Month: March 2009

Nightfall at Sekeping Serendah Retreat

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bbq

Sekeping Serendah offers just about the ideal place for a barbecue at night – there’s the sound of nature seeping through the peace and quiet of the forest, a cool breeze blowing into the patio, and the sound of running water from the brook. It’s just so chill. The caretaker has already…er, taken care of the BBQ when we finished our extended swim and soak session in the private pool.

fire

The BBQ pit is an old fashioned receptacle with a mesh grill over it and good old fashioned charcoal covering the bottom. I helped to man the BBQ pit for a while, ensuring all the charcoal is evenly burned before Joyce and Windy took over. I’m not good in gauging food readiness, since I can eat raw food so I left it to better hands. 😉

flame

There are no restaurants or anything of that sort in Sekeping Serendah so you’ll have to either bring your own food or cater from the caretaker (RM 20 per pax) for dinner. We had the foresight (?) to bring our own food. A trip to the local Giant for supplies ensured we had enough food and drinks to last the night. The grocery shopping bill came close to a whopping RM 400 but a large part of that was due to ethanol based beverages.

food

We got lamb chops, fish, chicken wings, corn on the cob and eggs for the barbecue. I got eggs coz no one believed me when I said eggs can be cooked on a BBQ by just putting it right on the grill. It really works – I’ve done it numerous times before. We also got a lot of bottled water and fruit juices for hydration. For the dehydration part, a bottle of Absolut Vodka was procured.

warming

I would have thought that would be enough but apparently not – I’m in the company of veterans here, much to my surprise. It was decided that we’re getting another bottle of liqueur – Kwai Feh Lychee Liqueur which Windy swears is the best thing she ever had. The bottle describes the history of the liqueur very poetically – “Emperor Ming of the Tang dynasty supplied his charming consort with a specialty for which she craved and was richly rewarded with her delightful smiles and appreciative heart.” Okay.

grilling

We also got a bottle of Merlot for good measure. I was a bit apprehensive about the amount at first – a bottle of vodka, a bottle of liqueur and a bottle of red wine for three people, two of whom I didn’t think could drink much.

bbq sauce

…and guess what, we were drinking the Absolut Vodka neat from the bottle without any mixers and nearly finished it before we even got to Sekeping Serendah Retreat! OMG! I knew we wouldn’t have enough alcohol at that point. Thus, I managed to persuade the caretaker to drive out to town at about 10 pm and get us some cheap, locally distilled vodka (RM 45).

plate

This is our dinner. I had the black corn, lamb, fish, and an egg. Everything was grilled to perfection! Kudos to the girls for manning the BBQ.

fish

I didn’t even know fish had to be disemboweled before slapping it on the grill. We used real butter to cook the food and had a bottle of BBQ sauce to go with it. It was great eating under the moonlight with a Styrofoam cup of red wine. The food somehow tasted better under the stars.

girls

We started playing Blackjack after that with the bottle of Kwai Feh Lychee Liqueur and finished it in less than 10 minutes. (!) That leaves the dodgy vodka which left everyone (including me – and I’ve drank a lot of shitty alcohol) apprehensive as soon as it was opened. The smell of the vodka is…revolting. I don’t have a better adjective to describe it.

bbq food

I think everyone puked that night courtesy of the dodgy vodka with a distinctive methanol odor. It probably had a legion of other unidentified non-ethanol spirits inside. I puked straight after drinking it but was still sober and slept only at around 4 am. I made sure that the caretaker would bring us breakfast (RM 5 per pax) which is a choice of either roti canai or nasi lemak before sleeping for about four hours.

food done

It was a great trip despite all three of us throwing up before the night was over. 😉

drinking

Regurgitation Register:
Joyce: 7
Windy: 2
Huai Bin: 1

It was technically twice for me too, but the first time was not directly ethanol related. I forced myself to puke coz I was full and wanted more space in my stomach to…er, fit more alcohol in. :p

dog

I have much respect for Windy, she drank almost as much as me and managed to hold her liquor. 🙂

Who’s going to Sunburst KL09?

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korn_2009

Who’s going to Sunburst? I’m particularly interested in this music festival coz Korn is headlining it. I’ve always been a big fan of Korn and the first ever korncert (pardon the pun) I went to was their show in Christchurch, New Zealand when I was 15. I was in the mosh pit. It was awesome – they had gigantic replica blow up genitalia hanging from the ceiling and the crowd was super energetic. I love their music, even though they kinda fit the term “sell-out” after the second album.

…but that’s digressing. I still love them (don’t know why, it’s just like how I still love Green Day and Offspring – they’re the bands I grew up with).

office

We’re very passionate about music in the office – we even have a resident DJ (who’s actually a designer) playing music all day long. Naturally, all of us at the office are looking forward to Sunburst KL09 – we have a couple of Korn fans (literally a couple, there are only two Korn fans in the office, I’m sad to report), a legion of Erykah Badu admirers and a sprinkling of people into the local music scene. I guess that says a lot about the demographics of our office…mainstream. 🙂

Sunburst KL09 is the annual music festival held on the grounds of Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club with the biggest names in international music playing alongside regional and local talent. It’s a source of great discussion at my workplace (usually centered on whether Korn is coming). It’s also home to the iconic Sun and Sky stage:

fest

The Sun and Sky stage will be the main platforms though there are 6 different stages in total. This one day 12-hour music festival features names like Korn (I like!), Erykah Badu, Skye, and Butterfingers. There is also a beer garden, so you won’t have to worry about liquid refreshment. 😉

I’ve gotten myself a ticket to Sunburst KL09 early on but relinquished it to a coworker coz I’m kinda broke this month. I’ve been saving up for the tickets when I saw the U.O.X. Sunburst promotion. There are a lot of people under 25 in my office and some of them are U.O.X. members so I persuaded one of my coworkers to join and pass me one of the tickets if she wins.

It’s just two simple steps to win 2 FREE tickets worth RM 203 each if you’re a U.O.X. member:

1. Type REGFREETIX and send to 28881
2. Upon receiving confirmation via SMS, just reload RM 30 before 17 March 2009 for a chance to win

MeTV is also running a promotion where you can win a pair of exclusive Meet & Greet passes plus 2 FREE tickets worth RM 203 each.

I like the idea of submitting fan videos so I decided to shoot a video using one of Korn’s tracks. Plus, I figured joining both would increase my chances of winning. 😉

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Record your best “I want to be at Sunburst KL09” video or picture.
2. Send your video or picture via MMS to 26388

Meanwhile, if you want to watch, rate & download Sunburst videos on MeTV:

Step 1: Log on to http://wap.channelx.com.my from your mobile
Step 2: Go to Fun Stuff and select MeTV
Step 3: Click on the Sunburst category.
Step 4: Watch, rate (my video) or download any of the listed videos.

masthead

This is my interpretation of Korn’s a.d.i.d.a.s. – the video took a rather long time to shoot due to some of the cast not being able to make it on a weekend night. I like how it turned out though – it’s remarkably similar to my vision despite having to make some last minute changes to the script.

My Sunburst submission is a departure from my recent videos and a return to the old sixthseal.com videos – dark, gritty, and realistic. I feel it kinda gels with the mood in the first and second album Korn produced. I wanted to pay homage to my favorite band and do something extra for the MeTV Sunburst promotion.

bored

I really hope I win. *fingers crossed* I want to go to Sunburst KL09! Just look at my mundane and boring existence in the video! It’s all work, surfing the net at home, and casual se…er, searching for meaning in life. 😉 I need to get out more.

…more than anything, I want to win the Meet & Greet passes to see Korn! =D

Absolut Pears

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absolut pears

I managed to get a 1 liter bottle of Absolut Pears for RM 43 thanks to Charlz. Her friend was in Langkawi and managed to bring back one bottle for me, which she passed to me just now. BTW, the beverage on her desk is guava juice – note that the seal to the Absolut Pears is intact. 😉

Charlz, we put it to Good Use (TM). =D

In sleep he sang to me
In dreams he came
That voice that calls to me and speaks my name
…and do I dream again for now I find
The Phantom of the Opera is there
Inside my mind

Sing once again with me
Our strange duet
My power over you grows stronger yet
…and though you turn from me to glance behind
The Phantom of the Opera is here
Inside your mind…

Sekeping Serendah retreat

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mud shed

Sekeping Serendah is a Zen like retreat in the middle of the jungle. Touted as a place with a minimal footprint on the environment, I was introduced to this retreat by a coworker who’s been there. Sekeping Serendah literally means “A piece of Serendah” in Malay. Serendah is the town where the retreat is located at – it’s an Orang Asli (native) settlement area.

shower

Karen (my coworker – seen in the breakfast photo) was quite pleased with her experience there last time so I called up Christina and booked a glass shed. Unfortunately, being a long weekend and all, they were all out of glass sheds. The other option is the timber shed, which is also fully occupied. Sekeping Serendah only had the mud huts left so we went for that option.

serendah sculpture

This is the famous Sekeping Serendah metal sculpture. It turns out that there’s only a couple of sheds in Sekeping Serendah – 5 in total, if I’m not mistaken. It’s a very private retreat, perfect for relaxing in the green forest reserve and swim in the pool and just generally chill out – BBQ at night, hear the crickets sing their song. It’s a little slice of heaven just an hour away from the bustling city.

serendah sign

The sign to turn in the place is a little obscure (understatement of the year) so watch out for a white house with a blue roof. You need to turn left right before that. If you get out of your car, move some shrubs away and brush at this little concrete block on the ground, you’ll see that it says “Sekeping Serendah” if you squint hard and long enough. 😉

serendah entrance

You’ll head up a small dirt road lined with trees which will bring you to a rustic looking wall made of bricks. You’ll see the retreat right after that – if you’re on a heavily graveled road instead of a smooth dirt road, you’ve taken a wrong turn and would very likely need assistance if you go further in.

arrive montage

You can park right outside the only road to the sheds. The sheds are all partially covered by shrubs, with only clay brick steps leading up to the elevated living quarters. It offers a lot of shade (from the sun), shelter (from the rain), and privacy (from other people) – all three of which we experienced.

hut montage

The mud sheds have air conditioning, a fridge, a wash basin, open concept showers and washrooms, and clay partitions. The beds are thoughtfully fitted with mosquito netting to ensure a night of untroubled sleep. There are no modern distracting amenities like TV and your cell phone won’t work over here so it’s a perfect place to get reacquainted with nature. Everything is concealed – they do have hot water but the piping is hidden so you feel like you’re really living under the trees…

serendah montage

…which in fact you are. The forest canopy combined with the brilliant open style architecture allows the open skies to be literally above your head when you lounge in the patio and when you shower. Coupled with the truncated tree trunks in the patio and the brook running through the entire retreat, it’s like you’re completely isolated from your worries, and there’s just you and your friends.

pool montage

The private swimming pool is an excellent place to soak after the ordeal that we went through. We headed straight for the pool as soon as we got there and put our bags in the mud shed. The caretaker was kind enough to ask if we wanted to barbecue stuff at night and kindly offered to provide charcoal and light the fire.

nice

Meanwhile, we hit the swimming pool, relaxed in the cool, refreshing water and talked about stuff while soaking in the refreshingly cold water. I would say it’s a great place for company outings and bonding sessions, stuff like that. I was in the pool with Joyce and Windy until we were all wrinkled from the water and it was getting too cold to stay. It was dark by the time we got back to the mud shed.

relax

The canopy of trees above your head as you swim and laze around really makes for a relaxing experience.

It’s like a slice of paradise.
 
Just be careful of the pole supporting the curtain that covers the shower and washroom – it’s not anchored and very prone to falling down at the most inappropriate moments. -_-”

The epic journey to Sekeping Serendah

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breakfast

The trip started off normally enough – it was supposed to be an overnight stay at a relaxing retreat about an hour away from KL. We had breakfast and bought some groceries for the barbecue at night before driving down…

serenti

…I even managed to drop by my alma mater. 😉

Sekeping Serendah is supposed to be about 10 km after Serenti Serendah. I drove up too far, got some wrong directions from a local and drove into a gravel stretch of road. The website did mention a “narrow road” so I pushed on despite the numerous hazards on the road, nay, gravel path.

stuck

I drove into a deep pothole about 2 kilometers in. I tried to reverse,
failed to get a grip on the sandy gravel and had to get out. We came
out with this idea of putting rocks under the tires for traction and I
managed (with much acceleration and damage to the car) to reverse out…

…straight into another deep pothole. -_-“

ideas

This time I was really stuck and Joyce and Windy came out with a couple of…er, innovative ideas, including jacking up the front of the car (Windy: You have comprehensive car insurance right?) but it was to no avail. We were stuck in the middle of nowhere!

arrive

Thus, I called the retreat and asked for a tow truck. We were stranded there for two hours while waiting for the tow truck guys to come. It was certainly an Experience (TM). 😉

tow

The people fixed a length of rope to my car…

out

…and I reversed it out with the help of the 4WD towing me. The strange thing about these kind souls is that they wouldn’t accept payment of any sort. Cheers!

shop

The ordeal gave me cracks on both my rear tires and it was decided that a trip to the tire shop was in order so I won’t burst it driving back, lose control of the car, crash, and kill everyone. Damage for replacing both rear tires: RM 320.

fail

Oh well, at least I got a certificate as a testament to my driving skillz. 😉

The Second Coming of Hypp.TV

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laundry

Hear ye, hear ye! I stand witness to the latest revolution in broadband TV. It happened not in a manger in Bethlehem but at Laundry Bar, the Curve and instead of three wise kings, we had a motley crew of characters including Captain Jack Sparrow, Elvis Presley, and Princess Leia.

montage

I registered at the Media/Bloggers booth and checked out what they have to offer. Hypp.TV is the first online broadband TV service in Malaysia – exclusively for Streamyx users. There were demo computers showing the service pre-launch but before I checked them out, I indulged in the customary ritual whenever a significant amount of bloggers congregate…

camwhore

Camwhore.

part

You gotta admit, I look the part. I substituted gin for whiskey. Sign of the times, my friends. 😉

ringo

ABBA – Mamma Mia!

st

Elvis has left the Curve.

cynthia

Princess Diana survived the crash.

dance

There was a highly energetic dance performance to hype, er…Hypp.TV up the crowd…

unveiling

…before the official unveiling ceremony was done.

group

I quite liked the short and concise introduction to Hypp.TV – it flits through the channels they have, touches on the new features of the Hypp.TV media player before flicking through the sheer amount of content genres in the system.

pip

The best thing about the Hypp.TV media player is the ability for you to click on a link you’re interested in, which opens up a browser window while minimizing the broadband TV screen (much like the Picture in Picture function on TVs) so you can read the news while watching the latest soccer match. Of all the features, this is the one that impressed me the most. Another click takes you back to the full screen broadband TV screen. Nifty, eh?

Interested? Getting started is just 3 easy steps away!

1. Sign Up for a Hypp.TV account
Register a user account for free under the Free SIGN UP tab.

2. Launch Hypp.TV Media Player
Launch Hypp.TV Media Player under the Watch NOW! tab.

3. Sign In on Hypp.TV Media Player
Once Hypp.TV Media Player is launched, just sign in to watch!

press

There is another press conference after the public unveiling, but before I could digest all that information (no pun intended) I needed some food first.

food

The Hypp.TV relaunch is explained in further detail in the press conference, which we were privy to. It costs RM 9.90 per month for a full subscription to the service, which allows you to watch more than 30 channels. You’ll be spoilt for choice with channels like Al-Jazeera English (great for the occasional Osama videotaped broadcast), Channel NewsAsia, CCTV 4, WOW TV, Fashion TV, Wedding TV, Yoonic Fight Club, X-treme Video and even the 2010 FIFA World Cup broadcast for the Europe playoffs.
 
There are just too many channels to type – that’s just a small part of the 30+ channels Hypp.TV has to offer. There’s something for everyone! It’s perfect for the “I want it now” generation with its freedom of choice of what to watch and when to watch it.

nice

Gone are the nostalgic days of eagerly waiting by the TV at 9:45 pm armed with a mug of Milo to catch the 10 pm action movie every Thursday. It’s a whole new generation now, thanks for the extensive penetration of broadband, and the choices and options that comes with it. I digress.

hair

The best thing about Hypp.TV is the rich media integration – web, broadband TV, everything but the kitchen sink in one media player that’s so easy to use my grandma can probably navigate it with her eyes closed. Well, probably not with her eyes closed, but you get the point.

girl

Hypp.TV has a very user-friendly interface without any stop and start buffering in the video. That’s either great compression or just the nature of the system – I’m on Streamyx and Hypp.TV is hosted on their servers.

group end.

Hypp.TV – Freedom & Choice. Just a click away!

The appeal of bad girls

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n_pg29teh

I stumbled upon this article in The Star today. Jess Teh, aged 30, and still looking mighty fine, is facing two drug charges. One is for methamphetamine consumption and the other is for the possession of 0.79 grams of cannabis. I’m puzzled. 0.79 grams is a minuscule amount for cannabis – it’s usually sold in amounts of 10 grams and above.

I digress. I like how the article described her as “always fashionable” and my favorite description of the delicious Jess is “She walked past pressmen in her usual unapproachable manner, with a scowl and in a black T-shirt with the words “Don’t ask why” printed on it.” (emphasis mine).

She’s got attitude, and the photo I nicked from The Star shows that she isn’t too hard on the eyes either. It got me wondering though, why do guys like “bad girls”? I know why women like “bad boys” and the dark triad of personalities theory but how does that hold for the XY chromosome persuasion?

I sat down long and hard thinking about this and all I could come up with is The Offspring song Want You Bad. 😉

I know your arms are open wide, but you’re a little on the straight side, I can’t lie
Your one vice is you’re too nice
Come around now can you see?
I want you all tattooed. I want you bad.
Complicated. X-rated.
I want you bad, bad, bad, bad, bad.

Seriously though, for me, I think it’s the appeal of familiarity and the thrill – Aries are notorious thrill seekers.

What about you? Do you get attracted to bad boys/girls?

F5 my memory

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I was browsing through my dSLR, looking at the photos taken last Saturday night and I noticed a very disturbing thing…

shalome montage

I remember most of the photos I’ve taken that night. However, there were a series of photos of Yiling drinking a full jug of water that I did not remember taking.

yiling scull

There were 32 photos in all – burst mode. I thought it was someone using my dSLR since I was pretty messed up by 10:30 pm so I checked the time on the photos.

12:01 AM.

It must be someone else since I don’t remember anything from 10:30 pm onwards so I assumed I passed out…

…but wait!

shalome mem loss

There’s a photo of me. The timestamp says 12:14 AM. I was apparently still awake (though the definition of “awake” is used very liberally here) then. I can’t for the life of me remember anything from 10:30 pm till 3 am in the morning.

shalome blackjack

I know I got home at 3:30 am and I must have survived the drive since I’m writing this and there are no dents or scratches on my car so I assume I didn’t run into anybody or anything. I can’t even remember driving home! Dahsyat-nya…

I need someone to F5 my memory from that night. I have been through this before, and during episodes of ethanol induced amnesia I usually end up behaving very badly.worries

Oh well, to my credit, I haven’t drank a single drop since that night.

MDG 2 – The backstage experience

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backstage

I have been backstage at the MDG 2 closed auditions and was privy to the…well, things that goes on backstage. Acha took the liberty of predicting that I would have 1 son and 1 daughter in my lifetime. I guess that that just leaves 1 daughter then, or none. I’m not too sure myself. 😉

curtains

This is the girl’s dressing room. Yeah, being one of the official bloggers sure opens doors (or curtains rather). 😉 It was fun to hang around with the girls and get to know them better. The 21 hopefuls have been narrowed down to a scant 12 girls. The Chosen (TM) will get to live at the MDG 2 Dream House.

girls galore

…all in all, it was a jolly good time.

Hey, I can’t say being surrounded by 21 girls is a chore. =D

Check out my MDG 2 post for more details. The names of the 12 finalists will be released soon!

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