Food Foundry

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!!

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...

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...

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?

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Paypal as a Payment Gateway

The other day, a friend asked me, "What is the best way to accept credit card payment online?"

Everybody knows that you could organise a payment gateway with the local banks. It only sets you back a few thousand ringgit as a setup fee, and a few more hundreds in monthly fees.

In her business, she only receives a few credit payment a month, so a bank payment gateway is out of the question. I decided to do research and check what is the best and most effective way to accept credit payment, with the lower possible fees.

After a quick research, there isn't any online payment gateway that doesn't have any monthly fees. The lowest charged that I could find was from Paypal, of 2.9% + US0.30. Any other options either had a monthly fee, or a 5% charge!

I knew from the start that Paypal could accept credit card, but it does have some of it's own issues. About 2 years back, Paypal wouldn't accept payment if you didn't have a Paypal account. What it means is that, you MUST sign up, in order to pay with your credit card.

Recently, I read that they allow customers to pay, even if they didn't sign up or have a Paypal account. If that was true, then it would be the perfect payment gateway. The fees are low, and they are one of they biggest online payment system available.

So, I decided to create a "Pay Now" button to test whether it is true. Whether you could pay for it without a Paypal account. I recalled from the past, Paypal literally forced you to join, if you wanted to use your credit card to pay for something.

With the button created, I tested to see whether it was possible to pay without having an account. It was true, my hunch was right, I was unable to pay for it without my Paypal account. I then checked and read all the help files at Paypal, and it constantly showed up, that it was possible to pay without an account!

Hmmm, strange, Paypal openly advertise that you don't need to be a member to use your credit card. I then, decided to Google it and to read some external articles on this topic

I then found out that, it was true, Paypal do allow you to pay with your CC even if you are not a Paypal member. It however only allows this from a list of selected countries. That means, if you are in those countries, the options to pay without being a Paypal member will appear.

Their argument is that, for some "Money Laundering Act", for certain countries you must have their details on file if they were to pay with their credit card. By having an account, they would have your details, thus if there is any hanky-panky, they'll have details!

So that answers the question, Paypal would be one of the better payment options available. It has the lowest rate in the market, with no monthly fees.

The 2 bad points Paypal has as a payment gateway is that

• Cannot accept Ringgit as a currency (Able to accept USD, Pounds, AUD, SGD etc)
• Must be a Paypal member (in certain countries, including Malaysia)

If you are able to live with the 2 negative points of using Paypal in Malaysia, then you'll have a good method of accepting credit card payment online.

If you are having issues, withdrawing payment from Paypal, please read my two earlier articles

• Withdrawing Paypal funds via Credit Card
• Withdrawing from Paypal - The Issues!

Beach Bumming @ Pulau Redang

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

Chili Pan Mee

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?

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

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.

eBay Education Specialist

So everybody is busy advertising that they are a eBay Education Specialist... bla bla bla... guess what, I am used to be one too...

When I first registered to get it done, it was like such a big deal. I payed like $199AUD thinking I would like the only dude with a cert such as that in Malaysia.

When my package finally arrived, I was like wow... great... I hope it is not too hard... Damn... still have to study arr... so old already wor... I hope I don't fail...

After procrastinating for like months, I decided to actually study the notes and take the exam. Little did I realised was that, the course is meant to teach students who are absolute beginners to selling on eBay.

It is targeted at people with no or very little experience. The course is very simple, and if you have been selling on eBay international for like 6 months, don't bother studying for the exams. I assure that you'll pass with flying colours. Even if you did fail, you'll get the 2nd test for free and its the same exact EXAM!! How can anyone fail? BTW I got 100% the first time...

I had forgo my annual subscription for the eBay Education Specialist. I find the details in there a little too simple for the more advance sellers out there. The course was intented to get many individuals out there to promote and advertise about eBay, to get more people interested and selling on eBay.

My purpose is not to get new sellers, but more of how to improve on existing sellers. How to make more money efficiently!

G Spot? Does it exist?

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...

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...

Digital Camera or Scanner?

Sorry for not writing lately. Have been busy with my stuff. Have like a few part time jobs and like 5 blogs to update. I guess, I am too busy updating my personal blog :P

Ok, so how useful is a scanner? I mean, almost everybody has a Digital Camera to capture photos for their online selling, but is a scanner any good?

Well, it depends on the purpose. Flat items, like prints, photos, designs maybe better captured using a scanner.

The following are a list of possible items you may want to sell online using a scanner

• Comic Books - Scan the cover
• Stamps
• First Day Covers
• Bank Notes
• Embroidery Designs - Finished product, not the digital design

As you can see, certainly certain items are best captured using a scanner. The details and higher resolution would re-assure your potential customer that you are serious in trading.

Just imagine how the photos would turn of if you used a digital camera for the four above items.

Lego Mindstorms - Special Robotic Classes

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

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

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

Selling Online Course Syllabus

For the past week, I have been working on my Selling Online course syllabus. I have had many revision and have finally settle on the following.

What I would be covering in my course will include only

• Selling on Auction Style, Forum Based or Personal Website.
• Tricks on Photography
• Professional looking yet simple HTML coding tricks
• Payment methods
• Logistics and Packing

My course would be a little different from the "Seminar Weekend Workshop" styles. Instead I have opted for a more practical approach. I won't be giving a talk to 20 students in a seminar room. I believe that everyone comes from a different background, with different ideas on selling online. With that many students, I would NOT be able to give the attention required by each. Not to mention, in a class of that size, students would also only listen, and not have much class participation.

My class instead would be small, intended for 4-6 people only. There would be lots of interaction and practical work throughout the workshops. Workshops will be held over 3-4 sessions, where each sessions will end with a given task. Students are required to do market research, marketing planning as well as competitor research as their homework tasks! It will be jam packed with practical things that you would actually use for selling online.

By the time, you have completed your course over the weeks, you would have learnt how to sell online, with real practical task of selling! Each student would have gone through all the steps required to sell. Since it will be held over a few weeks, each student can share any issues they have while trying to sell online.

My classes will not only teach you how to sell online, but guide you through step by step with practical experience, whether it is photographing an item, or web page design. I assure you that, you'll not get the same attention and details in any other classes.

Lego Robotics Workshops @ Building Blocks

Sorry for not updating the site for the last 2 months. Been really busy. Recently acquired a new business, Building Blocks. I will be organising and giving some Lego Robotics Workshops to kids aged 7 to 14 years old. I will be extremely busy till after the March school holidays.

I have also converted a room my office into a Coaching room. The room will fit 4-6 people comfortably. In the future, my Selling Online courses will be held in my new Coaching room.

Lego Robotics Workshops @ Building Blocks

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?

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

Home Sweet Home...

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"