Hong Kong (20 - 24 Oct) - Part 1

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

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

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

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

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

Kuching International Airport

• Marrybrown Restaurant
• Security Key - "0123401234"

Harbour View Hotel

• Security Key - "80f74c1494"
  

Company Trip: The Treasure Hunt @ Redang (Answers)

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.

1. Business Card/Flyer/Brochure from Redang Reef Resort (10 Points)
   *To be uploaded soon*
   
2. Photo of the Ramly Burger Stand (10 Points)
   
3. Photos of Walls Ice Cream Fridge AND Nestle Ice Cream Fridge (10 Points)
4. Photo of the Batik Shop (10 Points)
   
5. Photo of the Banner "International Year of Reef 2008" (10 Points)
   
6. Photo of PADI logo OR SDI logo (10 Points)
   
   
7. Photos of BOTH Tattoo Shop (10 Points)
   
8. Group photo at "Laguna Redang Resort" sign board (10 Points)
   
9. Group photo outside "More More Tea Inn" (20 Points)
   
10. 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

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

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.

1. 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?? ...
   
   
   
   
2. 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!!
   
   
   
3. 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!