Month: May 2009

The Quest for the McValue Lunch

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lunch

Lunch has always been a particularly bothersome time – there are not a lot of food outlets near my office so it’s either the mamak (which tends to slaughter me, running up a bill in excess of RM 10 is not uncommon if I eat nasi kandar) or the Chinese shops (very crowded, and the food isn’t exactly cheap either).

Thus, there is always a constant debate over where to go for lunch. I don’t take the heat very well so I always vote against the Chinese shops. We usually end up eating at some quiet café – the average amount I spend on lunch is about RM 10-14. One fine day, I heard some of my co-workers ordering McDonald’s for lunch – that was the first I’ve heard of the McValue Lunch. It starts from just RM 5.95! 

enter

I was traumatized. I used to review McDonald’s stuff and was the first to know about their latest and greatest, from their Crispy Prawn Burger to their Salads Plus menu in Australia. I even ate McDonald’s in Thailand just coz I was passionate about trying everything on their menu! I was appalled that I wasn’t the first to know about the McValue Lunch and was determined to undo this affront to my pride. 

mcvalue_4

Thus, I checked McDonald’s FaceBook diligently and am proud to report that I was one of the first to find out about the new McValue Lunch menu. They now have the Big Mac (RM 7.95) and the Spicy Chicken McDeluxe (RM 7.95) in addition to their existing RM 5.95 McValue Lunch portfolio – McChicken and Filet-O-Fish. 

time

The best thing about the McValue Lunch? It’s available from 12 pm – 3 pm every single day. Check out the clock at this outlet. It’s even available on the weekends. Monday to Sunday, they’ve got it covered. You don’t even have to go there personally – the McValue Lunch is valid for Dine-in, Drive-Thru and even McDelivery with no minimum order. Best, kan? 

mcvalue

…and with our lunch problems sorted, we proceeded to dine in air-conditioned comfort at a very, very reasonable price. It’s cheaper than the places we usually hit for lunch and it’s just 5 minutes away from where I work. I went for the Spicy Chicken McDeluxe coz eating a Big Mac is very likely to induce a post-lunch coma.

spicy 

It came up to just RM 8.35 inclusive of tax. I can honestly say that it’s one of the best deals for lunch in town… 

me

…and to top it off, McDonald’s is running a blogger contest in conjunction with the McValue Lunch. The contest tagline is “Have you McValue LUNCH-ed this week?” and you’ll need to squeeze the grey matter to produce some creative juice for your post. Just write about your experience with the McValue Lunch and post photos or create a video from 27th April to 31st May 2009 to stand a chance to win the Apple iPhone 3G complete with a 6-month contract with Maxis!

This is my submission – I think I scared the customers (and the staff gave me disapproving looks) when I waltzed into the outlet shouting (screaming?) a greeting in Japanese and ordering before I even got to the counter. I must have looked somewhat deranged. 😉tagline_logo

Well, have you?

The puzzle

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I nearly ran into an incoming police patrol car while making an illegal turn. The police had their sirens and flashers on but I didn’t notice coz my music was at full blast and I was thinking. I only managed to brake in the nick of time coz some part of my brain registered the blue flashes of light. I missed the police patrol car by inches.

It’s a good thing I didn’t get into trouble – the police car was speeding and it took the very same illegal turn and I nearly ran into it again when they suddenly braked. There was a fight in front of the mamak near my condo and they were there to break up the physical altercation by arresting people.

I was amazed by their efficiency – it took me no longer than 5 minutes to tapau my food and there wasn’t any sign of an impending dispute when I drove out. The police were already speeding there when I got into my car, resulting in the near miss. I imagine rear ending a police car wouldn’t have bode well for my general welfare, so it’s a good thing I didn’t.

However, I was thinking while taking the video with my cell phone (before I got bored and drove pass them)…if I had run into them, who would be at fault? Let’s pull out the POH-toshop illustrations: 

the-puzzle

Please note that I haven’t actually taken the turn yet so I have plausible deniability. The police patrol car which was there on Official Business (TM) already took the illegal turn.

Who would be the guilty party if I had run into them? Knowing my country well, I know it’s definitely going to be me. Disregarding that, I could claim that I was merely avoiding the incoming patrol car by swerving (which would explain the odd angle of my car if I hit them).

What do you think?

Rise as knights!

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start

I’ve always been very accident prone. I have run down a pedestrian, crashed into various static road signs, and recently drove my car into a ditch. The repairs on the car alone set me back more than 1k due to the messed up suspension, shock absorbers and miscellaneous stuff down under. Thus, I was left car-less for about three days while it was at the workshop.

go

Thanks to Roslina, I was given the new Proton Satria Neo CPS to commute to work while my car was in the workshop. One interesting anecdote about the origin of the word Satria – it’s Sanskrit for knight. Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Safeguard the helpless. Never lie, even if it leads to your death; that is your oath. :p

keys

I had the Proton Satria Neo CPS on loan until my car got out of the workshop – my eternal gratitude to Roslina and Proton for providing me with a backup car…especially given my less-than-stellar (dubious?) driving safety record. 😉

roslina

Heck, I was surprised Roslina even agreed to lend me the car since she reads my blog and probably have witnessed the multiple accidents I have gotten into. Heh! Well, thankfully, I did not crash the car or give it so much as a scratch, and thus, to show my appreciation for her kind gesture, I shall write about my experience with the Proton Satria Neo CPS.

driving

I drive a Toyota Vios 1.5G which I purchased in late 2006. I chose Toyota for just one primary reason – it’s a family tradition. My dad used to drive a Toyota Corolla before he switched to a Lexus (which is also under Toyota) and my mom drives a Toyota as well. My sister in NZ also drives a Toyota – she owns a Toyota Celica (but then again she’s a cardiologist so she can afford it). Thus, I got a Toyota as well, just not to depart from our family tradition.

satria

There are a lot of people who has misconceptions about our fine local automobile industry. Build quality and performance are some of the most common gripes.

back

I have been doing some research on the topic and found some very interesting facts. The Proton Saga is based on the exact same engine as the Mitsubishi Lancer and Proton has grown by leaps and bounds since then. The acquisition of Lotus (say what you will, but it definitely helped in the aesthetic department of the cars) is another feather in the cap of Proton.

interior

Proton had this huge banner at a prime location on Elizabeth Street in Melbourne when I was doing my university there. I overheard an Aussie couple commenting on it. The conversation was pretty funny – they were debating whether it’s a German or European car manufacturer. I was just beside them, waiting for the pedestrian crossing to turn green and I told them (with no small amount of pride, I must admit) that it’s a MALAYSIAN brand. 🙂

rims

The Proton Satria Neo CPS looks good – check out the aggressive front grill, the spoiler at the back and the awesome rims. I love the nifty emergency brake, the canggih window winder below the stick shift, and the two-door design. It’s built for speed…and the volume controls on the steering wheel would get you out of a lot of vehicular mishaps too. 😉

montage 1

My fellow coworker (who parks beside me) commented on the aesthetics of the car – his exact words were “Nice car!”.

montage 2

Unfortunately, I had to reply “It’s not mine”. 🙁

compare

The Proton Satria Neo CPS was launched on February 2009 to replace the top H-line version of the Proton Satria Neo. It has been given a facelift – the aggressive body kit looks much better than the previous versions. Check out the side by side comparison with the old Proton Satria Neo (the new one is on the left at my condo parking lot) – it just so happens that my neighbor drives the older version of the Proton Satria Neo.

jam

The changes for the Proton Satria Neo CPS are not merely cosmetic – it also features a 1.6 liter Campro CPS engine with 125 bhp and 150 Nm of torque. It is zhng-ified for a more aggressive driving style (suits me just fine ;)) – the CPS mechanism in the Proton Satria Neo CPS switches to high cam at 4,400 rpm compared to 3,800 rpm as in the other CPS-equipped models such as the Proton Waja and Proton Gen-2.

debz

I took Deb out for a mamak session the night I got the car.

night

It was fun, she lives about 10 minutes away and I kinda abducted her and forced her to take a video of me test driving the car. LOL!

This is the nighttime driving video on the LDP.

Check out my speed test of the car too – managed to get it up to a decent velocity in a short time, thanks to the excellent acceleration.

tzia

The next day, I met up with Tzia at Kelana Jaya LRT for lunch.

lunch

I managed to drive from SS6 (where I work) to Kelana Jaya LRT, had lunch, and drove back again in less than 45 minutes.

I wanted a daylight video as well as a night video for the test drive of the car and I am pleased to report that any car that can get me to lunch and back within an hour gets the thumbs up from me. 😉

tzia me

The Proton Satria Neo CPS is a dream to drive. It goes up to 160 kmph on 4th gear before redlining and I managed to push it up to 170 kmph on the 5th gear. I probably shouldn’t say this, Roslina will kill me if she knew I was driving that fast. 😉

open

Oh well, in my defense, it was on the PLUS highway and I got very, very lost on Saturday morning while returning the car. I spent over 3 hours (!) on the road and pumped petrol 3 times, but the silver lining about the fiasco is that I managed to give the Proton Satria Neo CPS a proper test drive.

showroom 

Everyone at arms…or is capable of bearing: Kneel! On your knees! Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Safeguard the helpless. Never lie, even if it leads to your death; that is your oath. Rise a knight…rise as knights! Thanks Roslina, for letting me loan the car while my car is in the workshop!

gas

…and like a good citizen, I filled it up with gas before returning it. 😉

Star Trek premiere screening

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st me cindy

I caught the Star Trek premiere screening at Cineleisure just now. I got the tickets from Nuffnang and went with Cindy, who’s not a very big Star Trek fan, which I only knew until after the movie. I personally love the franchise. I grew up watching ST: TOS and ST: TNG and proceeded to Enterprise (for some reason, I never did get into ST: DS9).

st booth

The Star Trek movie is set before ST: TOS (The Original Series) and would appeal to all Star Trek fans. I was captivated throughout the entire movie. On another note, I would love to watch a horror movie with Cindy. Your reactions damn priceless la. LOL!

st tix

Anyway, I’m not going to spoil the movie for you, but the entire cast was awesome. I like the young Spock and I love Kirk in this movie. There were even props where you can take a photo (for free, and they give you a poster and a magazine to boot) at a replica USS Enterprise bridge with the Captain’s seat.

st uniform

Beam me up Scotty!

st captain

…to boldly go where no man has gone before.

Soi 11 Unplugged Bar and Restaurant

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soi 11

We hit the night scene in Penang with Cheryl and Kah Wheng on Saturday night. I had gone to Slippery Senoritas the night before so this time we did Soi 11 – a pub of sorts located just a stone’s throw away from Cititel Hotel (if you’re an Olympic gold medalist shot-putter that is).

Cheryl: Check out the table of girls at my 3 o’clock.

soi 11 girls

There were a group of three girls on that table drinking a beer tower.

Cheryl: Go pick them up! 🙂

Cheryl was trying to get me to have a good time but I had a better idea…get Simon drunk enough so he would have enough good ‘ol Dutch Courage to approach the girls. Heh!

soi 11 us

I had to scull a lot of beers and Simon puked several times (and my memory was fucked after 1 am).

Four buckets of beer later…

soi 11 interior

I laid down the groundwork by approaching the girls first and getting all their numbers and Simon finally came over when I asked him to take a photo of us. Heh!

soi 11 chicks

It was good fun…thanks for the awesome night Cheryl and Kah Wheng! 🙂

I can’t really remember much after 1 am due to…er, ExtERNal cIRcuMstaNcEs. However, I do remember bits and pieces, including dragging Simon to eat Sup Torpedo at 3 am in the morning.

me torpedo

Sup Torpedo is supposed to be an aphrodisiac and I ordered a HUGE one…more on that (and the efficacy) soon. 😉

Pyrotechnics – Fire twirling, fire eaters, fire dancers

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fire performance

I caught a rather remarkable street performance at Gurney Drive on the first night I was in Penang.

The fire performance by the duo was pretty impressive – they had swirling flames galore and an impressive fire breathing portfolio that had the crowd cheering.

fire twirling

I just can’t figure out how the dude can put so much gasoline in his mouth and not get high.

I could smell the gasoline fumes from a meter away…

fire eater

Oh wait, I know. He was high. 😉

I finally found out why I’m so lucky in Penang.

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cheryl

Today was a very productive day – we managed to visit a lot of places, thanks to Cheryl and her soon-to-be-husband Kah Weng who kindly drove us around Penang to visit all the heritage sites. Cheryl has been a long reader of sixthseal.com (since 2003) so it’s great to finally meet up with her. One of the places we did today was the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Georgetown.

covert

The mansion does not allow photography inside the premises, but I discreetly (okay, blatantly, sixthseal.com does not do subtle :p) roamed around the interior and snapped a lot of photos. Simon followed suit when he saw me doing that and he was reprimanded by the tour guide. I’ve always wondered how I managed to get away with a lot of shit (probably broke more than a few rules today) and the revelation came during the 1 hour tour.

sulk

I finally found out why I’ve been so lucky. My car license plate is QAG 4114. The tour guide at Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion mentioned that the address of the mansion is 14, Leah Street. 4 is considered an inauspicious number for the Chinese coz it’s a phoneme for “death”. However, 1+4 is 5. 5 is considered lucky coz it represents “wu fu ling men” meaning “five kinds of luck entering your door”. Heh! That explains A LOT of things. 😉

lucky buddha

Another thing I picked up during the tour is that six is associated with the phrase “lu lu wu cheong” which is literally translated as “road road no poverty”. It’s a couplet articulating that you won’t be left wanting in your life. It’s a good thing I picked sixthseal.com as my domain name – twice the luck for me. LOL!

I also kissed a Laughing Buddha effigy today (no touching the statues) – now it’s thrice the luck! w00t! =D

sixthseal.com does Penang

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arrive

Greetings! I am in Penang. 🙂

wc

I woke up at 5 am this morning (!). I asked Wai Ching for the KL taxi number last night and she gave me a number which I took down in my sleep deprived state. I only realized that it’s HER number from the 016 prefix after a while and she sent me to KL Sentral earlier this morning. Cheers for that WC! 🙂

trishaw

The taxi fare I saved was used to pay for overpriced items like RM 2 bottled water and RM 8 Smints at the airport departure shops. :p

ticket

Our flight was cancelled so we got on the second flight out of KLIA. The original flight was scheduled to depart at 9:15 AM but MH 1138 did not 38 (fly up – literal Mandarin pronunciation of the numbers). We were put on the 11:10 to Penang.

shut eye

Jesus, if I knew the flight was going to be cancelled, I would have gone for the other flight instead (the one I’m being put on) and caught a little bit more shut eye.

sleep

It was such an ungodly hour to be up and about that even the clerks at the KLIA shops were asleep. 😉