SARBEX 2004: The day before the big day…

sarbex 2004

SARBEX 2004 is going to start opening its doors to the public
tomorrow. This event is located at the Permata Carpark Building on
Level 5 and is organized by IDA, the very same people who brought us
BTS 2004 and ICT 2004. SARBEX is The Sarawak Builder’s Expo property
roadshow and we are going to have a presence there. This will have been
the third expo I’ve gone to under the banner of Huygens Asia and
organized by IDA.

sarbex arch

The event is not as large scale as previous ones, due to the
relatively niche market it represents. The roadshow only occupies the
inside of the modified carpark, instead of extending into the outer
areas, like in previous events.

pre expo huygens

Huygens Asia is located in Booth #5, which is the side booth near
the stage. We were allocated a 2 x 4 meter space, but was later
upgraded to a 2 x 8 meter floor space. We’re not done setting up yet,
as you can see from the photo.

sarbex stage

The stage is just to the side of our booth…this is usually a Good Thing (TM).

pre expo setup 1

I went there to see the progress of the exhibitors and noticed that there were only two other exhibitors setting up besides us.

pre expo setup 2

It’s all partially set up, tomorrow is the day when the roadshow
opens to the public, and the day before is usually earmarked for
exhibitors to get their booths ready.

sarbex me ida

I went inside the administration office, and found, not to my
surprise, the same good people in IDA who managed the previous two
expos I’ve attended. Well, SARBEX 2004 is going to open tomorrow, so
expect daily from-the-expo-floor reports. πŸ™‚

Photo of me for the company website

hb

This is the photo that’s going into the newly revamped Huygens Asia
website. It just went live about 5 minutes ago. Happy, shiny people,
eh? πŸ˜‰ We have five individual photos going into the management team
page. The one above is mine.

Anyway, we have an exhibition going on for the next four days.
SARBEX 2004 @ Permata Carpark Kuching. We’re at Booth #5. I’ll be
heading over to see the preparations soon.

Sugarbun Kano Meal and the new Premium 3 Layer Tea

sbun kano meal

Sugarbun has been offering the Kano Meal for a while, as part of
their constantly expanding list of menu items. It consists of two
options – Kano Chicken with Savory Rice or Mashed Potatoes. There are
also sub-options of one or two pieces of chicken. Kano Chicken is
Sugarbun’s chicken with a choice of three specialty sauces – Pedas
Sauce, BBQ Sauce and Satay Sauce.

sbun 3 layer tea

I also noticed that Sugarbun has a new drink out – Premium 3 Layer Tea. The promo looks like the “new” drink is…well, heavily inspired,
shall we say, by the famous 7th mile teh c peng in Kuching. It retails
for RM 1.90 and the promo shows the distinctive demarcation of tea,
ideal milk, and specialty syrup (read: gula melaka) that is the
signature of the 7th mile teh c peng that’s been around for…pretty
much forever.

sbun 3 layers

This is what the new Premium 3 Layer Tea looks like. It looks very
much like a commercialized version of the said 7th mile teh c peng. The
“specialty syrup” is a thicker version of the standard gula melaka
though. It’s hard for it to dissolve into the whole concoction, even
with vigorous stirring.

sbun 3 layer mixed

The finished drink tastes exactly like the teh c peng you can get if
you’re willing to drive 7 miles away from Kuching. However, I noticed
that the gula melaka is not just pure gula melaka. They did have merit
to call it “specialty syrup” coz it has a nice overtone of mint. I
guess that’s where the additional 50 cent surcharge comes from, but
then again, you have to pay for gas to drive to 7th mile. πŸ˜‰

sbun_kano_meal_pedas.jpg

This is the Sugarbun Kano Meal. I chose the Pedas Sauce with two
pieces of chicken and savory rice. The sauce tastes great, it’s not
very hot by my standards, but it’s hot enough to please me. They
slather the stuff over the chicken very generously too, so that’s
another plus point. It’s good.

sbun kano meal close

Here’s a macro shot of the Kano chicken. I opted for a drumstick and
a piece of thigh. This is the good part of the thigh, where the meat is
juicy and tender. Mmm…chicken…

sbun ice always

This is the one thing I always drink at Sugarbun – their Ice Kacang.
It’s absolutely fabulous, much better than other implementations I’ve
ever had, any where. It costs RM 3.50, which is much higher than hawker
stalls and their ilk would charge, but it’s worth every cent. Damn good
stuff, I tell you…

Passionate Mermaid causes Earthquake

equake saturday nite

I went out with my old buddies during the weekend. William, whom I
got to know during my days in New Zealand, was back for the holidays
and we decided to open a bottle of Chivas (I wanted Hennessy Pure
White, but they didn’t carry it, so we settled for good ol Chivas) at
Earthquake.

chivas equake

Earthquake already had the pre-Christmas decorations up and like
most Saturday nights, it was packed. Here’s a video clip of Earthquake
on Saturday night:

equake prex

Download: Earthquake, Pre Xmas [sixthseal.com]

I was already on 14 mg of clonazepam and 300 mg of dihydrocodeine so
I was a little not-quite-there by the time we hit our first
destination. Nevertheless, I had the lion’s share of the Chivas which
made me rather un-sober. I also discovered that mixing Chivas with
Yeo’s Jasmine Green Tea tastes wonderful.

chivas green equake

Well, needless to say, I was pretty much gone under that three
sedative combo when we adjourned to Mermaid. I only remember having a
couple of beers before some police came in, so we moved again to
Passion.

passion post sapu

Passion was empty since a sapu operation has already hit it
earlier during the night (or morning, rather). It was pretty much empty
when we reached there at 3 am. Here’s a video clip of Passion, one of
the two big feng tau places in Kuching:

passion empty

Download: Passion, Post Sapu [sixthseal.com]

Passion’s DJ still had the bass going strong and some of our group
(which grew larger as we met more people in Mermaid) decided to take
*cough*. The rationale goes like this: “Lightning never strikes twice
at the same place” so since Passion has already been raided, it was
safe by default. It was nearly 5 am when I got home. It’s been a while
since I’ve gone for a big night out. It’s good. πŸ™‚

Li Garden Chinese Restaurant

li garden chinese restaurant

Li Garden Chinese Restaurant is located in Hock Lee Center. It’s one
of the premier Chinese restaurants in Kuching. I have also been to the
recently renovated Tsui Hua Lau restaurant, but unfortunately, I didn’t
bring my digicam coz I thought it was just going to be our weekly
meeting. A slightly similar, but different, fate befell me yesterday at
Li Garden Chinese restaurant. I didn’t take as many photos as I wanted
to, coz it was a company dinner to accommodate a guest from Taiwan. I
didn’t think it would be polite. πŸ˜‰ Hello JP!

li garden interior

Li Garden Chinese restaurant was pretty full when we got there last
night. It’s a nice place, with sealed off rooms for banquets. The decor
is not as extravagant as the newly redecorated Tsui Hua Lau though, I
didn’t see sharks swimming in large tanks. Heh!

li garden soup

The course started with soup double boiled in a classic soup holder.
It’s made with thinly chicken stomach (gizzard), a yellow date-type
thing and pepper. The double boiling method makes the soup very rich
and invigorating. The heavy pepper flavored soup is hearty and the meat
is nicely tender and chewy.

li garden peking duck

Li Garden Chinese Restaurant is famous for it’s Peking Duck. It’s
the only establishment in Kuching where they actually bring out the
whole duck on a cart and the chef expertly slices off the skin of the
Peking Duck in front of you.

li garden peking skin

I was surprised at the skilled manipulation of the chef, that
harvested all the Peking Duck skin (the part which you eat), leaving
only a juicy naked duck, white and steaming hot, on the platter, which
is then wheeled away. You don’t eat the meat of this dish, just the
skin.

li garden peking platter

Here’s what Li Garden’s Peking Duck looks like. The large platter is
served with the skin of Peking Duck, freshly sliced off the duck. It’s
served with folded round pastry, spring onions and cucumbers, and the
Peking Duck sauce.

li garden peking wrap

Basically, you take one of the folded pieces of pastry, unfold it to
reveal a round, flour dusted pastry and put a piece of Peking Duck skin
on it, with spring onions, cucumbers and sauce to taste. The pastry is
then folded like a taco and you bite into it. I love the texture of Li
Garden’s Peking Duck. The flavors are complex and heavily infused into
the crispy, yet surprisingly chewy, Peking duck skin. Divine!

li garden prawn

Next up is a plate of very nicely done deep fried butter prawns.
There’s plenty of “butter shavings” (i.e. the fried butter batter) to
complement the large prawns. The prawns are crispy and partly peeled,
with just the right amount of crunchy shell for that extra Oomph.

li garden 3 egg

There’s also a green vegetable based dish cooked duck meat and three types of
eggs – salted eggs, century eggs and normal eggs. The normal eggs are
scattered into a nice mess and the salted eggs and century eggs are
partly whole. I enjoyed this unique presentation to a simple vegetable
dish. This is where the meat from your Peking Duck goes.

li garden cabbage

The next course comes in two dishes – the main dish and a plate
containing the cabbage wrap. The main dish is a meat based one with
chai bo and it’s meant to be heaped into the cups of cabbage wrap and
eaten like that.

li garden fish

The final dish is a medallion of fish on top of rice vermicelli
cooked with various savories. It’s served on top of a large mussel
shell. I also enjoyed this dish tremendously. The fish the good part
that has the right mix of oil for a good mouth-feel and slippery and
smooth fish. Nice!

Li Garden Chinese Restaurant is a great place for a Chinese style
dinner. I’ll love to go for the Peking Duck again, but I have an
uncomfortable feeling that I won’t be able to afford it. πŸ˜‰

The Jalan Padungan resident madman

padungan crazy man

This is the Jalan Padungan resident crazy man (not a PC term), in a
more subdued situation. I’ve been wondering where he gets his sleep,
and my curiosity was finally satiated last night, when I saw him
sleeping on the sidewalk far away from his usual haunt. He was in India
Street when I caught him on my digicam.

He can be usually found wondering in an agitated manner in the
morning along Jalan Padungan. Every single day, without fail. He’s not
prone to violent behavior, though I’ve heard him shouting and mumbling
thoughts only coherant to himself while walking in his usual rapid
pace. Gotta love his dreadlocks though. πŸ˜‰

Hey, I could probably be him, stalking along Jalan Padungan some
day. God knows I have enough psychological conditions to fill the
alphabet soup. πŸ˜‰

Homey delicious opening day review

homex delicious

Homey delicious (with a fork and spoon
forming the Y – initially thought it was an X) is a food establishment
that just opened today, from the banner practically blaring out for all
to see – 2nd December, 2004. It caught our attention and we decided to
go here for lunch, it isn’t everyday you pass by an opening place.

homex interior

The interior of Homey delicious is typical of the cafes springing up
in town nowadays. It’s spacious enough to accommodate a small sized
lunch crowd, with some seating arrangements in the shaded porch. The
staff is all wearing Toga style uniforms.

homex menu

The menu is done in a color scheme that is likely to send diabetics into instant insulin shock…

homex menu burger

…and I ordered something called “Homey Burger”. I was wondering if
they meant homey as it “Yo, gimme the 411, homey” or as in “home made”
i.e. home cooking.

homex burger

This is Homey Burger when it came out of the kitchen. It instantly
confirmed that they meant home style cooking. Sheesh, I could slap
together a burger that’s better than this, in half the time they took
to bring it to our table. There is a beef patty, a slice of lettuce, a
thinly disguised slice of cheddar cheese inside a stale tasting bun. It
was disappointing.

homex prawn rice

The rice that Mancy ordered was sweet and sour chicken, but sweet
and sour prawns came out. Robyn took it anyway, coz he likes prawns. It
tasted alright, best dish during lunch.

homex ginger chicken

Here’s ginger chicken rice. It’s not too bad, but the food turnover
time is unacceptable. Granted, they did note that a 20 minute wait is
expected, but still…for a working lunch crowd?

homex chicken

This is the real dish that Mancy ordered – sweet and sour chicken.
It tasted okay, and it came with one of them rice worms and a single
strand of hair. πŸ˜‰ 5 minutes later, another plate of sweet and sour chicken came out! Jesus Christ…

We promptly sent it back.

homex special ice

This is easily the best thing in Homey delicious – Homey Special, a
concoction of fruits and jelly topped with shaved ice. It’s great for a
hot day and today is a bit of a scorcher.

Well, I can’t say this review would be indicative of what the
service would be like once they sort out their teething problems. Homey
delicious might still have potential yet. The people there are polite
and apologetic about the mistakes, so all is good. I will go again
after a couple of months for another evaluation…

Ericsson T-28s is dead

t28s dead

My trusty Ericsson T-28s is dead! Long live Ericsson T-28s! It has
served me well for over four years until it inexplicably died yesterday
night.

Now I need to get a new cell phone, and fast. I’m looking for
GPRS/EDGE, good integrated digicam, XHTML/HTML support and stuff like
that. The one I’m eying is the Nokia 6630 though I must admit; brand
loyalty makes me reluctant to choose a Nokia phone. I’ll rather go Sony
Ericsson.

Suggestions anyone?

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