Year: 2006

Dig your own hole

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dig your own hole df118 rx

I’ve been really sick for the past few days due to The Bird Nesting By My Windows Part III (long time readers will know what I’m talking about) it’s been giving me sinus problems, diarrhea, pains and aches over by body, fever and insomnia (despite my healthy regiment of benzodiazepines). I wake up everyday feeling like shit and the thing is, I don’t know if it’s avian flu (very low probability) or I’m just dope sick (opiate withdrawal – symptoms sound familiar to you? ;))

dig your own hole df118 today

It’s a good thing that I managed to get 60 tablets of DF-118 (dihydrocodeine 30 mg tablets) scripted just now. I kinda messed up my story a little but this doctor knows everything about me, hell, so does the other, they’ve been seeing me for two years, it would take a fool to not see that I have a drug problem (the doctor was not fooled when I accidentally injected methamphetamine into an artery and told him I snagged my wrist on a rusty nail).

dig your own hole df118

(after scripting me the 60 x DF-118)
Doctor #1: *sigh* Huai Bin, you know you have a problem right?
Me: Yeah…I’m trying to sort things out but work is kinda hectic, you know…
Doctor #1: *sigh* Huai Bin, I really hope you can get off of these. It’s not helping you know.
Me: I know doc (actually I don’t ;)) but thanks for scripting me anyway, yeah? I appreciate it.

(after consuming all of his two new DF-118 500 tablet containers he ordered for me)
Doctor #2: Huai Bin, you come here several times a week and I’ve been through your medical records and I’m thinking that you’re not on maintenance anymore but you’re escalating your doses.
(This is the doctor who’s been treating me for years and has given me an infinite supply of maintenance benzodiazepines – Dormicum, Xanax, and Rivotril but is starting to get worried about my opiate use)
Me: You know doctor, work has been very stressful, and the opiates really help me get through the day.
(This doctor has scripted me Oxycontin before and also knows about my drug problems)
Me: I mean, the plan for this is for off-label harm reduction use right? I don’t want to go back to getting alternative non-pharmaceutical opiates (a euphemism for street heroin)
(We don’t actually talk about the fact that I use drugs intravenously – we walk around the issue – but he knows I’m safe about it – no sharing, one needle for each hit etc plus I have an excellent blood work record at his place, no transmissible diseases)
Doctor #2: You’re a really intelligent person, Huai Bin…I just don’t understand how someone like you would get yourself into this. I’ve seen kids coming in trying to get Nospan (Dextromethorphan – DXM a cheap high for the lower income folks) but you’re not like them.
Me: I’m just trying to get through the day, to smooth the edges a little…
Doctor #2: Don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think you have any intention of maintaining the dose – you’re increasing the dose. I know you’re on other opiates and I don’t want you to get involved in alternative non-pharmaceutical opiates in the interests of harm reduction. Don’t go down that road again, Huai Bin. I’ve run out of DF-118 and I cannot prescribe you any more opiates coz I don’t want you to dig a larger hole than you’re already in. I know you can get opiates elsewhere but I want you to think seriously about MRT.
(MRT = Methadone Replacement Therapy, recently initiated and only available in KL and I would have no problems getting into the program coz of my drug arrest and a letter of recommendation from my Case Officer in PDRM Narcotics Department, which I’m still close to)
Me: I can’t get away from work for long periods of time. How long will it take?
Doctor #2: I can write a letter of recommendation for 2 months. I think it would take that long for you to taper off…
Me: I definitely cannot go for rehab (MRT is a self-check in rehab with no restrictions e.g. you don’t have to stay in there for a fixed period but you can check yourself out anytime) for that long. Can you allow me to taper myself off? I’m interested in fentanyl patches (Duragesic patches) – the lowest dose is .25 ucg and you wear the patch for the whole day, much like a nicotine patch. Can you do that for me doctor?
Doctor #2: That is for cancer patients with terminal pain but I can accept a harm reduction taper program. Give me an honest answer…how long do you think you will need to be on it?
Me: Two weeks. It comes in a box of 5 patches so probably 3 boxes of Duragesic.
Doctor #2: Alright, I’ll make an Indent Order for that. But after this, there’s no more opiates alright? Just benzos, I can accept that due to your anxiety issues but no more opiates ok? This will be the last taper course.
Me: Okay doctor, I promise.
Doctor #2: Okay, I’ll get them in for you next week. Take care of yourself Huai Bin, I hope you can get off it by this.

Thus, I have some Duragesic patches coming in next week. Fentanyl, baby! =D

(The patches are injectable too if you get out the fentanyl)

w00t!

Anyway, I’m going on-site for work now. Will reply all the comment later.

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Stone Ice review

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stone ice

Stone Ice is a popular iced dessert and rojak specialty outlet that has been operating for years at the top floor of the commercial portion of Saberkas building. The shop occupies almost the entire area and the name stems from its initial foray into iced desserts and the decor.

stone ice seating

Stone Ice has seating arrangements made of solid rock in a part Roman part prehistoric theme. The tall pillars leading up to the ordering counter is decorated by the random tall brush and small decorative areas with creeping vines and stones. It’s like a small Zen garden in the austere shopping mall.

stone ice bar

Stone Ice is a self-service eating establishment – there are different sections on the long bar counter for ordering. The two main flagship products are located in the iced dessert (ABC Special or Ice Kacang) section and the rojak (fruit salad) section.

stone ice counter

This is the iced dessert and rojak section. Stone Ice pioneered the open kitchen concept long before the term was coined. There are selections of fresh fruit, dried nuts, and other items on display here. The user is given a bowl and chooses the ingredients they want in their iced dessert or rojak.

stone ice dessert platter

The iced dessert containers have the usual suspects like cendol, sweet corn, mixed fruits and various colored jellies. You choose the stuff you want in your iced dessert from this section and put it into your bowl.

stone ice dessert dried fruits

There is also an additional section for the users who wants to spice up their iced dessert with unorthodox ingredients – there is a variety of dried fruits and herbs you can opt for.

stone ice dessert choice 1

This is the stuff I put into my bowl – there are peaches, corn, black jelly (a jelly made from herbs), and miscellaneous jellies to add texture to the final product.

stone ice dessert choice 2

I also added some dried fruits to the bowl coz I like eating stuff with different tastes and textures. The bowl is charged a standard price and it’s passed to the attendant on duty for processing.

stone ice dessert attendant

The attendant puts shaved ice on top of the ingredients and tops it with a healthy pouring of evaporated milk and sugar syrup.

stone ice dessert

This is what the finished product looks like – the ingredients are all at the bottom of the bowl just like what a local shaved ice dessert should look like.

stone ice dessert done

Here’s a closer look at the shaved ice dessert. There are an infinite number of different variants which you can make due to the user customization of the ingredients that goes into the shaved ice dessert. It’s a great concept!

stone ice rojak choice

The rojak here is what Kuching citizens usually go for. Stone Ice is famous for the same reasons it’s renowned for good iced desserts – the rojak is customizable from an array of different platters of fruit, tofu and even lok lok (deep fried seafood).

stone ice rojak mango

The customer is given a container and you fill up that container from the ingredients that’s on offer. I like my rojak to have plenty of fresh mangos…

stone ice rojak jambu

…and jambu batu (a water soaked local fruit) as well as pink guava.

stone ice rojak selection

Here’s a closer look at the my container – it’s filled with fruits and I also added some deep fried crab sticks (at the bottom left) and some squid (bottom right) coz I like zany ingredients with fruit. Can you see why Stone Ice is a stoner paradise now? 😉

stone ice rojak weight

The rojak is sold by weight…the container is put on a weighing scale and the amount charged according to how heavy it is. Fruits like nectarines are lighter and so is tofu but I really don’t like tofu so I just add a little of it.

stone ice rojak assembly

The rojak you selected is sent for further processing after the weighing process. It’s like a mini assembly line. This is where the rojak is cut and mixed up with rojak sauce and peanuts and chilli (if you opt for it) for the final product.

stone ice rojak attendant

The attendant will start cutting the selections into bite sized pieces and mix it in a large bowl (which happens to be a stone bowl, and could be a possible etymology of the establishment’s name) with grounded peanuts and rojak sauce (a sweet dark sauce).

stone ice rojak cut

The rojak is done individually and that adds to the appeal of the rojak over here. The antiseptic cleanliness of the bar doesn’t hurt either. You can see octopus legs here if you squint at my choices. Octopus legs with rojak rocks my socks off (no pun intended).

stone ice rojak mix

The mixing of the ingredients is done by dousing the stuff you chose with rojak sauce. The rojak is made by a wooden spatula slowly integrating the ingredients in a semi-uniform manner and allowing each piece to be covered by the sauce.

stone ice rojak

Stone Ice rojak is served on disposable Styrofoam containers with toothpicks and half a lime, topped with finely grounded peanuts and pork floss (by request).

stone ice rojak done

It’s great stuff…

Stone Ice is Stoner’s Heaven. 🙂

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Tequila lollipop with real worm review

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tequila lollipop wrap

I received a Saran wrapped package from the US with a tequila lollipop containing a real worm inside and a note which says “If he’s not in Jail, pass to 6 Seal at 016 8883166”. Thanks for the vote of confidence, Eddie [cooknengr.com]. :p

tequila lollipop single

The tequila flavored lollipop with a real worm comes courtesy of Eddie who came back from the US a while ago before heading back for work again. The lollipop is called HotLix and it’s called “Tequila Flavor with Worm” and lists Malitol syrup, Insect Larva, natural and artificial flavoring as the ingredients.

tequila lollipop worm

This is a closer look at the tequila flavored lollipop containing a genuine tequila worm inside. The tequila worm is listed as “insect larvae” and it’s technically a caterpillar that lives on the leaves on the mescal plant and it’s usually called an “agave worm”. There is no worm in tequila of course, but this marketing perpetuated myth has produced some interesting products. 🙂

tequila lollipop open

The tequila flavored lollypop with worm tastes great – but the syrupy lollypop kept on sticking to my tongue piercing stud. It’s a very sticky lollypop which smoothes out towards the end and the are hints of tequila flavor (agave) shines through after the initial sugary taste. The objective is to suck on it until the tequila worm comes out. The tequila worm (technically insect larvae) tastes great!

tequila lollipop worm lick

Oh, hello!

Mmm…tastes like chicken. 🙂

Scratch that…it actually tastes a little crunchy and has a deep fried texture to it; so I would say it tastes like deep fried chicken skin. 😉

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Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition (Japan)

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kit kat strawberry japan

Nestle came out with a limited edition strawberry flavored Kit Kat in Japan. fish fish [blogspot.com] kindly brought it back for me but I forgot to take it the first time and only managed to get it when I went out for dinner with her a couple of days ago. The Japanese Kit Kat box is very well designed with images of strawberries and a photo of the actual Kit Kat Strawberry bar printed in front.

kit kat strawberry japan box

Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition is packaged in the specially designed cardboard box pioneered by Japan that has evolved into the standard limited edition Kit Kat packaging now. The distinctive packaging is filled with kanji and hiragana characters and has a side perforation which opens up to reveal the individually wrapped twin bars that has become the benchmark for limited edition Kit Kats around the world.

kit kat strawberry japan bars

The Japanese Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition cardboard box contains 2 x 2 wafer bars in a nicely designed wrapper which features a pink color scheme and strawberry outlines in bright aluminum foil interspaced throughout the wrapper. The back of the individually wrapped twin bars is inscribed with “Have a break, have a KitKit” and it’s really nicely designed compared to Malaysian efforts.

kit kat strawberry japan open

Nestle Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition (Japan) opens up to reveal the familiar Kit Kat layout with a distinctive strawberry scent wafting out as soon as the foil is perforated. It’s amazing…they got the strawberry fragrance spot on, and I immediately felt like eating it! The bars are nicely pressed too, with speckles of bright red containing bits of strawberry pieces in a pink strawberry flavored coating.

kit kat strawberry japan bite

Nestle Japan Kit Kat Strawberry Limited Edition tastes great! The taste test does not disappoint – it seems that the wafers in the Japanese edition of Kit Kat is much better than the ones we get over here…it has an almost melt-in-the-mouth texture and the middle of the wafers is coated with strawberry paste too, making this one extremely strawberry-licious Kit Kat! 🙂

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Man selling crabs at the roadside

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roadside crabs

I saw a man selling crabs at the roadside while on the way back to the office just now. I didn’t get any, obviously, since my kitchen amenities are meager (understatement of the year) but my CTO grabbed one. One kilogram of live crabs (about 4-5 crabs depending on size) goes for RM 8 in a nice bunch.

roadside crabs serious

The man has got a serious case of crabs…

Lame jokes aside, I’m putting up my bets for tonight as requested. I’m going for Iran (no concedes) and Argentina (conceding one goal) at a stake of RM 300 each.

I’m pretty much spent from work today so I’m going to turn in early and catch some sleep before going on-site again tomorrow. Work has been very hectic as of late (which was why I couldn’t go to Cambodia) so I’ll reply the comments when I can.

Good luck!

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Prozac Nation

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prozac nation

I’m back to taking Prozac for depression again…20 mg of fluoxetine once a day. I’m not sure if it really helps to be honest, but it doesn’t not-help either. *shrugs*

World Cup 2006 winnings to date: RM 2,350

Switzerland vs. Togo
Asian Handicap Odds: Switzerland conceding 1 (one) goal
Bet: Switzerland (RM 300)
Result: 2-0

I took Switzerland on this match – and they trashed Togo. I wasn’t actually sure about this match and I took some time pondering whether to take Togo (actually started typing it in the SMS) before deciding on Switzerland…just coz they are a liberal country with regards to drugs. Switzerland pioneered the heroin injection clinics for harm reduction and MDMA research is being conducted there for PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

Germany vs. Ecuador
Asian Handicap Odds: Germany conceding 1 1/2 goal
Bet: Germany (RM 300)
Result: 3-0

I went for Germany despite the odds coz Germany happens to be the host team and I think that counts for a lot…and it turns out to be the right choice, a sound trashing along the lines of 3 goals without conceding a single one.

Sweden vs. England
Asian Handicap Odds: England conceding 0X goal
Bet: England (RM 300)
Result: 2-2 (draw)

I didn’t want to bet on England – it was my girlfriend who suggested it. England, she said. David Beckham, she said. Thus, I humored her and bet RM 300 on it. It’s a 0X odds (basically if it’s a draw you lose half if you took England) so I lost RM 150 on this match. I still won overall last night though due to a full win from the Germany match. Therefore, I only won RM 150 last night after deducting this loss from the Germany win.

It seems that my winning streak is over based on the England loss last night – I suspect it could be due to the fact that I announced it just before the playoffs which somehow caused the undersea Internet cables to radiate at that particular time space continuum and following the chaos theory of physics somehow caused the 90th minute score by Sweden to clear the goal post. Butterfly effect and all that…. :p

Anyway, I’ll reply the comments later – I’m working on-site right now…

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The Empire Strikes Back

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empire strikes back

Empire [sixthseal.com] is one of my favorite hairstylist establishments in Kuching. The place has got it all – chicks, chicks, and more chicks. 😉 I went to get a haircut there – the hairstylist I use is always the same, so I probably should dub her the official sixthseal.com hairstylist. 😉

empire strikes girl flash

She remembers me despite the time lapse since the previous time I was here – a full two years with Bernice – and she’s a really nice person. I like her.

empire strikes girl

This is another shot of the hairstylist without flash – I think the skin tone looks better in this one, though she was a little bit shy in this shot. This captures her real life persona better, I should post up a video since she looks much better in real life and videos can capture that elusive essence of spirit better than a static photo can.

empire strikes both

This would be the obligatory photo of us. She always has subjects to talk to me about while cutting my hair (which is the mark of a professional hairstylist, IMHO) and I think I’m infatuated with her. 😉

P/S – Iskalla, if you have any doubts of the improvement in my drug use practices, just check out the previous link to Empire – I was practically a carcass then, heading at breakneck speed (no pun intended) towards the dark depths of heavy methamphetamine use.

World Cup 2006 winnings to date: RM 1,900

Japan vs. Croatia
Asian Handicap Odds: Croatia conceding one (1) goal
Bet: Japan (RM 300)
Result: 0-0 (draw)

This updates my winnings by RM 300. I think I’m on a winning streak – I had wanted to bet on Ghana on Saturday night but I was too sick to make the call so I lost out RM 300 (the amount I bet on smaller matches – I go up exponentially in the Group of 16, Semis, and Finals) on that one. I had also wanted to go for Korea (which would have won due to the goal concede by France) but I was too dope sick to think straight, so I just went for Japan. Thus, the (projected) RM 2,500 winnings have shrunk to RM 1,900 but then again, if I had bet, the butterfly effect just might have made the respective teams lose so I’m glad with the current winnings. I haven’t lost a single match (but did draw once during the England vs. Trinidad match) so I probably should put up my predictions, huh? 😉

…only thing is, my predictions are based on punting on the Asian handicap betting system and not on the matches itself per se. Thus, I need to see the odds before I place my predictions.

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barZ!ing girl

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barzing girl

This is one of the waitresses in barZ!ng at Travillion Mall. The photo is a bit out of focus so there’s another obligatory one with me in it.

barzing girl me

I don’t remember her name but she’s real friendly and accommodating. She looks much better in real life too!

P/S – I know I look fucked up. Opiates, benzodiazepines and alcohol tend to do that to people. 😉

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Li Bai Fusion Cafe review

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li bai fusion cafe

Li Bai Fusion Cafe is the latest eating establishment in the Padungan district. The Padungan area is fast becoming a catalyst for concept gastronomic outlets and Li Bai Fusion Cafe just opened its doors to the public less than a month ago. I went to check it out with Yie Hui last night after meeting her at bing!

li bai fusion cafe shop

Li Bai Fusion Cafe (sometimes spelled Lee Bai) has a great signboard at the establishment – it features a caricature of Li Bai (a famous Chinese poet) followed by the Chinese characters spelling out his name and the words fusion cafe is small font at the bottom. It is owned by Grick Liew from Kitchen Asylum Sdn. Bhd. – a friendly guy who told us about the operations of the place.

li bai fusion cafe alcove

Li Bai Fusion Cafe has a small glass encased alcove at the ground floor which has nice bamboo features (the bamboo theme is central to the Li Bai Fusion Cafe decor) and a cohesive theme which includes Chinese style wood paneling and cordons as well as Chinese style tea ceremony seating. The open ground floor area is a smoking zone and there are waitresses to seat you upstairs at the no-smoking air conditioned dining area.

li bai fusion cafe interior

The dining area on the first floor is much larger and features a lot of Li Bai (the Chinese poet) writings on the walls and bamboo shoots in a glass feature at the center wall. The seating arrangements are similar to the Chinese style tea ceremony seating at the ground floor and there’s a small staff area which includes a dumb waiter for the kitchen downstairs to deliver the food up.

li bai fusion cafe lighting

Li Bai Fusion Cafe has bright florescent lighting (and even a streetlamp!) with halogen lights angled down to feature the writings of the Chinese poet which the place is named after. The bright florescent lighting feels cold, but it imparts a feeling of sanitization and cleanliness (which is next to Godliness, or so I hear).

li bai fusion cafe vip

There is also a VIP seating area (or private dining area) at the back of the eating establishment – and the unusual aspect about Li Bai Fusion Cafe implementation of this space is that it’s semi-open. The dining area is built inside a wooden structure with sliding doors and the patrons and tables are visible from the outside.

li bai fusion juice

Fresh Juice (RM 3.80)
I think this is apple juice. Yie Hui ordered this one and she said it was good.

li bai fusion chicken

Nyonya Style Chicken (RM 10)
This is the main dish that the waitress recommended. The fusion cafe moniker is very apt in this case – Li Bai Fusion Cafe serves up Chinese cuisine with influences from a lot of other disciplines of cooking. It tastes great – the chicken is spicy and sweet at the same time.

li bai fusion yin yang

Yin Yang (RM 6)
Yin Yang is a dish which comprises flat noodles (kueh tiaw) and rice vermicelli (bee hoon) mixed in equal parts (which gives it the name). The rice vermicelli is deep fried before being soaked into the flat noodles (kueh tiaw) gravy so it maintains its crunchiness at the beginning and becomes soggy towards the end.

li bai fusion yin yang macro

The Yin Yang dish has a mixture of ingredients such as chicken, prawns and crab sticks, as well as vegetables. It was rather bland – that’s the verdict from the both of us.

li bai fusion rice

“Jin Zhen Tou” (RM 7.50)
This rice based dish has heavy influences from Indonesian cuisine – it’s basically a version of nasi pattaya (fried rice wrapped in an omelet) served with a side of orange chicken (chicken cooked with orange). I like the orange slices arranged on the dish…it gives it a bit of presentation flair. The rice dish is not just topped with an omelet but completely wrapped inside a large omelet.

li bai fusion rice macro

This is what the dish looks like inside – you can definitely tell I wasn’t the one who started eating it from the clean break. 😉 The fried rice has oatmeal mixed into it and that gives it a sweet texture at times. I like the orange chicken too, it tastes great, but Yie Hui is not a big fan of sweet gravy with rice. I am though. This comes highly recommended from me.

li bai fusion snow frog

Snow Frog (RM 10)
This is one of the desserts we ordered – it’s a traditional Chinese herbal drink that’s supposed to be “cooling”. It tastes sweet.

li bai fusion dessert

Fresh “Xi Mi Lu” (RM 10.50)
This dessert is a milk based concoction with an assortment of ingredients inside. The desserts at Li Bai Fusion Cafe is available either chilled or hot. This is the chilled version.

li bai fusion dessert macro

There is an assortment of fruits and jellies inside this dessert and that distinct evaporated milk taste which predominantly dominates the dessert. I like evaporated milk (a thick and creamy milk) so this went down really well with me.

li bai fusion cafe end

Li Bai Fusion Cafe is worth checking out if you’re around the Padungan area and is interested in Chinese style dining with influences from other cuisines. Li Bai Fusion Cafe also has a large repertoire of dishes on the menu from double boiled soups to fish.

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