Month: March 2012

What are your social media habits?

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Type #1

fb iphone4s

Prefers to text and call. Goes on Twitter once in a while. Updates Facebook occasionally.

Basically, if you’re on a bit of a budget and you want to have free SMSs and call time thrown in, this is the plan for you. There are two to choose from – Value Plus Internet 50 and Value Plus Internet 30 – both with a very low monthly commitment fee, starting from RM 30.

maxis iphone4s plan budget

They both come with 250 MB of data allocation and either 100 SMS + 100 call minutes or 50 SMS or 50 call minutes depending on the plan.

You can get a iPhone4S 16GB for as low as RM 1,950 with a 24 month contract with this new iPhone4S plans from Maxis! 🙂

Type #2

social apps

Heavy data usage. Updates your social media apps each time you’re out with photos or videos. Constantly on the social media sphere and communicating with you takes a few seconds at the most. Foursquare, Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, you’re on them all!

We’ve been talking lately about how to boost your business marketing with Instagram. Contrary to what many people still believe, Instagram isn’t just a fun app where you can post food, holiday and family pics.

Instagram has become a powerful brand-building, audience-building and content-marketing tool for businesses. It has over 200 million active monthly members sharing 60 million images and 1.6 billion likes per day.

A note of caution: there are plenty of people out there who promise to grow your Instagram followers by the thousands, but beware. Most of them use fake accounts created by bots to inflate your numbers.

These types of followers have zero value. In fact, they can even be dangerous, wanting to steal your password or photos or infect you with a virus.

According to the data security company Imperva, these bad bots account for 28.9 per cent of bots on Instagram.

The best way to build your Instagram followers is to check out,how to buy real Instagram followers.

You’re always online and consume large amounts of data from YouTube and frequent Apple Store app downloads. Skype video calls is what you look for when you think of communicating with someone. You need Internet Value 50 or Internet Value 75.

maxis iphone4s plan heavy

The latter allows you a very comfortable 3.5 GB of data per month and with this plan, you’ll get an iPhone4S 16GB from only RM 1,990 with a 24 month contract. However, if this describes you, a 16GB iPhone4S won’t be enough, will it? 😉

All those apps you download needs to go somewhere so go for an iPhone4S 64GB from only RM 2,690!

Type #3

www maxis

You already have a plan with Maxis. Now, all you need is Internet so add Mobile Internet to your existing plan and get an iPhone4S from as low as RM 1,750!

There are two plans to choose from – depending on your data usage habits – Mobile Internet 1GB and Mobile Internet 3GB.

maxis iphone4s plan internet

You can tether your iPhone4S to your notebook for instant HSDPA access when you’re out and about or use it as a Wireless AP so keep that in mind when you’re an existing Maxis Value Plus user adding on a Mobile Internet plan. Find out more about the new Maxis iPhone4S Rate Plans.

wireless ap iphone4s

It’s very useful both for work and play, being able to have your very own wireless hotspot so you can be connected using your notebook or tablet anywhere 24/7. 🙂

Suit up!

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suit in phuket

I got a tailored suit for THB 6,500 during a recent trip to Phuket. I chose a design from a “Versace 2012” catalog. It’s a fashionistas dream – the suit making industry is so advanced in Thailand that they even had a catalog for Armani dated 2014. 😉

suit up

It took a bit of haggling but we brought the price down by about THB 1,000 (RM 100) each. I had three (very rushed) fittings before the suit was ready. The last time I got a full suit done was a good 7 years ago so I reckon this RM 650 two-piece is worth the price.

barney suit

I shall call this the Barney suit in honor of Mr. Stinson. This is the HIMYM opening credits pose. 😀

Old friends, new friends

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welcome

Welcome to the Friendliest Day of the Year!

st pats girls

I went bright and early to the St Patrick’s 2012 celebration at Changkat Bukit Bintang. It’s my third St Patrick’s Day celebration – to which I’ve rallied every single consecutive year since 2010. 😀

hie ming

…and guess who I bumped into? Hie Ming, a classmate of mine from Sibu which I haven’t seen since I went to NZ in 1996! A meeting of old friends is always a good portent of things to come.

st pat 2012

The street started filling up as the night went on…

drinking guinness

…as we enjoyed pints of Guinness on tap.

arthurs lounge

Arthur’s Lounge – I was quite excited to go in, since someone told me there will be a nice surprise inside. There was in fact, more than one.

perfect pint

I had a go at pouring the perfect pint…

workshop

…while personalized Guinness pint glasses with our names engraved on it were made.

personalized pint glass

It’s like Santa’s workshop for adults! There were heaps of people involved in the making of my very own pint glass.

personalized pint

I can bring this around to pubs and fill it up with the black stuff and it’ll never get lost coz…it has my name on it. It says “Huai Bin”. 😀

poloroid

There were street performers and buskers and people going around snapping Polaroid photos. It was a very merry experience indeed.

rachel

I bumped into Rachel…

harleys

…and beheld the wonder of a procession of Harleys driving into Changkat Bukit Bintang with a troupe of performers bringing up the rear.

next year

The night ended with an awesome display of fireworks and I have to say, I haven’t had this much fun since the last St Patrick’s Day. The Friendliest Day of the Year? I would say so. I met old friends and made new ones, and that’s what this year’s St Patrick’s Day is all about! (and also getting into the Guinness Book of Records)

why so serious

What about the record? Check it out for yourself!

evelyn

I raise my (currently empty) personalized pint glass in anticipation of next year’s celebrations, where I aim to bring it and fill it with drink. 😀

Infected industrial piercing

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infected piercing

I was rooting about the condo for a spare micro-SD card when I found one from one of my digicams. I put it into my smartphone and noticed a directory full of photos from last year. This was from the infected industrial piercing that I have since took out and replaced with two standard bars.

infected industrial piercing

The second hole never healed – it was still full of pus and blood so I took that one out as well, leaving me with my current single bar on top.

It’s weird the stuff you find in old memory cards. I even had a video of the infected industrial piercing in there from back when I haven’t cleaned up my condo yet. 🙂

Chan Sau Lin fish head

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fish head

I remember having really good fish head in 2005. I was working in Kuching at that time and one of our partners brought us to the famous Chan Sau Lin fish head during a business trip here. As luck would have it, we went to the very same place yesterday.

chan sau lin

It’s now moved from Jalan Chan Sau Lin No 3 (thus the Cantonese moniker) to Jalan Chan Sau Lin No 5. The place is huge, with a semi-outdoor (meaning it’s ventilated but covered) court and an air-conditioned area.

tai sam lou

This is what’s left of the famous hot and sweltering fish head at Tai Sam Lou with the famous tree – a faded photo. The tree stump is apparently still there.

chicken steamed

I don’t go around to these parts pretty often and a lot of people say that the fish head has deteriorated. They do serve a pretty mediocre plate of pak cham kai (steamed chicken).

curry fishhead

We ordered two fish heads – one is the curry version which I didn’t like at all. The curry gravy overpowered the fish. I like my fish to be as close to natural as possible.

fermented soy fish

The other one we had was the fermented soy sauce fish head. This is delicious! The way it’s cooked left the fish head relatively unmolested and there’s bird’s eye chili on top to add that additional zap to the palate. Succulent and tender, it left me digging into the head for stray pieces of fish.

me fishhead

Here’s a cheesy shot of me. The new place is at Jalan Lima off Jalan Chan Sau Lin in Sungai Besi. Don’t ask me for the GPS coordinates coz I broke my phone in Phuket but you can call 017-224 2133 for Hoi. I gleaned all that from the card I took from the place.

Lunch cost us RM 99 for four people, including a dish of bean sprouts I didn’t bother to take. 😉

16 hours

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I’ve been out since yesterday morning and I just got home after 16 hours. It was the best fun I had in ages.

…in other news, expect a drastic improvement in my spoken BM if things go well on Sunday. 😉

FML moments in life

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I have been recognized and talked to at the most unexpected and weirdest places since I’ve started blogging in 2002.

toilet

I remember one guy who thought it was perfectly normal to talk to me while I was in the middle of taking a leak with him doing the same at the next stand up cubicle.

There was no privacy barrier in that toilet.

He said he has always wanted to meet me and finally managed to. I thanked him and we shook hands. I don’t remember if the shaking hands part was before or after we washed our hands.

I have a strong suspicion it was right after we respectively relieved ourselves.

I appreciate everyone that reads my blog, I just thought it was really funny.

Since then I have learned not to wear my tatty, comfortable clothes out and always brush my teeth even if it’s a short walk to the corner grocery shop to get some milk.

I once bumped into someone eating at the restaurant downstairs right before the convenience store. I just woke up and thought I’ll just change and brush my teeth later.

tatty shirt

I literally froze and was tempted to run away when I saw this hot girl waving enthusiastically at me and calling out “Hey, you’re the Sixthseal guy right?”

(This reminds me of how everyone can manage to remember my blog name but not my real name but that’s another story)

Anyway, I reluctantly walked over coz I was very self-conscious with my two day old body odor (didn’t shower the night before after partying right after work) and said hello. I had bak jui sai (eye gunk), bad breath and I stink all over.

I’m quite sure I made a really bad first impression.

bloggers

It’s quite normal to be recognized by readers and photographed while out and about if you’re a public blogger. I’ve had anything from bank tellers to flight attendants to cinema ticket booking counter clerks saying hello and telling me how they like my reading my blog.

I thank everyone who comes up to me and says that, it’s nice to feel appreciated. It has also made me more conscious about my appearance so I dress properly, brush my teeth and put on deodorant before I head out.

The problem with the last bit is that it tends to leave an ugly stain on your clothes. Even most of the ones who claim not to stain your clothing does. I want to be confident and be my usual self while I’m out, not trying to hide my deodorant stain while pretending to listen to the conversation when in actual fact I’m trying to think of ways to explain why I’m shifting around and keeping my hands around my body to hide the stain.

I’m not trying to act cool okay. I’m actually a very nice and friendly person in real life. Really. 🙂

The problem with using deodorants
(below is an over-the-top reenactment ;))

white stains

Deodorants produces white marks on dark clothes (directly after application) and yellow stains on light colored clothes over time. The latter will never wash off. You should see the amount of my white shirts that has a yellow patch under my armpits!

This happens because deodorants creates a coat on the skin that does not absorb instantly. Thus, when it is mixed with sweat, it stains white and black clothes. However, the new NIVEA For Men Invisible For Black & White Deodorant has a formulation that allows for quick absorption so it does not stain black OR white clothes! 😀

Thus, I’ve found a solution to the deodorant problem and its name is NIVEA For Men Invisible For Black & White Deodorant. It’s a new product and the only one that can prevent white stains on black tops and reduce yellow stains on white or light colored shirts.

I have seen people scrutinize photos at blogger parties and laugh in offices while they gather their coworkers, with everyone looking at that stain in your armpit. It’s very visible in flash photography. You don’t want to be one of the people in the photos. I’ve heard very mean things said about them. 😉

I’m flying high on the trapeze!

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flying-trapeze

I got to experience the flying trapeze at Club Med, Phuket – it was a natural calling, being attracted to all things with an adrenaline factor in it. It’s one of those things that looks easy but it’s actually quite hard. I was at the flying trapeze almost every single day, aching in muscles I didn’t even know I had, wanting to perfect my technique and be a flyer.

flying trapeze training

The Circus GOs (Gentle Officers) are really big on safety so they see if you can actually do it – hang on a trapeze and then pull your legs up to hang upside down on a slightly raised training trapeze – before they let you go up the real thing.

the real trapeze

This is the real thing.

It’s high but they have a safety net and lots of contraptions to ensure that you don’t fall. This here is my first attempt – a 3:30 minute video where I managed to hook myself on the flying trapeze – it’s very long and rather funny, so I’m posting it up, but the rest of the painful journey is on the SixthSeal.com Facebook page.

trapeze club med

You have to let go and trust that the trapeze will hold you (and your hands and legs won’t fail you) while you hook your legs over the bar and then back into the holding position. There is actually an “audition” of sorts – they won’t let you be a flyer unless you can pull it off perfectly within the stipulated time-frame.

I also managed to do a back flip landing where you swing your legs in and out until you achieve the inertia required to rotate a full 360 degrees in mid-air backwards before landing on the net.

flying trapeze knee hang

…but here’s what I got my certificate for – being a flyer. It’s all about timing, doing things when it’s asked of you without hesitation. I was one of the two that made it (the other girl who managed it was not an amateur) so it actually looks easier and has a higher drop-out rate than you imagine. You need to be interested and dedicated.

I only managed it on my second try, I nearly reached the catcher’s hands on the first try but nearly isn’t good enough.

chalk

Basically, what you do is use chalk to powder yourself up to your elbows (this is to ensure a better grip for the catcher) and hang upside down on the bar on your knees. When you look backward and see the catcher, he/she grips you and you let go of the bar. There’s an element of trust in it as well, which I have in spades – I always trust that there will be no rocks under the sea when I go cliff diving – and the fear of heights, which is why a lot of people don’t get past the basic hook, but I managed to do it.

My entire body was sore every single day and I had cuts and abrasions all over by the time I achieved this but it was all worth it.

kelly

A big thank you to Kelly, Kelsey, Kory, Phil, Hsein Ming, Dennis – all my Circus GO instructors in the Phuket village of Club Med – for being so patient with me. 🙂

I was so ecstatic that I was on a pure adrenaline high for several hours. It was liberating. Watching the video again made me feel that I can do whatever I want to if I set my mind to it. It was the highlight of my trip. 😀

Things to do in Western Australia

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Perth skyline

I have a lot of high school friends studying in Perth when I was doing my university in Melbourne.
During one of the Easter long weekends, a bunch of us decided to fly to Western Australia. The journey was quite epic but that’s a story for another time.

pinaccles

Well, we had so much fun in Perth that we actually stayed a week and skipped all the lectures and tutorials back in Victoria. I had resigned myself to convince some of the more academically minded friends to stay on and miss a week’s worth of classes, but they really didn’t need much convincing. It was a lot of fun!

nightlife

Totally worth it. 🙂

surfing

Fun Fact: Perth has the longest sunshine hours of any other capital city in Australia!

Perth

The Greenhouse

You can enjoy the extra hours of daylight by lounging in one of the chic cafes that has been sprouting around the CBD area. The Greenhouse is one of the funkiest restaurants in town with food and wine winning rave reviews. I’ll love to check out this place!

Shopping on King Street

Shop at King’s Street – the home of labels like Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co and other high end designer houses. It’s also the perfect place to take a “I was here” photo.

Helvetica

You can relax and unwind with a drink at the very chic Helvetica after all that. Hitting all the designer bars can be a huge task, but do not be daunted, and go forth with a stout heart. 😉

Fremantle

Fremantle

Just a 30- minute drive away from Perth lies the quaint port of Fremantle. Don’t forget to eat at Cicerello’s Fish and Chips – it has a great commanding view of the Fremantle’s famous harbor and I’m telling you, you haven’t been to Perth if you haven’t eaten at Cicerello’s. It was one of the main reasons we went there – to see what the fuss is all about and we weren’t disappointed!

Wash down all that with some of the amber brew at the Little Creatures boutique microbrewery…

Fremantle buskers

…and walk off all those calories by browsing through the stalls at the 100-year-old Fremantle Markets and watching buskers (street performers) in action. Plan your trip to coincide with Friday to Sunday though coz that’s when the markets open.

Swan Valley

Duckstein Brewery in Swan Valley

Where’s the first place a couple of college kids head to the moment they’re in Perth? Swan Valley! It has FOUR microbreweries for those who love their beer. If you’re partial to vino, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s the oldest wine producing area in Western Australia too!

Henley Park Wines

Go for a vineyard tour with wine tastings to experience the best Swan Valley has to offer.

Rottnest Island

Cycling on Rottnest

This car-free island is the perfect getaway from the city! There are pristine beaches and bays and it’s just a short high speed ferry ride from Perth.

Rottnest

You can also experience the local wildlife after a long day of swimming, snorkeling and sunbathing at the beaches.

Rottnest Island quokkas

There’s something for everyone who loves the great outdoors – I strongly suggest you go sea kayaking. Powering over the surf can be a very rewarding experience! BTW, that’s a quokka you see in the foreground. What’s a quokka? It’s a marsupial like kangaroos and wallabies, except they’re around the size of a domestic cat. It’s mainly found in the smaller islands off Western Australia, especially Rottnest Island.

South West / Margaret River

bottleneck dolphins

Ah…the experiences you can take home in this region are unparalleled. There’s the Dolphin Discovery Center in Bunbury where you can interact with bottle nose dolphins.

Busselton Jetty

Stroll down the 145-year-old Busselton Jetty or ride the train to the end of the jetty and descend 8 meters below sea level to see the marine life right in front of your eyes.

Valley of Giants

Walk 40 meters above the ground amidst 400 year old trees along the Valley of Giants Treetop Walk!

jewel cave

Follow that up by going *down* down under with the trio of amazing caves – Lake, Mammoth and Jewel.

Coral Coast

Adrenaline junkies, adventure lovers and seekers of the weird and wonderful features of nature rejoice! For thou have reached the Eden of all that you have dreamt of.

The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles is an amazing natural formation that would strike wonder into your hearts. It certainly did the first time I went there. Definitely a must visit.

Get up close and personal with wild dolphins at Ningaloo Reef! It doesn’t get much better than this.

Sandboarding at Lancelin

Marvel at the sand dunes at Lancelin…and then sandboard down! It’s certainly one for the bucket list for all adrenaline seekers.

Upcoming Events

Sculpture by the Sea

Sculpture by the Sea, Cottlesloe
1-19 March
Cottlesloe Beach, Perth

This beach will be transformed into a stunning sculpture park with more than 70 artists, both local and international. Best of all? It’s free!

Sculptures by the beach

Margaret River Wine Region Festival
13-16 April
Margaret River

This five day celebration of wine, food, art, music and lifestyle is a festival featuring events from Augusta to Busselton. It’s a street fiesta that no self-respecting foodie would miss!

Truffle Kerfuffle
16 June
Manjimup

This festival celebrates the wonderful gourmet item known, loved and treasured throughout the world – black truffles! There will everything from cooking classes to truffle hunts and if you’re looking for something just a little bit different from the standard tour offerings – THIS IS IT! 🙂

The Natural Bridge

Hungry and raring to go to Perth? Purchase a package at MATTA Travel Fair from 16-18 March and receive an “Extraordinary Deals” booklet worth up to AUD 2,000 in savings and a Western Australian gift pack!

Suspended table Lake

There is just too much awesomeness going on in Western Australia at any given time that it’s impossible to list everything down. Surf over to westernaustralia.com for more information, links and start planning your itinerary!

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