The land of gigantic chunks of dry seaweed,
Cute Korean chicks offering you melon,
Parking attendants bowing to every single exiting car,
And mysterious religious relics long lost to man.
Posted: 7:14 pm Korean time
Month: October 2009
Live octopus
You know the saying right? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. There are several must-eat dishes in Korea – and one of them is live octopus. I also had a dish that is…er, decidedly canine in flavor but that’s another post. Live octopus (octopi?) is served with the eight armed creature still squirming with the suckers trying to stick on your tongue.
It’s surprisingly good – videos up soon, I just finished working, am so tired I’m about to pass out.
Posted: 10:58 pm Korean time
Busan, Korea
I am here for the Pusan International Film Festival 2009. Unfortunately, I’m here for work, not leisure. T_T
I took this photo on the way coz…this is lame but I’m suaku k, it’s the shops over shops in a building that I really love about Korea.
Not in Korea?
Republic, Sunway is where it’s at! Go to the XBerry Party tonight and get a chance to win a BB Curve 8520 in the lucky draw. You have to get yourselves invites though.
Posted: 9:08 pm Korean time
Bacon breakfast
Ha! I haven’t seen bacon (as in real streaky bacon that comes from oink oink) served in a hotel breakfast buffet for a very long time.
Posted: 10:13 am Korean time
I’ll never fly Korean Airlines again!
Okay, it seems pretty good at the first peek – hot cabin attendants, good service, and even a nice girl called Sam!
However, I am VERY PISSED OFF coz they cut me off in the middle of my drinking binge. Granted, I had…er, 4 neat shots of vodka, followed rapidly by 3 neat shots of vodka, followed by 4 neat shots of vodka, followed by 3 neat shots of whisky, followed by 2 neat shots of whisky chased down by a beer but fuck it I’m still sober enough to type this so who are you to tell me how to drink? :p
Oh, and I also had another two shots of whisky while at it. T_T
,,,and a Korean beer (or two).
….but that’s not the point la!
The point is…and I’m going to do a memento mori and put this at the very beginning okay…meeting Tan Chui Mui! OMG! I first met her in the departures hall and I…erm, kinda have a crush on her.
I present to you, the director behind One Future in 15Malaysia Chui Mui!
On another note, the XBerry Party is happening this weekend!
Date: 10 October 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 8 pm till late
Venue: Republic, Sunway Pyramid
Highlights: Special performances by Joe Flizzow, Arabyrd, Lapsap(Xu) and Twilight Action Girl
Dress code: Party chic
You’ll need to pre-register at Xpax to get 2 exclusive invites to the party!
The BlackBerry Curve 8520 will be offered at RM 888 that night and you’ll get 1 month BB prepaid access FREE along with a limited edition designer skin (exclusively designed by Lapsap, TAG, Black Fryday, Yayawoo & Bangkit) and other goodies. There will be performances galore and lucky draw prizes so groove to the beats of the Republic this Saturday!
Posted: 8:08 am Korean time
Indulge in the Uniquely Singapore experience
One night in Singapore and the world’s your oyster!
Singapore…the Sin City (used fondly in this context of course). Oh, let me enthuse how many reasons I love you, and your rich blend of culture, cuisine, arts and architecture (okay, I just copy and pasted that but it doesn’t mean I don’t love our neighbors down under!)
I’ve been to Singapore a few times, and I have had one memorable experience as a kid where all the hotels were fully booked and my dad was trying to get a roof over our heads. Most of the Singaporean hotel receptionists were rude and downright fucking condescending to Malaysian tourists (we’re like 10th rate travelers to them or something) back then. My dad, being the head of the family slogged on to hotel after hotel with us trudging along behind him.
I am sad to report that being young (was 10 at the time) and not fully appreciative of my dad’s efforts, I snapped at him for not having the foresight to book a hotel beforehand. My dad took it in his usual stoic stride. He didn’t say anything. You know how many years back that was? 18 years, my friends.
I still remember it and feel guilty about it coz my dad is a really solid all around nice guy.
However, the thing I remember the most was the patronizing tone the Singaporean hotel receptionists took to my dad and to this day I feel like choking them and their holier than thou attitude. It’s like they feel they’re part of a higher purpose, riding on their high horses, and generally acting like the fucking smiting left hand of God.
However, with age, I’ve come to accept that not all Singaporeans are like that, so here’s your chance to prove me wrong okay? 😉
I’ll love to go to Singapore on a one day itinerary as listed below:
0900 hours
I shall be waking up (grudgingly dammit) and head out for some roti prata.
1000 hours
With some food in the tummy, it’s time to hit…erm, Geylang can? :p
1200 hours
(space left intentionally blank)
I know the math doesn’t work here, but hell, if I decide to spend 2 hours sightseeing in the famed street, who’s gonna stop me? :p
Next up: Chilli crab lunch!
1230 hours
I’m going to the famous Long Beach restaurant for chilli crabs! I’ve got something else planned for dinner so I’m going to eat this (and black pepper crabs) for lunch instead!
1400 hours
After a nice, leisurely lunch where I eat at least 6 crabs, it’s time to churn the undigested food at the reverse bungee at Clarke Quay! G-MAX is supposed to be the ultimate reverse bungee, and having tried the one in Sunway as well as the real thing, I feel it’s my duty to see how this measures up.
1500 hours
Okay, now we’ve come to a crossroad. Difficult decisions to be made and what not. Do I do the tourist thing and head to Sentosa? Or do I go to St John’s Island instead? Well, since I’m alone in this scenario, I’ll head to Sentosa. St John’s Island would be ideal with a loved one though.
Sentosa would take up most of the afternoon so after all the rides and attractions over there, it’ll be time for…DINNER!
1900 hours
I’ll be going for the world’s first full butler service sky dining experience on the Singapore Flyer! I’ve never been on the Singapore Flyer before so it’ll be fun…besides they have bottles of wine and champagne upon request.
2000 hours
This is the time to head to Orchard Road to do some shopping before painting the town red. I remember buying some great He-Man toys here as a kid. I think my tastes have evolved but Orchard Road has evolved with me so I’m sure I can get some fine looking threads for the next destination. 😉
2200 hours
Zouk! One People, One Tribe, One Dance, 1Malaysia(n). It’s practically an institution so not hitting this club would be akin to going to Egypt and not visit the pyramids, going to Paris and bypassing the Eiffel Tower, going to Rome and…well, you catch my drift.
Open till late so I’m going to drink, party, dance and see if I get lucky. 😉
Photos stolen from too many sources to list via Google Images.
Indulge in the Uniquely Singapore experience!
*quaff* *gulp* *swallow*
*gobble*
*munch*
*chew*
*slurp*
*chomp*
*scarf*
Man, I had to dust off the trusty old thesaurus to find synonyms for eat to write all that. 😉
You know those Wrigley’s New Extra Professional Mints with ridges on the side? I thought it was there just for aesthetics until I was told it’s designed for a very pragmatic purpose. It works just like the tongue scraper you see at the back of your toothbrush:
I’ve been sucking on those mints all the time without realizing it! It turns out there is a Proper Way (TM) to go about it – the ridges should be against your tongue to reduce germs after a meal to keep your mouth fresh and clean. I was so excited when I discovered this (coz I felt stupid from not seeing the bloody obvious :p) that I’ve been going around doing this:
It’s essential to do the vigorous scrubbing motion while chanting “Scrub!” on top of your lungs every time you see someone finish eating.
It’ll be a compelling experiment to see many times you can do this to your friends before they get really annoyed by it. Trust me; it won’t take long at all, so unless you want to radically downsize your social circle, I suggest you do it online instead.
Wrigley’s New Extra Professional Mints is launching a contest where you scrub food from your tongue. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to try to clean your mouth with a mint while burgers, popcorn, pizza and a plethora of other food stuff turns your tongue into their personal house party.
It is your job, as the steward of this very important organ (it’s not just for tasting the stuff you eat, ya know ;)) to prevent the food from using your tongue as their playground, running amok and getting into all sorts of shenanigans that would lead to your neighbors calling the cops.
The highest score wins a Sony Video MP3 player weekly and the grand prize is a Sony VAIO Pocket Style PC. Flex your gaming muscles and start playing here.
M&M’s – Mussels & Mints. 😉
TLC – Tender(izing) Loving Care
Would you like to be worked on like a piece of prime Kyoto beef, massaged and then tenderized before being cooked by hot stones? If your answer is a resounding (or doubtful) yes, you’ve come to the right place! Welcome Sir Moo, to Vila Manja!
Vila Manja is located in Jalan Damai, off Jalan Tun Razak along the multitudes of foreign embassies in that area. Nestled in a quiet alcove which is a converted bungalow, it offers spa and massage packages ranging from foot reflexology to full day pampering sessions that probably only Datins can afford on a regular basis.
The place is amazingly Zen (one of my lame puns) with a water feature I like to call a Sobriety Test (TM) coz you need to be reasonably unimpaired to navigate the stepping stones lest you wind up with the dreaded soaked sneaker. >.<
The interior of the spa is inviting, exuding warmth and ambient lighting. I felt like a baby going back to the womb as I disrobed and started to lie down on the massage table. There is a sarong of sorts covering me to preserve some semblance of propriety and the scented massage oil made the masseur’s skilled fingers feel like a thousand little butterflies gliding across my skin.
Bliss! My oasis of peace.
I experienced a Moment of Truth (TM) – a glimpse of the mysteries behind life, the universe and everything before the overwhelming knowledge (and the masseur’s caresses) drove me into a slumber. I am sad to report that I forgot everything about the meaning of life when I woke up, except it was a number. I think it was 6 but then again it could be 4+2 or 42. *shrugs*
I adjourned downstairs to join the others for lunch…and a presentation by Fiona on PRUhealth, a new medical plan that Prudential has launched.
The affable Fiona explained that the average lifespan for Malaysians is 71.7 for males and 76.5 for females. You probably know females live longer than males – the mysterious XX Chromosome factor. Both my grandfathers (maternal and paternal) are six feet under while both my grandmothers are still alive and kicking.
I don’t think I’ll live to see the big 50, but with me as a stellar example; people are getting sick earlier and earlier. New age and lifestyle related illnesses like stroke, blood sugar ultra, diabetes and heart disease is on the increase (hey, it rhymes) and you get more susceptible to it as you grow older.
Coupled with inflation, you can imagine how much a heart bypass (or kidney transplant for me) will cost when you’re old. I really need to get on an insurance plan lest my (forthcoming) kids decide I’ll be better off in a retirement home – out of sight, out of mind. 😉
Okay, here’s another thing about their flexible plan – you can remove the annuals claims limit so you can claim up to the lifetime limit. This would be mighty useful if *knocks on wood* you need to go for major surgery which would exceed the limit of most insurance plans.
I think this is a great idea since you’ll probably only need to go for one of these procedures once in your lifetime. PRUhealth allows you to claim up to the lifetime limit so you won’t hit the ceiling of the claims limit per year with their special rider plan.
It starts from a minimum monthly premium of RM 100 (actual premium will depend on your age and the type of plan you select) and covers you up to age 100. I doubt you’ll live that long, but if you do, hey, don’t forget to give a shout out to me in the Guinness Book of World Records.
…or I’ll snip your finger off. ROAR! 😉
This photo looks Photoshopped…but isn’t
I love this photo. It’s one of those photos that looks Photoshopped but isn’t. This was taken during the BEP concert on Arthur’s Day. We were doing a jump shot for the camera and I jumped right out of the photo.
It’s quite amazing since I don’t recall jumping that high. Please direct your eyes to my…er, waist’s position with Suanie as the point of reference. I literally jumped off the frame.
I’ve never been able to achieve the same altitude after this photo. >.<
Photo courtesy of Kimberly.
Its Krrunch Time, Get Playful
Remember the good old days as a kid when you had to actually WAIT by the house phone to get calls and “mobile phones” were the size of a car battery?
Cell phones, the Internet, (insert 21st century invention) has made everything a lil’ bit impersonal, but I bet our grandparents said the very same thing about the 19th century too. 😉
Now think back to when you were a little kid, doing stuff kids back then do, like talking to your sister in the other room with good old string and paper cups.
Yes, I got along better with my sis when we were kids.
I kinda miss that bit.
I happen to live in an apartment that is chock full of students and I can hear distinctively female voices coming from the next unit (that is apparently the master bedroom shared by at least four girls, or so I deduce) which is separated from my bedroom by a 1 foot thick wall.
It’s really hard for me to sleep at night so I like to turn off the monitor, lie there in the dark and think.
One day I had this bright idea to recreate the chatting escapades of my youth. You know how every little project is Krrunch when you’re a kid with a hyperactive imagination? I wanted to recreate the innocence of childhood too. I decided to make PCTN (Paper Cup Telephone a.k.a. two cups and a string) with Pringles cans!
You will need:
Two (2) Pringles cans
String
Needles
1. Eat the Pringles.
2. Thread the string through the needle and use it to pierce the bottom of the empty Pringles can and knot it.
3. Repeat with the other Pringles can.
Now for this to work the string must be taut and in a straight line so some improvisations in posture might be necessary.
I dangled one side out of the window, and hollered at my neighbors to pick it up.
They didn’t. I have no doubt there was much talk that night about the “crazy guy next door”.
It’s Krrunch Time, Get Playful!
