June 2011 – Page 2 – sixthseal.com

Things I did in Singapore

June 9, 2011 by HB

sentosa

Sentosa! You know the best thing about traveling solo is that you meet all sorts of people from different countries. This is Mai from Thailand. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here and there’s a lot of new additions…

…like the luge. My first luge experience was when I was 13 while on family trip to New Zealand. The luge in Sentosa is from a Kiwi company too.

studio m hotel

I stayed at Studio M Hotel which has an awesome concept – your room basically has two floors – the ground floor is where you work, chill and take care of your sanitary needs and there’s a loft upstairs where you sleep. I was half afraid I’ll wake up, fall out of bed and come crashing down to the ground floor but no, that didn’t happen, so fear not. 😉

singapore arts festival

Singapore Arts Festival 2011. I was particularly interested in this one. It’s an outdoor arts fest which happens annually and there was one show in particular that I wanted to catch.

When A Grey Taiwanese Cow Stretched. I ran out of hyperbolic adjectives trying to describe this Osakan rap theater performance – moving, groundbreaking, engaging. It’s every bit as I had hoped it would turn out to be. It’s the first time they’re showing it outside of Japan too.

salvadore dali

Salvador Dali had an exhibition in the ArtsScience Center too. I love his work. You feel like you’re tripping when you’re not. Hands down my favorite artist overall – my favorite piece of work would be Edmund Munch’s The Scream but Dali is in a class of his own.

iberico pork

Pre-theatre tapas at Santi. I love the Iberico pork. Lovely porcine delights.

lion king singapore

The Lion King! Yup, the Singapore performance is every bit as good as the West End cast and they had a lot of localizations too. Gotta love that touch.

ku de ta

Drinks @ Ku De Ta with Joyce and Clem after the show. Amazing views.

universal studios singapore

Universal Studios Singapore!

battlestar galactica

I headed straight for the Battlestar Galactica rides – it was a staggering 75 minute wait for the Human and a 90 minute wait for the Cylon but I went for both anyway…

merchandize

…and got some of the merchandize to boot. Yay! I’m a huge fan.

tai wah pork noodle

I ended it with a large bowl of Tai Wah Pork Noodle and a bottle of Tiger in the Singapore Food Trail. 🙂

There’s so much I still haven’t written about – the trip was amazing, loved the art scene and theaters in particular. Thanks to Singapore Tourism Board for having me!

seal

…and no, this is NOT a seal. :p

Being GOOD is for LOSERS!

June 7, 2011 by HB

witch

I’ve always identified more with villains than heroes. Growing up, Professor Moriarty was more my cup of tea than Sherlock Holmes. Lex Luther appealed to me more than Superman. I can relate better to Darth Vader than Luke Skywalker. Magneto and his band of evil mutants seemed way cooler than boring old Professor X and his cadre of do-gooders.

7atenine

It was thus the natural choice for me to prefer the Super Villains event to the Super Heroes party. I just came back from Encore’s Super Villains party in 7atenine at the Ascott on the 1st of June and it was awesome! There was a photo wall where you can write a quote on this speech bubble and mine goes “Being GOOD is for LOSERS. Evil FTW!”.

super villain

I also came dressed in black, as did Lainey – every villain worth his salt instinctively knows that having a wardrobe full of black articles of clothing is essential. It’s the color of choice when it comes to villain attire. 😉

bar

7atenine was decked out in decorations straight from a comic book – there were “POW!”, “BAM!” and even “SMACK!” signs all around the place. There was a Super Heroes party held about a week before the Super Villains bash. The four cocktails are specially concocted for these two events and features two villains and two heroes respectively.

signature cocktails

I tried all four of the cocktails. It’s the best part about Encore’s parties – I’ve always appreciated a nicely done cocktail and with acclaimed mixologists coming in, you can always expect a new and different signature cocktail every time.

captain jack

Captain Jack
This is a cocktail inspired by Jack Sparrow (of Pirates of the Caribbean fame). It’s made primarily with Jack Daniel’s (thus the name) and Poire William eau de vie, which is French for “water of life” but is actually a fruit brandy. The pear Poire William goes very well with JD and this is one the strongest cocktails amongst the four.

lady luck

Lady Luck
It’s made with Finlandia vodka with watermelon and citrus. It’s pretty good but I liked the others better.

Juggernaut

Juggernaut
This was my first drink when I went in. It’s served in a tall glass and at the first glance, it didn’t seem like anything special. However, when I tasted this Jack Daniel’s and lemonade cocktail I was really impressed. What sold me was the grated toasted walnut that lined the rim of the glass. It’s like a martini but with toasted walnut instead of sea salt on the rim. It’s the most interesting cocktail among all the four available. Licking the finely grated toasted walnut before chasing it with a sip of the drink is a treat for your palate. Two thumbs up for innovation!

cocktail making

Red Sonja
This cocktail is a concoction of various berries (Bavarian black berries, blueberries and raspberries) with Finlandia vodka. It is thirst quenching but it doesn’t pack much of a punch, alcohol wise.

devil

The cocktails go for RM 17 nett but you’ll get a better deal when you buy 2 at once for RM 30 nett. I spent over RM 100 for drinks that night, although I didn’t drink all of it. Fresh was quite enthusiastic – she practically shouted “I CAN HELP YOU FINISH THAT!” happily towards the end of the event, and hey, who was I to stand in the way of ethanol induced gaiety? 😉

lainey

Anyway, there’s an upcoming event called Heroes Vs Villains on the 8th of June which is the culmination of the two parties. Super Heroes and Super Villains will come head-to-head in this ultimate party!

heroes villains

Check out the poster above for more details!

hui wen

I managed to meet Hui Wen from Singapore who came to Super Villains. Now that’s someone I haven’t seen in ages. It was good to see her there. 🙂

There’s also entertainment in the form of dancers – click play on the video clip I took for an idea of what Encore’s parties are like. It’s all about fellowship, entertainment and deliciously made cocktails.

mixologists

Come and join us at Heroes vs Villains for more fun than you can shake a stick (or a light saber) at.

…and don’t forget the hot DJ who will be spinning music the entire night. You won’t be able to sit still, the music is so good you’ll be grooving to the beats in no time. Especially after you’ve downed a cocktail or six. 😉

My iPad 2 has a cracked screen

June 6, 2011 by HB

ipad 2 cracked screen

I put my iPad 2 in this small The North Face sling bag during the time I spent in Australia. It fits the iPad 2 snugly in the back compartment where you zip it.

ipad 2 shattered glass screen

Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer any protection at all. I dropped the bag numerous times and must have hit the side of the iPad 2 once coz that side shattered and spread into two long cracks down the entire screen. Crap. It still works though…but there’s bits of glass that comes off every time you accidentally touch the side where it shattered. 🙁

That’s why I can never have anything nice. 😡

The best of Northern Rivers in Australia

June 3, 2011 by HB

queensland nsw border

I just came back from Australia and we went to Queensland and New South Wales for a proper Northern Rivers experience. We actually landed in Queensland but the border to New South Wales is just about 5 minutes away from the airport. This is the obligatory “straddling the borders” photo and the hotel we stayed in actually has one half in NSW and the other in Queensland! It helps with legislation, they had a casino in one part of the hotel.

wallaby

Here’s some of the fun stuff that we did. Hand feeding a wallaby.

crab pots

Deadliest Catch: New South Wales. I love the series so I’m just going to go “Yeah, sometimes you just have to set the pots and follow your heart. It’s been six weeks out at sea and I think the greenhorn ain’t gonna make it”. Heh! No, seriously, we actually pulled up some crab pots.

yabbie pumping

Yabbie pumping with Irina!

yabbie

Here’s what a yabbie looks like – it has one huge claw and apparently, it’s edible. I wish I could say I caught this one but none of us had any luck with the yabbies.

mud crab

I had the most awesome mud crabs! Just look at the size of the claw. Now imagine sucking off the tender flesh and filling your mouth full of pure fresh crab meat with all the natural juices. I could eat it for the rest of my life!

(if only I can say the same about my relationships)

crab meat

I also learned how to eat it by picking out all the flesh with a crab fork to produce a bowl of sinfully pure crab meat. OMG I just love the way they prepare it, no sauces, just pure fresh crab. I would probably shank you with the crab fork if you took this bowl away from me. NO SHARING! *glares

hand feeding

Alright, don’t try this at home kids. Hand feeding is not recommended. Damn birds have tiny little teeth and they bite.

bacon poached eggs

Double bacon with two poached eggs on Turkish with grilled tomato and rustic potatoes at Cafe d’bar.

surfers

This is the view you’ll get while you’ve having breakfast. I know, it’s amazing. The tiny dots are people surfing.

finger lime

This is an Australian bush finger lime. It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen – shaped like a finger and with perfect pearls of caviar like lime that bursts in your mouth. It’s not as sour as regular limes too.

flutterbie cake

The famous Flutterbie cakes with fresh cream, strawberries and jam in a quaint little cafe at Tyalgum – a tiny town with just a small row of shophouses right in the heartland of the Northern Rivers area. I can camwhore quite well eh? Reckon I got the act cute look down pat in this one. Yup, figure I did. 😉

mavis kitchen

Lunch at Mavis’s Kitchen at Murwillumbah – the acclaimed organic low-food-miles restaurant which is featured in MasterChef.

planking

Yes, you’ve been to Mt Warning…but have you planked in the middle of a road with Mt Warning as the backdrop? 😉 Mount Warning is said to be the best place to catch a sunrise in Australia.

cattle auction

Cattle auction at Casino Beef Week in…Casino. Yup, it’s a small town in New South Wales. I just wish they had a casino so I can say I’ve been to a casino in Casino. It was awesome, we sat on bales of hay to watch the auction.

pig

Babe was there too. The pig I mean. No, not that one, you mean, mean person. You outta be ashamed of yourself! The pink pig.

wood chopping

The very manly wood chopping competition. You can just smell the testosterone in the air…and also flying bits of wood chips if you’re not careful.

skydive byron bay

Skydive Byron Bay! Jumping out at 14,000 feet and experiencing a 60 second freefall is pure bliss.

byron bay

Imagine sea kayaking around this bay with the waves crashing through your kayak as you power into the great blue sea. We spotted a pod of dolphins too!

cape byron kayak us

This is the “After” photo with Alycia, my team mate in the kayak. We felt more exhausted than we look, or at least I did. She’s awesome though and we were the only team that didn’t overturn the kayak (insert asterisk for small print). #purewin

byron bay steak

This is the best steak I’ve had, bar none. Medium rare with tender beef that melts in your mouth. It’s at Byron at Byron, the only 5 star resort in Byron Bay. The steak is locally sourced and all the ingredients are from organic farms a couple of miles away. Perfect farewell dinner for the trip.

limo

I wish the trip had lasted longer. Thanks to AirAsia X, Tourism New South Wales and Tourism Northern Rivers for organizing this trip. I really liked the limo. Yup, we had our very own limo, complete with champagne. Move out of the way, important people coming through. 😉

Planking

June 1, 2011 by HB

I just came back from a trip to Kuantan where I got to swim in the blue seas and get some planking photos done. Heh!

You’ve all heard of the phenomenon that started in Australia and swept worldwide…unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few months, that is. It really only hit mainstream news when someone died while planking on a balcony.

I’ve seen some crazy stunts by plankers on the Planking Facebook page which started it all. What is planking? In a nutshell, all you do is lie face down with your hands by your side at the most ridiculous places. It’s just as simple as that.

I did the heated swimming pool rail at the resort (or at least tried to). This is a totally failed planking attempt since it’s really hard to balance on a wet and slippery 10 cm rail and perform a perfect plank.

The good: I was cheered on by a bunch of people vacationing there and chilling in the pool. Plus, since it is the Hyatt Grand Regency Resort, none of the staff wanted to be the one to stop a paying guest at a 5 star hotel. Heh!

The bad: I have bruises everywhere and my family jewels hurt like nobody’s business. Why? Think about it. It’s a 45 degree railing. You’re planking on a steep downward incline, trying to get the perfect form. It’s wet. When you lose your grip (what grip?), guess which part of your anatomy hits the rail before you slide into the pool or fall on the side? Yes, ouch indeed. -_-

I also did the notorious balcony planking photo there. We were at the 4th floor so it wasn’t very high up and the rail was relatively large enough to do it without an excessive chance of you falling down and ending in the ER. It’s not the perfect form but it’s close enough without being too dangerous. Also, if you look, there is a safety awning which would probably hold my weight if I fell down the wrong side of the building.

I have to say though, planking is a very idiotic meme that has swept the net for reasons unknown. It’s dangerous and it’s stupid. I suggest you do something better with your time…like playing the Funbots Dance Facebook app!

It’s also another Facebook activity so there’s that in common. Heh! It’s basically a game by Munchy’s to celebrate their 20th anniversary. They’ve been around since 1991 and this year, in the spirit of the Share the Fun campaign, four Funbots have been created – Michael Oven, DJ Mixer, ChopChop, and BeatBox. Witty!

There’s a real life parallel to this – the Funbot characters will begin their physical journey from 19th May, starting at the Munchy’s factory in Batu Pahat and ending in 1 Utama Oval Concourse where there will be a grand celebration from 1-5th June. Mark your calendars now coz fun and games await! Come and join the celebrations! 🙂

In the meantime, stay out of trouble and play the Funbots Dance app on Munchy’s Facebook page. It’s strangely addictive and you get to win prizes including a Macbook Pro, iPad 2 and other Apple products instead of a trip to the hospital. 😉

You can also track the progress of the Funbots journey to 1 Utama on the page. Come and beat my score now! w00t!