmm anyway, here it goes..."

The Mee Goreng is excellent! It may look wet, or a little on the glowing orange side, but it was great. It had small squids in the mee goreng which taste good too. Finally I understood why, there were a long queue for the take-away.

The food is not over-rated! Overall I will give the Mee Goreng a 4.5/5 stars. I was impressed with it, as I normally don't eat Mee Goreng. This would be an acception!

Out of towners, do give it a try. You'll not regret it.

Pork Noodles @ Sunway

2007-12-14T21:06:00.001+08:00

Today we will do a review on the Pork Noodles I had for lunch near my office the other day. It is situated at the Mentari Business Park block, just round the corner of the McDonalds. I must say that, not all Pork Noodles are created the same! The only other great tasting Pork Noodles acceptable to my taste buds, is the one in PJ State.

The one that I had, is a little different and best ordered with Instant Noodles (Vits), instead of the usual Yellow Noodles and Mee Hoon. Please add the optional Egg into the soup if you prefer it. It tends to give the soup an egg yolk taste. Like all other Pork Noodles, it will be served with pork balls, mince meat, some intestine and some vegetables. The soup is really tasty and goes extremely well with the instant noodles.

The Pork Noodles is so delicious till I have to lick the bowl clean.... joking... I reckon it must be drugged or something. Actually, probably a whole ton of MSG, as I do get quite thirsty after the meal! Hmm... does that mean, anyone can be a Master Chef by just sprinkling some MSG?

Poh Lian seen eating with the optional Egg in the soup

Conclusion

It is one very delicious Pork Noodles! Although it may contain a little excessive MSG, I reckon it is one of the top Pork Noodles around. Overall, I will give it a 4/5 star.

Where is my Sunshine?

2007-12-11T03:30:00.000+08:00

It has been the most gloomy last couple of days. It seems to be gloomy and rainy in the last couple days. This morning, I got up and it was drizzling... I went to work, it was drizzling... I went to lunch, it was drizzling... I went for dinner, it was drizzling... I went for supper, it was drizzling...

Ohh... I just got home, and its 3:32 AM... and its STILL drizzling...

"WHY? Sky... are you against me?"

Anyway, where is my Sunshine?I hope I will see you tomorrow... I wished that you would just brighten up my morning and the whole week...

New Food Blog!!

2007-12-03T22:34:00.000+08:00

Just got back from a week long trip from Penang. Will post some interesting stuff over the next few days. Posts will include the wedding I attended, and some on the street food that I had over there. And not forgetting the bachelor night photos!

Over the trip, I had a discussion with one of my close friend, and we have decided to start a new food blog together. We would start with a 3 person team, with a dedicated writer, video/still cameraman and also a food reviewer!

We had a long discussion and it sounded like a great plan. So I'll be blogging most of my food review at the new blog. Now all we need to do, is to get it started!! Can we? Are we?

Chai Boutique is now Open!

2007-12-02T15:00:00.000+08:00

I managed to sneak into the shop early one morning to capture these photos. As you can see from the photos, it extremely well done up and very cosy. I must give full credit to my business partner Adele, for organising all the renovation and everything else. The time and effort used to select the simplest items, from the curtain material of the fitting room, to the cushion covers on the sofa. Even the antique tables and chairs chosen goes well with the place.

Bangkok lane is actually a residential area. A very nice area, just at the border of all the Pulau Tikus commercial hub. As it is an old house, from the 1950s, it retains an British heritage feel. You'll notice the front door comes with colour glass panels and the floor of the hall has some really antique tiles!

Friends who are in Penang, please do drop by my new retail shop. It has a wide selection of ladies clothing, as well as accessories and shoes. We'll be adding evening wear and dinner gowns within the next few weeks.

Adele's Birthday @ Chai Boutique

2007-12-01T16:23:00.000+08:00

It was a Saturday afternoon, just after lunch. Most of us, are taking a rest from the previous nights Wedding dinner. Some had massive hang overs, while others were busy catching up with local Penang food.

It was the first time for the most of us to have visited the Chai Boutique as it was not officially opened. Only close friends were invited for the little gathering. A few were back from Australia to attend Kevin & Mei Yee's wedding, while the rest were from KL.

Most of the ladies had a look at the dresses, accessories and shoes while the guys just chilled out at the cosy area exchanging stories. It was a relaxing and cosy afternoon. A little surprise birthday cake was organised for Adele as today was her birthday.

We had a really good time chilling and hanging out at Chai, but it all had to end early as we had to attend the Kevin and Mei Yee's open house. We would also have a long day tomorrow, as we would be doing the traditional "Wife Pick Up" ceremony. I just hope the bridesmaid don't prepare any Wasabi for me!!

Bachelor & Hen's Night - Kevin & Mei Yee's Wedding

2007-11-29T23:58:00.000+08:00

This was the game plan
The guys meet at Wee Kang's place, while all the ladies met at Mei Yee's place. Two separate groups to attend two separate unforgettable evenings. At least this is what we told the soon to be newly weds.

The REAL game plan
After picking up the gang, we would tell them, that we would be attending a karoke session. What they didn't know is that, we would actually meet at the same karoke session! And boy, did we have a great plan to humilate them!!

What REALLY happened
The bride to be was seriously tired and she felt asleep at Wee Kang's place. We were waiting for the rest of the people from KL to arrive. We waited and waited and waited... Finally when they arrived, it was too late to do anything. Both the bride and groom thought they had it easy... Boy were they WRONG!

We decided to go ahead with the plan. We gave the groom, a sexy pair of undies and a bra filled with pears, topped up with grapes as the nipples. We provided the bride to be with a cucumber and 2 mandarins, which resembles the mens... ahem... private parts...

Penang 29th

2007-11-29T19:00:00.000+08:00

Thursday morning... The contractor promised that everything would be done today. The only major pending items was the toilet. It was still in a major mess the night before.

Thankfully the toilet looked great when we walked in. All renovations completed. Just more cleaning to do!

Furniture were being moved in. Sofa, coffee table, stools, tables and chairs came in today. So did the fridge and other electrical stuff, like the fan and water boiler.

I spent the afternoon moving all the woman's clothing from my business partners home the retail shop. I had to move racks and racks of clothing. It took quite a few trips before it was completed.

Spent the evening just cleaning up the place, and organising the shop. Unpack stuff from the boxes, move things around. Wipe the tables... you know, just like moving to a new home

We worked till quite late evening, but had to return home early as we had to attend a Bachelor and Hen's night. Wait for the next post... really exciting stuff planned for them both!! :p

Penang 28th Nov

2007-11-28T23:00:00.000+08:00

Today was such a long day........ Started the day by running a few errands. We applied for Streamyx and got the modem before heading to the shop.

I spent most of the afternoon installing the Clothes rack we would be using on the retail floor. It is one of those, DIY ones. At the start, I thought it was such and easy task and would complete the job hands down. To my surprise, it took me about 30 mins to built each rack. I had 6 in total to built. It was really a tiring job. Note to self, building Clothes rack is not for the faint hearted! Yes my right hand is still aching from all the building!

Spent the whole evening building the racks and cleaning the upper floor of the retails place. All the lights, and air con are installed. The toilet was still in a mess before we left today. They are still doing cementing the floor and all. Tomorrow, the carpet guys would be installing the carpets on the upper floors. I would need to move all the floor stocks and all other items after the carpets are in. Probably need a few car rides to complete the move! Loads of stuff!!!

The fitting room area and all the built-in cabinet have also been installed today. Tomorrow, our main task is to clean the ground floor. It is no easy task as the place is filthy. With almost everything done, the bulk of the work would be cleaning and moving the stuff to the retail place.

Got the plan... let see how it goes...

Penang 27th Nov - 3rd Dec

2007-11-28T08:13:00.000+08:00

The drive up to Penang was tiring. The journey took a set back when I stopped my car to pump some air into the tires and the car couldn't start after that. Battery problem I reckon. Luckily I was at the Shell Station at the Tapah stop when it died. Call up the PLUS people, and they soon came to my rescue.

My car was jump started and I was on my way. I made very sure not to stop the car again. Yes that means, no more toilet breaks! I soon arrived in Penang, shortly after 2pm. Work commenced immediately. No rest for the lazy!!

We ran a few errands, purchasing some last minute items for the new retail shop. Tried to open a new Maybank Current account, but they required so much paper work... needed an introducer... Come on, you'll be making money from us wor...

Anyway, we stopped by the retail shop. Everything looks well. The upstairs is almost complete. All the upstairs require is the installation of the air con, lights and carpets. Of course it needs a BIG clean too!! Very dusty.

As for the downstairs, they were completing the painting when we were there. The toilet had some renovation error, and hopefully will be fixed within the next day or so. The lights and air con will be installed today. Will be spending the whole day of today cleaning up the new place. Very very dusty due to the renovations.

Will try to capture some photos of the new retail shop. Let see what the days brings. I am sure my day is jam packed again!

Curry Mee @ Ah Loy, OUG

2007-11-27T02:29:00.000+08:00

I am sure many have tasted and tried the Curry Mee at Ah Loy's and it needs no introduction. Ah Loy is situated in Taman OUG, at the row of shop houses behind the BHP Petrol station. For those who have never tried it, it is one of the best Curry Mee around.

It comes with a very generous serving of chicken pieces (not those shreds of chicken) as well as some cockles (see hum) and some deep fried pork skin (pictured above!). The deep fried pork skin, is either loved or hated by some. The soup is unique as it is very thick! Loads of santan (coconut milk) in the soup, making it really rich in flavour. Just perfect!

Conclusion
The Curry Mee at Ah Loy's is one of the best around. I have never tried any other curry mee that comes close to this. The extra lemak soup makes it truly unique. If you are a big fan of curry mee, you have got to try it! Overall, I will give it a 4.5/5 stars.

Top 20 Bah Kut Teh in Malaysia (Part 1)

2007-11-26T11:00:00.000+08:00

Not too long ago, a person called Guan Ming reviewed and did a
Top 20 Bah Kut Teh list. It was published in some chinese papers. Being a big fan of Bah Kut Teh, I wanted to see what the hype is all about. Come on, who has NOT eaten before a FANTASTIC Bah Kut Teh?

My friend Kevin Lim from Penang, forward me the list of the Top 20 Bah Kut Teh in Malaysia. I have copied the info from list and publish it here. I would, hopefully over time, visit most of these BKT places.

First I would like to give full credits to Guan Ming for his BKT review and the person who compiled the list. I had also pinched the photos from that file, so credits to whoever owns the photos.

The Quests for the BEST Bah Kut Teh begins!

Top 20 Bah Kut Teh in Malaysia
(Sorted by Location)

Klang

Name: Kedai Makanan Seng Huat

Address: 9, Jalan Besar, Klang
Tel: 012-3098303, 012-3987355

Name: 巴生毛山稿肉骨茶
Address: 876, Jalan Besar, Pandan Maran, Klang
Tel: 012-3123125, 012-9042421

Name: Kedai Makanan Teck Seong
Address: 29, Jalan Batai Laut, Kaw 16, Taman Intan, Klang
Tel: 012-3076843

Name: Restoran Lai Choon Bah Kut Teh
Address: 116, Jalan Pekan Baru, Off Jalan Meru, Klang
Tel: 012-6521659

Kuala Lumpur

Name: Kedai Makan Sekmechoy
Address: 199, Jalan Besar, Salak Selatan, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-79823132

Name: Restoran Sun Hong Muk Koot Tea
Address: No 35, 37, 39 & 41, Medan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-21414064, 03-21480905

Petaling Jaya

Name: Restoran Chiew Sang
Address: 15, Jalan SS 3/37, University Garden, Petaling Jaya.
Tel: 012-3320608
Name: Heng Kee Bah Kut Teh
Address: 16, Jalan 1/10 (Old Town), Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-77851663, 012-3331063

Selangor

Name: Yap Chuan Bah Kut Teh
Address: 41 & 41A, Jalan 1, Taman Tanjong Karang Baru, Tanjung Karang, Selangor
Tel: 03-32691785, 012-6744440

Name: Restoran Ah Hock
Address: Lot 2260, Lorong 7, Jalan Besar,Tanjung Sepat, Selangor
Tel: 019-6066288, 03-31974696

Robin's 21st Birthday @ McDonalds, Centerpoint

2007-11-24T20:21:00.000+08:00

Robin: Eric, Robin here arr....
Eric: hmm... ohhh Robin, how are you?
Robin: Ehh, want to invite you to my birthday party la, on the 23rd of Nov...
Eric: 23rd arr.... hmmm..... shouldn't be a problem la.... where is it arr? and what time?
Robin: It is at McDonald's, Centerpoint...
Eric: huh ... *WTF* ... ok ok ... cool, I will see you there...

No Robin (aka Binny) is not some 12 year old who is celebrating his birthday at McDonald's. You see, he is celebrating his 21st... The story goes like this, since he was a kid, he had been celebrating at McDonald's for many many years, until his teenage years. He thought, why not have his 21st at McDonald's again... for old time sake ...

Celebrating at McDonald's wasn't a bad thing. In fact, I thought it was very cosy. We had the whole 2nd floor to ourselves. Many many people attended and there was ample food to go around. Just sitting there, chatting with your friends, while munching on some chicken nuggets, fries and Coke seems to be the greatest idea!

Photos have been re-sized for web purposes. People who wish to print the photos, can obtain the original files from me.

Hokkien Mee @ Paramount, PJ

2007-11-22T19:10:00.000+08:00

I have heard many mentioned that there is a famous Hokkien Mee around this neighbourhood. So one night, after badminton with my brother Rick, we decided to roam the streets of Paramount... in search for the the famous coal cooked Hokkien Mee. We reckon we found it, as everyone who eats at this place, too orders the Hokkien Mee.

Name: Restoran Millennium Eighty Six
Location: Situated behind Caltex petrol station at Paramount, Petaling Jaya
Price: Less than RM 10 per head
Overall Food: 3.5 / 5 Stars

This place cooks Tai Chow after dark every evening. When we first arrived, we were not too sure whether is this the place, but after noticing the cooks adding coal to their cooker, we realised that we must have hit the jackpot. Not only that, it was the only place with people eating, while the rest of the area seems a little dead and deserted. As you can see in the photos above, they cook using coal!

Hokkien Mee

As you can see from the photos, I am refering to the KL's version of Hokkien Mee, not the Penang's version which is the Prawn Mee. The Hokkien Mee was cooked with loads of lard. Excellent tasting, but a little oily if you asked me. Not too sure whether could I taste any different if they used a gas cooker instead... Since I am not a big fan of the Hokkien Mee, I can only give it a 3.5/5 stars only.

Pork Ribs Yee Mee

The Pork Ribs Yee Mee was a little different from the others I have eaten as they have added some chillis and capcicums. By adding the capcicums it has given the Yee Mee a little extra chilli smell and flavours but not the spiciness. Overall the Yee Mee was great and the pork ribs was nice and tender. I too would give it a 3.5/5 stars.

Conclusion

Travelling to Paramount seems a little far for supper if you asked me. The food is nothing to shout about. Taste good, but not fantastic enough for me to dream and crave for it all week long. If you craving for some Hokkien Mee, give it a try. It may be the only few places that still cooks with coal! There should be another famous Hokkien Mee somewhere in Kota Damansara. Anybody knows where is that?

U-Village, Sungai Wang

2007-11-20T14:20:00.000+08:00

Let's start my very first post with some food review. U-Village's food is Hong Kong style, similar to Kim Gary, but much better. They have a huge variety of food, and generally, they are all good. This place caters for the lunch time crowd, so it will be full during the weekdays as well as weekends. It is situated on the outside of Sungai wang, on the street between Sungai Wang and Lowyat plaza off Jalan Bukit Bintang.

Pan Fried Rice Noodle with Beef

My friend decided to order this dish as it was marked as Chef's Recommendation on the menu. The rice noodle was very tasty. Beef was very tender and the serving was generous too. I would give it 4/5 stars for this and would order it again if I do return there.

Club French Toast

U-Village has an good variety of Toasts. Today I decided to try the Club French Toast. The toast is actually made of 3 pieces of bread, with peanut butter and banana as the filling. The bread is then coated with egg before being deep fried into a crunchy toast and then covered with chocolate syrup and condense milk.
Overall the Club French Toast was good, but it could have been better if they were more generous with the peanut butter and banana fillings! The toast was a little too rich and sweet, and best eaten if shared with your friends. Overall, I would give it a 3.5/5 stars.

Conclusion

I would recommend trying the Golden Box Toast, which is actually Toast served with Curry Chicken. Quite a big serving and could be eaten as a main meal.
My personal favourite toast is actually the Sweetened Milk and Peanut Butter Toast. It is simple French Toast filled with very loads of peanut butter and topped with some condense milk! Highly recommended.... by me!
Overall the food has never been dissapointing and generally good. If you are ever in the Sungai Wang area, swing by and try the food.

Opening Speech

2007-11-19T23:06:00.000+08:00

I have been reading other people's blog for a long time now. I realised that, in this modern age, where everybody is busy, the only way to still keep in touch with your friends is to read their blogs. Of course it took me a very long time to actually start blogging myself. As usual, why should I blog, if I would just stop after 2 weeks...

After many many weeks of contemplating, I have decided join the band wagon and start blogging. It won't be all dramatic and all too personal. I have decided that my blog, would include the following few topics that all of us can relate to

Food
Travels
Friends
Fun and Games
Digital Photography Tips
Silly and Stupid Situations
On a Serious Note

Now that I have the recipe for success, I only hope that I could put in the time and efford to post at least 3 times a week. So let's go!!